Volcano Grey 4S Delivered

[CygnusX-1]

Got the keys to my Taycan, today! I’ll try to answer as many of the questions I know you all tend to ask.

timeline: Allocation in early November. Config locked in early December. About a month layover in Emden, and 2 weeks in San Diego port. 1 day at the dealer. It was definitely a Goldilocks window between supply chain, Felicity Ace and Ukraine.

as background: I am an EV early adopter having been in my Tesla Model S since October 2013. I consider myself an EV purist and believe that an EV shouldn’t pretend to be an ICE vehicle. I *liked* that my Model S was a giant computer with wheels. As an early participant for a new make, I was also prepared for hiccups, which I got in the form of 2 failed battery packs and several busted door handle and window drives that had to be replaced.

I am not a “car guy”. This is my first Porsche. I like the tech but appreciate performance. Since covid my time behind the wheel has been severely curtailed. And now that my 16 year old is inheriting the Model S, my required driving will be even less. I knew I wanted to stay EV and there was no other model in this segment that interested me besides the Taycan and Plaid. If Plaid had gotten a facelift since my MY2013, maybe I would have considered it more.

So, with all that as background, I have high expectations for this car given the brand and my experiences as an EV owner, but I am prepared to handle some inconveniences that a traditional Porsche buyer may not be.

some key options in spec:

1. RAS
2. HUD
3. ACC
4. Passenger screen
5. Rear seat heat and touchscreen
6. Sport design
7. Mission E with paint to match
8. Black trim and badge delete
9. Premium package; Bose, folding mirrors, surround view
10. 14 way seats
11. Black/Limestone interior
12. Performance battery

I will be taking it in Monday to get full Xpel Stealth and tint. As a consequence, I’ve driven only about 30 miles today. Any feedback on car is obviously super preliminary. That said…

• RAS: been lots of debate on this forum about it, but I love it! The car feels like it slithers around tight spots in parking lots. Really tight U turn radius.
• HUD: i had forgotten it was in my spec, but I really like it. Viewing the directional map in the HUD I seem to prefer over even the map in the dash. I want to play with some of the configuration options.
• BOSE: meh. Once I messed with the EQ it was better, but my first impression is that the stereo is aggressively average
• Backup camera. It’s as bad as they say and worse than you imagine.
• Interior: limestone/black. the limestone color is darker than I expected it to be. This is good as it is more on the grey side than the beige and compliments the exterior color better. Particularly after it gets wrapped/matted. So, I like that. I did not go full leather and think that, while better than my Tesla, what I have optioned is just one, maybe two, steps ahead.
• Air suspension works quickly and does make a difference getting over curb into our driveway. Will definitely be experimenting with that on the regular
• PCM is going to take time to figure out. First blush is it’s not as intuitive as my Tesla, but does seem to have functionality…once you figure out where it is. Example: took me awhile to find the interface for audio configuration
• Homelink is not working despite several attempts.
• Trying to figure out the right combo of buttons to push/settings to configure for when I exit the car. Lock/unlock, mirrors fold/unfold in ways I do not understand, yet. When do I need my key to lock/unlock vs the touch sensor vs car just does it itself? I dunno what does what. I’ll figure it out.
• I can’t tell if my handles present themselves to me or not. I swear it has a couple times, but my SA said they don’t make them that way anymore? That didn’t sound right.
• SA also said that he heard some rattling in the lower touchscreen area and that they had ordered a part to replace it. I haven’t noticed anything.
• Will be installing a Blackvue 900 dash cam by end of month.
• I did order the tire and wheel service plan
• I financed about half the purch price. Best rate came from BofA at 4.3% and my credit score is well over 850
• I had a $10k ADM

Will post before and afters once the wrap/tint is completed.

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[AHayat]

Good luck, beautiful car, enjoy

 

[Windpower]

Trying to figure out the right combo of buttons to push/settings to configure for when I exit the car. Lock/unlock, mirrors fold/unfold in ways I do not understand, yet.
I can’t tell if my handles present themselves to me or not. I swear it has a couple times

I have a Tesla Y and here is the way the Taycan is supposed to work (compared with the Tesla): you’ll use the Taycan key fob as you would your smartphone with the Tesla to unlock your car. As you get close to the Taycan with the key fob, the car unlocks and the handles pop out.
When you exit the Taycan, I normally only hit the Park button, open the door and exit. I’m not sure what difference hitting the Power button makes.
But then you need to hit the Lock button on the Taycan key fob. The Taycan does not have ‘walk away lock’ like the Tesla. On the Taycan the handles should retract and if you have the motorized mirrors (optional), they will turn in and up.
As an experiment, lock the car from 20’ away and then approach the car with the key fob in your hand. When get to maybe 3’ from the Taycan, the door handles should pop out and the car unlocks.

 

[CygnusX-1]

I have a Tesla Y and here is the way the Taycan is supposed to work (compared with the Tesla): you’ll use the Taycan key fob as you would your smartphone with the Tesla to unlock your car. As you get close to the Taycan with the key fob, the car unlocks and the handles pop out.
When you exit the Taycan, I normally only hit the Park button, open the door and exit. I’m not sure what difference hitting the Power button makes.
But then you need to hit the Lock button on the Taycan key fob. The Taycan does not have ‘walk away lock’ like the Tesla. On the Taycan the handles should retract and if you have the motorized mirrors (optional), they will turn in and up.
As an experiment, lock the car from 20’ away and then approach the car with the key fob in your hand. When get to maybe 3’ from the Taycan, the door handles should pop out and the car unlocks.

ah, yeah. The power off/on button. I’m so used to park/walk away in the Tesla that this is something I’m going to need to relearn.

