Taycan RWD Performance Battery or 4S Standard Battery

[PappaGanoush]

Hi Everyone.

I have an opportunity to lease a Taycan through my employer via a salary sacrifice scheme. There are limits to models and specs due to costs.

My two options are as follows.

Taycan RWD Performance Battery 93.4kWh, Jet Black, Turbo Aero Wheels, Sports Chrono, Bose, Ambient Lighting, Privacy Glass and Powered Charging Port.

OR

Taycan 4s 79.2kWh, Jet Black, Turbo Aero Wheels, Sports Chrono, Bose, Ambient Lighting, Privacy Glass and Powered Charging Port.

The dealer has said not to bother with the smaller battery and only go for the performance. The other sticking point is sports Chrono. He was adamant both are a must. As this is a 4 year lease I am not overly fussed on residual value.

Could some please help! I am really stuck what to order. Thank you

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[wurzitup]

Base with Performance Battery plus........ IMHO.

 

[Fish Fingers]

Firstly, do you need the extra range and do you need 4WD?

And what sort of performance have you been used to (existing car)?

Personally, I also think (and a lot on here agree) that Sport Chrono is not a must on the Taycan.
Other Porsches more so, Taycan less so with its minimalistic, futuristic dashboard and lack of switches etc. And the clock on the dash really divides opinion.

Just my initial thoughts.

BTW I would probably go RWD all else being equal.

 

[Windpower]

The only reason why you might get the standard battery is if you don't travel out of your local area and your commute to work is short.

Keep in mind as we move into the middle of winter, the range will drop by around 30%. So if the 'normal' range of the standard battery is 250 miles, you'll be down to around 175 miles mid winter.

Which might be fine for you. I had a BMW i3 for several years and the range in the winter was around 90 miles and that worked fine for me.

 

[PappaGanoush]

Hi

Thanks for the reply.

Currently in an 2019 E Class. So in terms of performance both options will be a huge improvement.

The dealer was saying launch control was unavailable without Sports Chrono and could not give me a definitive answer to what sports plus adds.

In terms of range. My furthest journey Chipping Norton to Cornwall (178miles) I believe either will be ok.

Its so hard to decide!

 

[Fish Fingers]

Hi

Thanks for the reply.

Currently in an 2019 E Class. So in terms of performance both options will be a huge improvement.

The dealer was saying launch control was unavailable without Sports Chrono and could not give me a definitive answer to what sports plus adds.

In terms of range. My furthest journey Chipping Norton to Cornwall (178miles) I believe either will be ok.

Its so hard to decide!

Launch control is available without Sport Chrono. I use it regularly on my RWD/PB+ with no sport chrono.

Have a look here for sport Chrono discussion ..

https://www.taycanforum.com/forum/threads/do-i-really-need-sport-chrono.2113/

Coming from an E class, the RWD with PB+ will still be really quick.
Don't look at the 0-60 (it's a heavy car!) look at the overtaking figures (80-120km/h) compared to your current car for real world feel.

And more range is always preferable. Even if you don't make long journeys, you charge less often.

Lastly, typical English weather (not the Alps!) and RWD does provide loads of grip.

RWD / PB+ for me. ?

 

[im85288]

4S with standard battery would be my choice. I never do more than a 40 mile round trip, have a home charger so the range is not a concern. The power difference between the RWD (0-60 in 5.1 seconds) and the 4S(0-60 in 3.8 seconds) though is significant and of course you get other things as standard on the 4S like PASM (adaptive suspension) and better lights. No brainier IMHO

 

[DerekS]

Do you prioritize range, or speed?

If speed, get the 4S.
If range, get the RWD with PB+.

 

[W1NGE]

Hi Everyone.

I have an opportunity to lease a Taycan through my employer via a salary sacrifice scheme. There are limits to models and specs due to costs.

My two options are as follows.

