Does a Taycan feel like a 911?

[sbarker108]

Hi, never owned a 911 and am waiting for the Taycan to be built. I do read regular reviews by motoring journalists who swear it drives like a 911. Given the weight difference I do find this difficult to believe but am intrigued to hear if anyone who owns or has owned both would share their thoughts on it.

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[daveo4EV]

no - it's too heavy to feel like an 911

but it has a lower CG than a GT3 - so it handles great! and instant torque from the EV motors is a thing of beauty - it's a great great car - but it's not a sports car - it's a sports sedan - the best sports sedan on the market…

I own: Cayenne, Taycan, 992 911 Turbo S, 991 911 GT3, and have driven/raced cup cars and I track my GT3, I've also tracked my Taycan - the Taycan can hang with a GT3 at HPDE days until the battery overheats -no small task for a 5,100 lbs sports sedan - but at the end of the day it's longer and heavier than a 911 so it's not a 911…but it's a great sporty sedan with all the Porsche DNA

but it does feel like a Porsche - planted, stable, very very quick, and joy to drive and ride it - but it's a 4 door sports sedan - not a 2 door sports car.

 

[Jeffrey B]

no - it's too heavy to feel like an 911

but it has a lower CG than a GT3 - so it handles great! and instant torque from the EV motors is a thing of beauty - it's a great great car - but it's not a sports car - it's a sports sedan - the best sports sedan on the market…

I own: Cayenne, Taycan, 992 911 Turbo S, 991 911 GT3, and have driven/raced cup cars and I track my GT3, I've also tracked my Taycan - the Taycan can hang with a GT3 at HPDE days until the battery overheats -no small task for a 5,100 lbs sports sedan - but at the end of the day it's longer and heavier than a 911 so it's not a 911…but it's a great sporty sedan with all the Porsche DNA

but it does feel like a Porsche - planted, stable, very very quick, and joy to drive and ride it - but it's a 4 door sports sedan - not a 2 door sports car.

I totally agree, I have owned 3 911s and agree with this response. If I could however I would stable a 911 GTS or GT3 touring right next to my Taycan GTS in the garage- the best of both worlds!!

 

[DerekS]

I've had 3 911s and 3 Boxsters.

The Taycan has the handling and driving responsiveness of a 911, but there's no hiding the weight. You definitely feel it going into corners (yet it manages to stay planted.)

I guess I'd generalize handling on Porsches like this:

Boxster/Cayman: Best handling you can buy. Tossable into any corner, tons of confidence.

911: More raw power and torque than a Boxster, but with a lot of rear weight bias that needs to be managed.

Taycan: Some of the 911, some of the Boxster. The weight is balanced (flat across the battery pack) giving it some of the Boxster feel. The power and torque feels like a 911. The thing is bigger than both though, and you definitely feel that.

If they made a Taycan 2 door coupe I think it would be awesome. I bought this car for the EV, not for the extra doors and back seat.

 

[W1NGE]

Hi, never owned a 911 and am waiting for the Taycan to be built. I do read regular reviews by motoring journalists who swear it drives like a 911. Given the weight difference I do find this difficult to believe but am intrigued to hear if anyone who owns or has owned both would share their thoughts on it.

- that would be 'no'

Fabulously capable car for its weight but realistically not a 911 by any stretch. Journalists like to write copy and wax lyrical on all sorts of stuff / nonsense / wishful thinking but I think this comparison is a stretch too far.

 

[TDinDC]

I've had 3 911s and 3 Boxsters.

The Taycan has the handling and driving responsiveness of a 911, but there's no hiding the weight. You definitely feel it going into corners (yet it manages to stay planted.)

I guess I'd generalize handling on Porsches like this:

Boxster/Cayman: Best handling you can buy. Tossable into any corner, tons of confidence.

911: More raw power and torque than a Boxster, but with a lot of rear weight bias that needs to be managed.

Taycan: Some of the 911, some of the Boxster. The weight is balanced (flat across the battery pack) giving it some of the Boxster feel. The power and torque feels like a 911. The thing is bigger than both though, and you definitely feel that.

If they made a Taycan 2 door coupe I think it would be awesome. I bought this car for the EV, not for the extra doors and back seat.

I agree with you and others that the Taycan looks and feels like a Porsche, but it is not a 911 replacement.

With respect to differences between boxster/cayman, 911, and Taycan, I would say the following:

Mid-engine Boxster & Cayman have a much higher “limit”, are a ton of fun, but when they let go, they tend to let go all at once with less warning, so ideal for beginners and for everyone on the roads (I love them), but takes a lot more skill to drive them consistently at the limit (say, on a track), because you need to be much better to catch them without spin if you wander to the wrong side of the limit. Good news is that they tend to spin like a top and not go too far, which again makes them good for beginners.

911s have a much lower “beginning of the limit” than a mid-engine BUT they give you a LOT of warning that they want to spin if you keep it up, so much easier to catch it if that’s what you want. I actually think that it is much more useful in the hands of skilled drivers because you can use that rotation in your favor as you drive along the limit. The lower limit before the @ss wants to play can scare newbies, but it’s useful to experienced drivers. I particularly prefer 911s in braking zones where the rear weight bias brings you closer to 50/50 under hard braking rather than 30 rear 70 front, which limits braking. Also prefer for track out and accelerating. Downside is that if you spin, it’s like an Olympic hammer throw and you can go off into walls and other hard objects.