We stopped at Firehouse to get some sammiches. I wanted to try the precool feature on the mobile app. Went to turn on the AC and I received a message that said “feature not available while car on” (words to that effect). Walked out and sure enough the fans were running just as I had left them because I had failed to turn off the power button / lock it from the fob.

 

[jkoya]

@CygnusX-1 Congrats on your gorgeous Volcano Grey 4S !! Did the dealer throw in the Porsche Pen and Key Fob Rings and did they mention the $10K ADM when you placed the order ?

Been driving an EV since 2012, not with a Model S, but with a Nissan Leaf with a total range of about 70 miles (when new) and only a 3.3 kW onboard charger.

 

[CygnusX-1]

@CygnusX-1 Congrats on your gorgeous Volcano Grey 4S !! Did the dealer throw in the Porsche Pen and Key Fob Rings and did they mention the $10K ADM when you placed the order ?

Been driving an EV since 2012, not with a Model S, but with a Nissan Leaf with a total range of about 70 miles (when new) and only a 3.3 kW onboard charger.

thank you

yes, I knew about the ADM when I put down the deposit in November. They also had me sign an agreement that I would not sell the car overseas for a period of one year.That was a surprise. Probably not legally enforceable, but the real risk would be in getting blackballed by the brand.

dealer gave us the pen/key chain set and also presented my wife with a $100 gift card to their merch store.

 

[B61]

But then you need to hit the Lock button on the Taycan key fob.

I don’t use key fob at all.. You can simply swipe the door handle to lock the car.

 

[sderkach]

thank you

yes, I knew about the ADM when I put down the deposit in November. They also had me sign an agreement that I would not sell the car overseas for a period of one year.That was a surprise. Probably not legally enforceable, but the real risk would be in getting blackballed by the brand.

dealer gave us the pen/key chain set and also presented my wife with a $100 gift card to their merch store.

thank you

yes, I knew about the ADM when I put down the deposit in November. They also had me sign an agreement that I would not sell the car overseas for a period of one year.That was a surprise. Probably not legally enforceable, but the real risk would be in getting blackballed by the brand.

dealer gave us the pen/key chain set and also presented my wife with a $100 gift card to their merch store.

May I ask what ADM is?

 

[rcsting]

May I ask what ADM is?

‘Additional Dealer Markup.

 

[CygnusX-1]

May I ask what ADM is?

As rcsting mentioned, it’s additional markup over MSRP. When I placed the order initially, it hadn’t dawned on me to shop other dealerships around the country. There are, apparently, some/many? that are not doing the extra pricing. If you’re considering one and your local dealer is asking for a markup, perhaps shop around.

 

[sderkach]

As rcsting mentioned, it’s additional markup over MSRP. When I placed the order initially, it hadn’t dawned on me to shop other dealerships around the country. There are, apparently, some/many? that are not doing the extra pricing. If you’re considering one and your local dealer is asking for a markup, perhaps shop around.

I see. My car is arriving in the next few weeks and so I’ve already signed on with this dealership….I was never told about an ADM. fingers crossed!

 

[Windpower]

I don’t use key fob at all.. You can simply swipe the door handle to lock the car.

Most times I’m half way to my house before I remember to lock the Taycan. The Tesla automatically locks as you walk away. It does take getting used to having to click the Taycan key fob to lock.
With the Tesla, about once a month the phone doesn’t open my car and I need to pull out the key card (I won’t leave home without the key card since I got stuck at Home Depot once and my wife had to drive over with the Tesla key card).
The point here is that none of these cars are perfect. I wouldn’t consider them show stoppers, but things you need to used to. You’ll need to get used to locking the Taycan with the key fob.

By the way, GREAT looking car.

 

[B61]

Agreed, autolock would be nice to have feature, but we can't have it all, right?

I left my car few times unlocked since I was used to my previous who locked by themselves, but I learned in a week or two... after all, swipe is just some kind of gesture of attention

 

[CygnusX-1]

Most times I’m half way to my house before I remember to lock the Taycan. The Tesla automatically locks as you walk away. It does take getting used to having to click the Taycan key fob to lock.
With the Tesla, about once a month the phone doesn’t open my car and I need to pull out the key card (I won’t leave home without the key card since I got stuck at Home Depot once and my wife had to drive over with the Tesla key card).
The point here is that none of these cars are perfect. I wouldn’t consider them show stoppers, but things you need to used to. You’ll need to get used to locking the Taycan with the key fob.

By the way, GREAT looking car.

Thank you. 100% agree, it just a relearning process in most cases. Once I get some real time behind the wheel of the Taycan, I’ll be able to make a better comparison, but in the 60 miles I *have* driven in the car, I can already feel the upgrade to my circa 2013 tech Tesla.

 

[gnop1950]

As rcsting mentioned, it’s additional markup over MSRP. When I placed the order initially, it hadn’t dawned on me to shop other dealerships around the country. There are, apparently, some/many? that are not doing the extra pricing. If you’re considering one and your local dealer is asking for a markup, perhaps shop around.

This is changing although I'm sure there are still dealers that will sell without an ADM. I was able to place my order with no ADM in October last year. The car is on the Grand Legacy and should be delivered by the end of this month or early next month.

Talking to my SA a few days ago and they said demand is so high, and supply so low, that they are now adding an ADM to all orders. Fortunately not to mine.

I also ordered a new Tacoma for a utility vehicle (shopping/hobbies). MSRP but only because my local dealer has stopped selling new trucks to anyone outside of our county. Used models, with 50-100k miles, were selling for the same price as new models and they can't keep them on the lot.

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