Taycan RWD Performance Battery 93.4kWh, Jet Black, Turbo Aero Wheels, Sports Chrono, Bose, Ambient Lighting, Privacy Glass and Powered Charging Port.

OR

Taycan 4s 79.2kWh, Jet Black, Turbo Aero Wheels, Sports Chrono, Bose, Ambient Lighting, Privacy Glass and Powered Charging Port.

The dealer has said not to bother with the smaller battery and only go for the performance. The other sticking point is sports Chrono. He was adamant both are a must. As this is a 4 year lease I am not overly fussed on residual value.

Could some please help! I am really stuck what to order. Thank you

Drop the Sports Chrono (launch control is available on all Taycans via the SPORT button).

Living in the UK your standard battery range will be < 200 miles (use the range calculator on the website to give you a good idea) during winter months noting also that the recommended maximum charge is 85% which if you adhere to may be a concern as this range will reduce further.

I currently get 204 miles of range with the performance battery plus on an 85% charge this time of year.

Ideal config is a 4S with the performance battery so look to sacrifice some of the other options to see if you can make it work.

Appreciate that this is easier said than done given your constraints. A Taycan anything will be light years ahead of the Merc you have today. The compromise therefore would be the RWD with PB+ but add panoramic 360 cameras, power steering plus (or ideally Rear Axle Steer which includes power steering plus).

 

[Evpower]

Hi

Thanks for the reply.

Currently in an 2019 E Class. So in terms of performance both options will be a huge improvement.

The dealer was saying launch control was unavailable without Sports Chrono and could not give me a definitive answer to what sports plus adds.

In terms of range. My furthest journey Chipping Norton to Cornwall (178miles) I believe either will be ok.

Its so hard to decide!

I think that is the same dealer that sold me my last vacuum cleaner with the turbo motor.

 

[Kingske]

Depends on your winters. If you are dealing with snow and ice during the winter, go for the 4S with standard battery. Otherwise, go for the RWD with the larger battery.

 

[andrewh3]

I agree, a tough decision. I have no experience of the RWD but all the reviews seem positive with no real suggestions that lack of grip was an issues even in wet weather. I have a 4S and one of the reasons I did not wait for the RWD was the issue of tyre spin/lack of grip on my old Panamera Diesel. I had the 300BHP version and even in the dry could easily experience spin/axle tramp with vigorous acceleration. On the 4S have never had any grip issues, even with strong acceleration in the wet. As a new electric car owner, was really worried about range/battery, so very happy my car has PB+. In real life my typical journey a round trip of 50km, so has never been an issue. With the better charging infrastructure in UK compared to Australia, I would probably go 4S.

 

[Fish Fingers]

The grip is really good in the RWD, mainly due to the weight of the car. If you live in a snowy area I think 4WD is obvious choice - not so much in the UK.

Also, some reviews say the steering feel is better in the RWD (no front motor) and more like a 911.

Out of interest, the overtaking figures (80-120kmh) from Porsche are 4S = 2.3s / RWD PB+ = 2.7s.
So not too much in it once on the move.

I came from a BMW M2 and my RWD is much faster than that in real world driving.

 

[W1NGE]

The grip is really good in the RWD, mainly due to the weight of the car. If you live in a snowy area I think 4WD is obvious choice - not so much in the UK.

Also, some reviews say the steering feel is better in the RWD (no front motor) and more like a 911.

Out of interest, the overtaking figures (80-120kmh) from Porsche are 4S = 2.3s / RWD PB+ = 2.7s.
So not too much in it once on the move.

I came from a BMW M2 and my RWD is much faster than that in real world driving.

Sorry to be a pedant but the 4S (and above) are not 4WD but rather AWD (All Wheel Drive). I know the terms are used interchangeably but they are two different things.

 

[tigerbalm]

I don't want to take this thread off-topic too much. But does anybody have a sense of the range difference between normal everyday driving a 4S+ (with performance battery) and a Turbo S?

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