Model S Plaid to Taycan

[Slyevo]

Hi all,

I currently have a '24 Model S Plaid. Purchased new (demo) and have been dealing with numerous qc issues and now serious safety restraint codes that have required many service center visits. Talked to a lemon law attorney and he is certain Tesla will buy my car back. Despite those issues, I still love the car but now the new MSP is $100K+ (Mine was $86K w/ discounts). I'm thinking I may keep the car if they offer me a decent cash price, but if not, I'll jump over to the Taycan.

I've been contemplating which Taycan is better: a 2024 GTS CPO or a 2025 4s CPO? I really love the new redesign and it seems everything is improved on the J1.2 model. I also like the package of the GTS but I think the 2025 model will be out of my budget.

Thanks in advance for any advice/insights.

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[PierreTT]

You'll be missing a lot of power... If you dont mind, go for it.

 

[Jonathan S.]

I'm thinking I may keep the car if they offer me a decent cash price

Isn't that the other way around?

 

[Rusty Griswald]

The Plaid ( Tesla) software overall can’t be beat.
I love my Taycan Turbo especially aesthetically however, miss…….
the raw acceleration of the plaid and the superior software as well the more comfortable as a DD.

 

[Maggo321]

I went from a 2019 P100D (basically the same car as yours) to a 2022 4S Taycan CT and here's my opinion on the switch.

Firstly, the software/tech hardware is wayyyyyyyy below the Tesla quality. The screen is slightly laggy and there is just far too much going on. Not logical like the Tesla at all and just menus after menus that just don't make sense. There's far too many buttons and even after a few weeks, it's still too complex for simple tasks and only 2 programable buttons, so the menus are used a lot. The only plus is that Apple Carplay is nice to have.

The ride is a lot harder (even in the softest setting) and whilst that might be good for handling, for daily use it's quite uncomfortable after a while.

The regen is pathetic. There's a 'recuperation' on and off, but even when on, you can hardly notice it at all and means you're braking literally at every junction.

Boot space, even though I got the CT, there's less space in the boot than the Model S, and the opening is not as big as I expected for an estate car. But the frunk is larger on the Taycan.

It's a lot harder (lower) to get in and out of than the Tesla.

I have almost every option ticked, something which the Tesla lacked (options), so I like the the ability to have these, but obviously comes and a high cost!

It's a lot slower than the P100D (but certainly not slow in general terms).

It's nice to have a charge port at both sides of the car.

Locking the car, even though I have the comfort entry package, you cannot simply walk away from the car to lock it. You have to press a sensor on the door handle (which is annoying when you're used to just walking away).

The arm rest cubby is terribly hard to get into from the drivers seat position, and the wireless charger is in there!

Air vents are electronically positioned rather than just being able to move them with your hands, therefore having to annoyingly navigate through menus.

Something silly, but the steering wheel is much thinner than the Tesla, and I don't like it compared.

In short...........I wouldn't switch, there is just too many annoying things for me personally and the Tesla is just nicer to have as an everyday car.

 

[gtm]

^ I went from a 2020 Model S Performance to 2023 Taycan GTS and mostly agree with the above. But ...

The assembly quality of the Porsche is as far ahead of the Tesla as the software in the Tesla is ahead of the Porsche.

The Porsche is a lot more fussy to operate (UI, HVAC, ...) but once set up I find very little need to play with the settings deep in the menus. And the menus are absurdly counterintuitive so the learning curve is steep.

The ride is firm but very comfortable (and I have the slightly stiffer GTS). Porsche suspension engineering is close to magic. The Tesla wasn't bad but it's not in the same league.

I recently looked at a 2025 Model S at the local sales center. 15 years after introducing the Model S and the Freemont plant still can't put a body panel on and get it aligned. Horrendous, and for me a deal breaker at any price.

Service on my Model S was a non-issue. The only service was to look at the wipers (juddering) and it was done in my garage. Service with the Porsche (at either of the two dealerships I can get to) is horrible. Long delays getting in. They keep the car for weeks for what should be a one or two day visit (usually because there aren't enough EV techs). OTA updates, other to the maps, was nonexistent. Porsche has just started to implement OTA updates for battery monitoring software so there is hope, but the software install is necessary because of potentially serious problems with the batteries and it took them a year to come up with the monitoring software.

You need to drive a Porsche and then pick what is important to you. Software, handling, interior space, assembly quality, cost,... Pick your poison because both cars have faults.

Forgot to mention. CCS charging out on the road is way, way behind Tesla. Tesla was jump in the car, set the destination and don't worry about charging. The CCS infrastructure is getting better at a steady pace, but if you road trip CCS requires advance planning.

