Honest feedback required - does the Taycan work as a luxury car?

[epirali]

E-Tron GT may be a better choice.

As someone who went from a Taycan to E-Tron I came to second this. For a more relaxed luxury car the Audi fits the bill more.

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[TAYC4S]

I currently have a well optioned S Class (W222). My driving is 90% highway as I commute the 110 miles between my family home and my work flat at the start and end of the week. The S Class makes the trip easy as can be, the time just disappears, and it works great. However the car is getting older now and has 70k miles so it is not far off time for something new.

I was looking at the new S Class but realised due to tax benefits I can get a gorgeous Taycan for about half the cost! I did notice the Taycan is not as luxurious, but the ride is smooth and with my eye on the 50% effective discount on electric cars, I placed my order.

However… I have been having a couple of doubts lately... will the Taycan crunch miles well? Will it be as nice a place to pass the time? I am not that fussed about sports car driving any more, been there done that - I prefer luxury, so am I making a big mistake?

It should be simple for you - just get a Mercedes EQS...

 

[TaycanHero]

I currently have a well optioned S Class (W222). My driving is 90% highway as I commute the 110 miles between my family home and my work flat at the start and end of the week. The S Class makes the trip easy as can be, the time just disappears, and it works great. However the car is getting older now and has 70k miles so it is not far off time for something new.

I was looking at the new S Class but realised due to tax benefits I can get a gorgeous Taycan for about half the cost! I did notice the Taycan is not as luxurious, but the ride is smooth and with my eye on the 50% effective discount on electric cars, I placed my order.

However… I have been having a couple of doubts lately... will the Taycan crunch miles well? Will it be as nice a place to pass the time? I am not that fussed about sports car driving any more, been there done that - I prefer luxury, so am I making a big mistake?

If I had an extra £35k budget, the EQS AMG Night Package in Nautic Blue Metallic is absolutely stunning. Bronze alloys would almost make me want to jump ship from the Taycan!

Either choice you will be very happy, however, the EQS is a much rarer car so arguably has more "exclusivity" factor - if that's important to you. It will also provide much better range.

I suppose it boils down to a sportier ride, or a more sophisticated ride. Porsche seems to angle itself to the former, and my recent experience with an EQA is that Mercedes is trying as much as possible to deliver on an ICE experience in an EV, while maintaining Merc's reputation for a limo-like driving experience (unless you're driving one of their performance cars).

 

[Mr.Smith]

For your use case in order

1) EQS 580 or 53AMG (450 is all plastic)
2) Lucid Air Grand Touring
3) Audi E-Tron GT
4) Taycan

Taycan is a sports with a lot of luxurious amenities.
To me the Taycan and E-Tron GT are the best EVs in the market, but they are performance vehicles with an EV drive trian.
These are optimized for performance first, then for efficiency.

Both Lucid & EQS are optimized for efficiency and long distance first. This makes them suffer on aesthetics.

Lucid is a luxury long distance cruiser, EQS is an electric S class with more whizbang tech. EQS has incredibly smooth air suspension, perfect for long rides, massaging seats, gorgeous LED lighting, Hyperscreen, best in class driver aids for long trips.
The suspension component was what didn't impress me on the Lucid. It's not an air suspension, but is a sport cruiser unlike the EQS.

If you desire more performance on the EQS then go with the EQS53 AMG. O-60 in 3.5sec, better interior materials as AMGs have.

Support and reliability go to the EQS. MB takes care of their customer with Lucid having many bugs, limited service network, no lease program yet.
Downside to EQS is the egg shape

I like One Pedal driving which is nice for non performance driving and long trips.
Lucid and EQS offer this, Taycan doesn't.

 

[McgR]

Or maybe you should try the cross turismo. I found it more comfortable on the highway than the sedan. Also the 14 W seats are more comfortable (for me) and easier to get in and out. The 2 cm extra ride hight, although not much, made it easier to get in and out too

good luck !

 

[SlyStyle]

If I was commuting on the highway that much, I'd prioritize the auto-pilot and seriously consider Tesla MX or MS. The reviews on the Lucid Air are unbelievable too, though it may be a bit early to say how good their "Dream Drive" autopilot is compared to Tesla.​

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Mercedes drive well and have amazing interiors, but they are just so damn ugly to me. Taycan is the best looking car of the bunch, IMO.​

 

[Archimedes]

Just to be clear, the Taycan is not a sports car, it’s a sports sedan. And the ride quality is sublime. But it’s relatively tight inside compared to a typical large luxury sedan, and the seats are more geared to sporting intention than lounging. All about what your needs and wants are in regard to the drive. It’s certainly a very supple riding car. If I were commuting alone, it would be my first choice. If I were going to often have four adults in the car and wanted a comfortable luxury experience, I’d look elsewhere,

 

[gusone]

Yes. I took advantage of the EV company car tax benefit (Octopus EVCars). Spec was £98.5k and the lease after tax half price. It’s a beautiful comfy ride. I find it effortless. The steering is not heavy if you spec power steering. The seats are a dream and you can up spec. It’s a joy to drive. In fact I just cruise around well within the speed limit. I am in no rush. You can up spec the suspension to air but the coils are fine for me. You could have a smaller wheels and fatter tyre but the 21 inch blade are fine for me. It is as luxurious as you want to spec it and it’s half price.

