2020 Porsche Taycan makes public debut at Frankfurt

Porsche has unveiled the 2020 electric Porsche Taycan at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The four-door fastback is the very first all-electric model in the firm’s near 90-year history. It’s based on a brand new platform designed specifically to house its electric powertrain, as Porsche takes aim at the current heavyweight of the EV market, the Tesla Model S. The Taycan will arrive in showrooms next year with a starting price of £115,858.

A trio of Taycan models will eventually be available but from launch there will be the Taycan Turbo and the Taycan Turbo S. Both are billed as high-performance versions of the new car, with a less expensive, less powerful entry-level model joining the range later.

Here’s our roundup of the Frankfurt Motor Show

According to Porsche, the new Taycan slots in beneath the Panamera in its current model line-up. It’s slightly smaller than the Panamera but its battery pack adds weight, meaning the Taycan tips the scales at a rather hefty 2,395kg.

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2020 Porsche Taycan design

Thanks to a slick shape that incorporates a sloping roofline, the Taycan becomes the most aerodynamic model in the Porsche range. The car has a similar nose design to the Panamera but with quad LED headlights and upright air intakes, the latter of which allow air to flow directly through the body of the car. Cooling flaps sit within the bumper, activating when the Taycan is switched into one of its performance driving modes.

At the rear, the dominant feature is a full-width LED lighting strip reminiscent of the current 911. Sitting above this is a small lip spoiler that can be set in three positions.

The Taycan has a front luggage space, sometimes referred to as a ‘frunk’, that offers 81 litres of space and this is complemented by a traditional, 366-litre boot in the rear of the car.

2020 Porsche Taycan interior

The interior of the Taycan features touchscreen controls, with the option for buyers to specify up to four separate digital displays. A 16.8-inch screen is used for the digital dial cluster behind the steering wheel, which can display four different layouts including a full-size map view and a Pure mode that only displays essential information. At each side of the instrument cluster there are small touchscreens that let you control the interior lighting and chassis settings. Because of these, the instrument cluster is actually wider than the steering wheel.

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In the centre of the dash sits a 10.9-inch infotainment screen, and an 8.4-inch touchscreen panel is located in the centre console to operate the Taycan’s air-conditioning. Buyers can also specify a second infotainment screen for passengers as an option.

For the four-seat cabin, buyers can choose from a range of interior trimmings, from olive-tanned leather to a sustainable microfibre material, while the carpets are partly made from recycled fishing nets. Five interior colours are available with different accents and trim finishers.

2020 Porsche Taycan technology

The Taycan is the first Porsche to be equipped with ‘Porsche Electric Sports Sound,’ which feeds synthesized sound into the cabin through the speakers as you drive. Fully connected online capability is also standard, with such features as voice control and over-the-air software updates.

Porsche’s second-generation version of InnoDrive also features, giving semi-autonomous features that include guided adaptive cruise control, lane keep and overtake assist. The Taycan also features a new night vision system, along with systems such as automatic emergency braking, rear cross traffic alert and collision avoidance assist.

2020 Porsche Taycan range and charging

The Taycan boasts a 93.4kWh battery that’s located in the floor of the car. In Turbo trim, Porsche claims a maximum driving range of 279 miles on a single charge under the current WLTP testing cycle, which is less than the claimed 365-mile range of the Tesla Model S Performance model. The more powerful range-topping Taycan Turbo S can achieve a claimed 257 miles of range on a single charge.

Rapid charging using a 50kW DC rapid charger takes 93 minutes from 5 to 80%, while charging with an 11kW AC wallbox does the same in around nine hours. The Taycan is also capable of being charged at up to 270kW, which gives the same charge in 23 minutes.

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The Taycan has a three-stage brake recuperation system that can harvest energy from slowing down to top up the battery. This is operated by a button mounted on the steering wheel and can be switched off completely, fully enabled, or switched into automatic mode. The latter uses the front-facing camera to help predict the best time to deploy the energy recuperation system when driving.

2020 Porsche Taycan performance

In Turbo spec, the Taycan has 671bhp on overboost with launch control enabled. When this system is switched off, power drops to 617bhp. The claimed 0-62mph time is 3.2 seconds, with an electronically limited top speed of 161mph.

The range-topping Turbo S variant turns the power up to 750bhp, with this figure also falling to 617bhp during normal use. Using the car’s launch control system, the Turbo S can sprint from 0-62mph in 2.8 seconds, with 0-124mph possible in only 9.8 seconds.

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The Taycan can be switched into one of five drive modes called Range, Normal, Sport, Sport Plus and Individual, all of which adjust the level of bias given to either range or performance by the Taycan’s two-speed gearbox. In Range mode, only the second gear is used in order to maximise the car’s range.

Four-wheel steering is standard across the Taycan range. At lower speeds the rear wheels turn in the opposite direction to the front wheels, making the car more agile at low speed. At higher speeds, the system switches off completely to improve stability.

Air suspension is fitted as standard and is combined with Porsche’s Active Suspension Management, which provides a more supple ride quality for motorway cruising. The suspension can also be stiffened for performance and track driving. A lift function for the nose of the car is also included, raising the front to help avoid scraping speed bumps or wedging the car on steeply angled driveways.

Buyers can specify Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control as an additional cost option, which helps to reduce body roll and control over- and understeer.

Do you want to know more about Taycan’s rivals? Why not read our in-depth review of the Tesla Model S.