 

[Dee]

I went from a 2019 P100D (basically the same car as yours) to a 2022 4S Taycan CT and here's my opinion on the switch.

Firstly, the software/tech hardware is wayyyyyyyy below the Tesla quality. The screen is slightly laggy and there is just far too much going on. Not logical like the Tesla at all and just menus after menus that just don't make sense. There's far too many buttons and even after a few weeks, it's still too complex for simple tasks and only 2 programable buttons, so the menus are used a lot. The only plus is that Apple Carplay is nice to have.

The ride is a lot harder (even in the softest setting) and whilst that might be good for handling, for daily use it's quite uncomfortable after a while.

The regen is pathetic. There's a 'recuperation' on and off, but even when on, you can hardly notice it at all and means you're braking literally at every junction.

Boot space, even though I got the CT, there's less space in the boot than the Model S, and the opening is not as big as I expected for an estate car. But the frunk is larger on the Taycan.

It's a lot harder (lower) to get in and out of than the Tesla.

I have almost every option ticked, something which the Tesla lacked (options), so I like the the ability to have these, but obviously comes and a high cost!

It's a lot slower than the P100D (but certainly not slow in general terms).

It's nice to have a charge port at both sides of the car.

Locking the car, even though I have the comfort entry package, you cannot simply walk away from the car to lock it. You have to press a sensor on the door handle (which is annoying when you're used to just walking away).

The arm rest cubby is terribly hard to get into from the drivers seat position, and the wireless charger is in there!

Air vents are electronically positioned rather than just being able to move them with your hands, therefore having to annoyingly navigate through menus.

Something silly, but the steering wheel is much thinner than the Tesla, and I don't like it compared.

In short...........I wouldn't switch, there is just too many annoying things for me personally and the Tesla is just nicer to have as an everyday car.

90% of your points have nothing to do with driving.
Porsche is for (sporty) driving, the rest is nice to have, like all Porsches.
You obviously don't understand what a Porsche is.
Tesla is for transportation but it's more like an iPad on wheels and it doesn't handle corners that well...

 

[alik]

I have both . model s ludicrous and taycan . recently gave up my old taycan and was going to replace with a plaid, but decided to replace the taycan with a taycan ct. the other posters summed it up well. even my old model s non plaid will kill the taycan in straight line races. and the self drive tech is miles above porsche. the taycan has better quality , feels nicer when driving. after the initial speed of the tesla wears off , the taycan qualities mean more to me. they are both nice . you cant go wrong with either . the tesla is also all over the place, you see so many model s around , taycan is a bit more rare .

 

[Rusty Griswald]

13 years later the model S is still the best looking car in the Tesla lineup. It’s nice to see third-party vendors offering more customization to the EV side.

 

[RAHRCR]

If you love driving, any Taycan is an upgrade over Tesla. If you love software, stay on the Tesla bus.

 

[anonymouse]

The regen is pathetic. There's a 'recuperation' on and off, but even when on, you can hardly notice it at all and means you're braking literally at every junction.

While I agree with most of the things you say - but definitely not your conclusion, because once you take a Taycan around a sharp bend at speed you realise that it is a proper driver’s car — you are misunderstanding regen and braking. In a Taycan we use the pedal more, but don’t actually “brake”. The Porsche decides when to use regen and when to brake; almost always choosing the former. They have chosen a user interface which is more like a conventional car, so you use the pedal more — but it is NOT lacking regeneration.

 

[EXOTIC3]

I’ve never been in any other EV/sports car/sedan/Rocket that accelerates like a Tesla PLAID S not just from a dig, but from even from 60-120.

 

[Maggo321]

I’m not disagreeing that when you take a ‘sharp bend’ the taycan is better. What I’m saying is that the Tesla is a much nicer drive for 99% of my driving. I love how the Tesla comes to a stop without touching the brake pedal.

I’m sure I’ll get used to having to brake again much more frequently.

First world issues I know.

 

[Freeewilly]

Model S is not a bad drivers car. I fall in love with MS back in 2014 because it drives like a Panamera, way better than any Mercedes and BMW sedens in my price range. Since Porsche didn't offer EV back in 2014, I bought my first Tesla.

Taycan J1.1 Turbo S had a 7:33:25 time at Nurburgring in 2022, Plaid was 7:35:579. I'm aware Taycan Turbo GT achieved 7:07.55 in 2024. Yes, Taycan is better, but doesn't mean an near stock version of MS Plaid is a bad drivers car.

Please don't tell me to go back to Tesla, this is not a marriage. I can have both legally.

 

[DerekS]

If you love driving, any Taycan is an upgrade over Tesla. If you love software, stay on the Tesla bus.

As a family that owns both, this is spot on.

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