 

[philbur]

umm.. porsches are sports cars first and will always be. all their products.

 

[daveo4EV]

I currently have a well optioned S Class (W222). My driving is 90% highway as I commute the 110 miles between my family home and my work flat at the start and end of the week. The S Class makes the trip easy as can be, the time just disappears, and it works great. However the car is getting older now and has 70k miles so it is not far off time for something new.

I was looking at the new S Class but realised due to tax benefits I can get a gorgeous Taycan for about half the cost! I did notice the Taycan is not as luxurious, but the ride is smooth and with my eye on the 50% effective discount on electric cars, I placed my order.

However… I have been having a couple of doubts lately... will the Taycan crunch miles well? Will it be as nice a place to pass the time? I am not that fussed about sports car driving any more, been there done that - I prefer luxury, so am I making a big mistake?

it works as a Lux Sports Sedan - not as a lux cruiser with loads of space.

 

[andyd]

I think it does. I had 2 S classes back to back, long wheel base.
I bought the Taycan as a comfortable replacement and, although it's not as soft, it's still very comfortable and looks a whole lot better.
If the EQS had been available at the time I'd have probably gone straight for it but I've enjoyed this so much I've ordered another.
I would still like to try a Lucid Air but reckon will be a few years before readily available in the UK.

I currently have a well optioned S Class (W222). My driving is 90% highway as I commute the 110 miles between my family home and my work flat at the start and end of the week. The S Class makes the trip easy as can be, the time just disappears, and it works great. However the car is getting older now and has 70k miles so it is not far off time for something new.

I was looking at the new S Class but realised due to tax benefits I can get a gorgeous Taycan for about half the cost! I did notice the Taycan is not as luxurious, but the ride is smooth and with my eye on the 50% effective discount on electric cars, I placed my order.

However… I have been having a couple of doubts lately... will the Taycan crunch miles well? Will it be as nice a place to pass the time? I am not that fussed about sports car driving any more, been there done that - I prefer luxury, so am I making a big mistake?

 

[ThumbsUp]

For me, the answer is yes. I had an S63 and an S550 prior to the Taycan. The Taycan is the perfect combination of sport and luxury that I wanted to achieve with the S63.

 

[RoseyPSU]

For me, the answer is yes. I had an S63 and an S550 prior to the Taycan. The Taycan is the perfect combination of sport and luxury that I wanted to achieve with the S63.

I don't think I can add much to this thread other than to echo this comment. I came from an S560 to the TTS. My biggest concern was that the Taycan wouldn't be as luxurious. I'm about a year into ownership and I've never regretted my decision once. The Taycan really is a perfect combination of sport and luxury IMHO and I don't think I'd ever go back to an S Class.

 

[Taycan2020]

Thank you all very much for the feedback, this is really helpful. To respond to some points:

1. The EQS is not an option, I have been to see it and it didn’t do it for me outside or in.

2. E-Tron numbers don’t work, comes out more expensive somehow. Maybe due to lower residual value (lease). I don’t think we can get Lucid in the U.K.

3. I would be getting a base Taycan with a medium spec - P+ battery, air suspension, ACC, 20” wheels, etc. I could go to a 4S but don’t think it would be worth it as I am happy with the base performance. I will add any ‘must have’ options for a comfortable drive.

 

[batteredhaddock]

Thank you all very much for the feedback, this is really helpful. To respond to some points:

1. The EQS is not an option, I have been to see it and it didn’t do it for me outside or in.

2. E-Tron numbers don’t work, comes out more expensive somehow. Maybe due to lower residual value (lease). I don’t think we can get Lucid in the U.K.

3. I would be getting a base Taycan with a medium spec - P+ battery, air suspension, ACC, 20” wheels, etc. I could go to a 4S but don’t think it would be worth it as I am happy with the base performance. I will add any ‘must have’ options for a comfortable drive.

Just a thought, you might want to see if you can have extended test drives of the Saloon/Sedan and the Cross Tourismo. I believe the CT is a slightly softer ride than the Saloon and ST versions. Only got mine yesterday but very impressed with the smoothness off the suspension over the extremely agressive speed bumps near me (I notice them less than I did in my adaptive air suspension iPace which I found a fairly smooth ride). Already very happy with the laminated glass and the massage seats too. I’ve very much bought it as a grand tourer given primarily long motorway drives but with the ability to have fun on windy country roads too.

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