Taycan is more like a super chunky Boxster/Cayman. I most notice the weight when I hit bumps or imperfections during the middle of high speed corners: you are planted till you hit the bump and then the massive weight starts to really pitch you into mild under steer presumably as rear unloads but weight is there to push laterally. So many electronic Nannie’s that I cannot imagine it would actually let go at any sane speed, but a bit nauseating. You wouldn’t notice so much during smooth or lower speed corners.

 

[xahhax]

the Taycan is the closest sedan/wagon you can get from a 911...
Just the seating position is amazing....but yes it is heavier....Had 996 and 2 997s

 

[Jancha]

Having had both, short answer - no. 911 is much more rough and involving. Engine, transmission, weight, exhaust, handling, braking - all differs. Taycan is like a distilled, luxury version of 911+panamera, with a focus on comfort and quietness. Taycan is certainly a much better daily driver with more practicality while 911 provides driving excitement on a whole different level (+ you can get it in cabrio form factor).

 

[Cooler]

Interesting topic and great to have insight from owners of 911 and Cayman/Boxters.

I have considered to buy a Cayman (S) and turn it fake (replica) GT4, to have a fun car, that's why I will watch this topic closely.

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I know some will wonder why would I turn normal Cayman to replica GT4, here is explanation:

I live in shitty country where every car must pay "car tax" (calculated from CO2 emissions) added to VAT etc. in Taycan Turbo it is 3,400€, Cayman S it is 38,700€, Cayman GT4 it is 64,600€.

So end price of of Cayman S is 115,332€ and GT4 is 173,200 and GT RS is 277,340€

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So question is, will Cayman "GT4" provide that much more fun to justify to spend significant money on it?

 

[TXAG]

Hi, never owned a 911 and am waiting for the Taycan to be built. I do read regular reviews by motoring journalists who swear it drives like a 911. Given the weight difference I do find this difficult to believe but am intrigued to hear if anyone who owns or has owned both would share their thoughts on it.

In addition to the excellent responss, the Taycan is a lot quieter than the 911.

What they have in common is that both are always ready and willing to give you more. A lot more.

 

[Archimedes]

Not even close. It always pains me when someone refers to the Taycan as a sports car. It's a sports sedan, not a sports car. It does a decent job dealing with its massive heft and provides a nice, sporty-ish ride, but it's not in the same league as a true sports car. Then again, the 911 seems to get bigger and more bloated every generation...

 

[TDinDC]

Interesting topic and great to have insight from owners of 911 and Cayman/Boxters.

I have considered to buy a Cayman (S) and turn it fake (replica) GT4, to have a fun car, that's why I will watch this topic closely.

-----
I know some will wonder why would I turn normal Cayman to replica GT4, here is explanation:

I live in shitty country where every car must pay "car tax" (calculated from CO2 emissions) added to VAT etc. in Taycan Turbo it is 3,400€, Cayman S it is 38,700€, Cayman GT4 it is 64,600€.

So end price of of Cayman S is 115,332€ and GT4 is 173,200 and GT RS is 277,340€

----
So question is, will Cayman "GT4" provide that much more fun to justify to spend significant money on it?

I’ll go out on a limb here and say that absolutely the GT4 would NOT be worth it. As with all Porsches, you get basically 90% or so of all of the benefit and fun out of the base model, and then the improvements are incremental but the costs associated with those improvements are exponential! In your shoes, I would get base model and not even bother with making it look like a GT4. On the streets, likely would have better ride anyway.

For example, I love the GT4, but would never buy one unless I intended to use it at least 50-75% for track days.

 

[Archimedes]

The difference between the base Cayman and the GT4 is massive. Entirely different powertrain and suspension, among other things. Driving experience is very different.

 

[Deleted member 6348]

Hi, never owned a 911 and am waiting for the Taycan to be built. I do read regular reviews by motoring journalists who swear it drives like a 911. Given the weight difference I do find this difficult to believe but am intrigued to hear if anyone who owns or has owned both would share their thoughts on it.

Steering feel is darn near identical. When you start really hustling it, the weight makes itself known. With that being said, it feels more like a 911 than anything else that Porsche makes.

It's also the only other Porsche with a motor in the rear.

 

[Wakesurfer]

no - it's too heavy to feel like an 911

but it has a lower CG than a GT3 - so it handles great! and instant torque from the EV motors is a thing of beauty - it's a great great car - but it's not a sports car - it's a sports sedan - the best sports sedan on the market…

I own: Cayenne, Taycan, 992 911 Turbo S, 991 911 GT3, and have driven/raced cup cars and I track my GT3, I've also tracked my Taycan - the Taycan can hang with a GT3 at HPDE days until the battery overheats -no small task for a 5,100 lbs sports sedan - but at the end of the day it's longer and heavier than a 911 so it's not a 911…but it's a great sporty sedan with all the Porsche DNA

but it does feel like a Porsche - planted, stable, very very quick, and joy to drive and ride it - but it's a 4 door sports sedan - not a 2 door sports car.

Yep - what Dave said. I don't have current experience but in my not to distant past I was a DE instructor/team leader for the local PCA Region for about 10 years. Taycan is a great, great car but it is not a 911. And that is not bad - just two different awesome cars made by the same manufacturer.

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