OK so I picked up my Taycan in January 2022 so now a year and 6000 miles old. Likes mainly!

[f1eng]

I excitedly ordered my car 3 days after a test drive showed it was a way better car than I had expected.
Despite being huge and heavy the driving made it seem smaller (except, it turns out, on some of the twisty narrow roads around here where the width is a major bummer).
It was July 2021 which turned out to be unfortunate timing - not sure if it was because I was a new customer, unexpectedly large number of orders or paying cash so less profitable but the discussed allocation in October with delivery early in the new year never materialised I ended up waiting until April 2022 before the spec was fixed by which time Bose and matrix lights were unavailable and even then it took until the end of July to almost “finish” the car - with 12V battery missing - then another 4 months in storage waiting.

I actually considered cancelling my order but had another demo to check if my enthusiasm had waned and it hadn’t. The only thing was the original demo was on 20” wheels and the second on 21” and the ride was notably worse so I had a bit of a re-think on my order since a ST GTS was also announced by then. Anyway my favourite Taycan wheels are the 21” Cross Turismo and other aspects of the Cross Turismo such as 20mm more suspension travel and compass instead of stopwatch were deciding factors.

At the time the cars were fetching over list used and electricity was still cheap…

My spec is unusual since most people’s “must haves” were often my “don’t want and glad to be able to avoids” so there were zero used ones for sale with a spec I would get my wallet out for.

Anyway the car has been a joy and I love it. One of the reasons I went for the CT was that my most frequent passenger is my dog, but whilst he has been in it he never settles as well as he does in our PHEV Prius where he can see out when he is lying down - if I open both cars and say “jump in” he invariable chooses the Prius, so I am still driving that more than I expected.

Now the massive depreciation is with me I’d be a bit fed up if I could have waited and got one to my spec cheaper but in fact there are currently none of the ones I see for sale I would buy, and I usually keep cars 6 years +.

So what do I like most?

The most popular option has been the 14-way massage ventilated seats.

The double bubble roof still looks so much nicer than a dark sheet of glass to me, a must since I also haven’t liked the glass roof on any previous car that had it as standard.
Not having privacy glass also makes the car much nicer looking and, presumably, lighter inside. A boon since most cars have it thrust upon you in the more upmarket specs as if it were in some way a luxury.
The blackberry leather looks gorgeous and is burnishing nicely with age, I particularly like that the steering wheel isn’t black.
I love the 21” CT wheels but I chose painting to get rid of the machined highlights I dislike - I went with the nla Vesuvius grey, smashing.

I decided a 4S was the sweet spot here in the UK where its power/price ratio was best in the range. Not once felt I needed more power round here.
I got torque vectoring, rear wheel steering and active anti roll bars though since it is cornering prowess that matters on our roads not dragster emulation.
I can definitely feel the torque vectoring effect but the other two just should be better than not having them and I assume Porsche know what they are doing.
I have once been front at a traffic lights so I did try launch but I was on winter tyres in the wet on a single track road so nowt to say.

I missed out on matrix lights but am not dissatisfied with the PDLS+ which come as standard. I would be more disappointed if I did as much night driving as I used to but I’m OK with the lights apart from their auto dip which doesn’t always do what I want.

I am a music lover and listening to music at home and going to concerts is a big part of my leisure - my wife is a professional musician and several musicians in the family.
I was therefore concerned by some dire criticism of the standard audio which was imposed due to parts shortage from Bose and Burmester. I am sitting in a dedicated listening room as I type with excellent sound and I have been quite satisfied by the even frequency response and fairly low colouration of the standard Taycan system, so pleasantly surprised.Don’t understand the criticism, I do have the noise insulating glass but have no way of evaluating its contribution - it couldn’t be worse than standard and I am used to spending money to get a better listening environment. The background noise in here is 25dB and in the cruising car >70dB so expecting good accurate sound in a car is bonkers anyway.

I got the luggage compartment net but haven't used it finding a boot liner ideal.

The Mamba green and the Vesuvius grey wheels which I like better than all the other choices are no longer available so I’m glad I am keeping the car a long time.

I didn’t bother with the plastic off road trim or roof rails and I am pleased I didn’t.
I disliked the faux sound, switched it off within seconds on demo so didn’t spec it and haven’t missed it.
I didn’t bother with any of the crests or other prints on the leather - neither noticed nor missed.
The first time I’ve had a heated steering wheel and really like it.
I have 2 hands so didn’t need the electric charge hatch.

Quite a few items optional on the Taycan were standard on the Prius so I had to decide if more than completely free was worth it to me for some features…
Head up display I quite like but more expensive than it is worth to me and I haven’t missed it.
I haven’t had a single warning from night vision in 6 years so didn’t bother with it when I had to pay extra - maybe I would have if I still drove as much at night as I used to.
I was delighted not to have adaptive cruise control since I hate it and it was imposed in the latest Prius and found it so irritating I stopped cruise control most of the time.
Homelink hasn’t worked so glad it wasn’t expensive - I wouldn’t bother again.
I didn’t bother with comfort access - not worth the cost to me.

I did get the 150kW 400V charger mod but haven’t used it yet - I have only charged away from home a handful of times, never been near an Ionity charger and the most convenient for me isn’t on the sat nav so no preconditioning for it

Overall my requirement for a quite comfortable car with good handling and a good turn of speed are perfectly met by my Taycan. Best car I could have, probably, and the only spec disappointment has been Homelink.

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[007]

I excitedly ordered my car 3 days after a test drive showed it was a way better car than I had expected.
Despite being huge and heavy the driving made it seem smaller (except, it turns out, on some of the twisty narrow roads around here where the width is a major bummer).
It was July 2021 which turned out to be unfortunate timing - not sure if it was because I was a new customer, unexpectedly large number of orders or paying cash so less profitable but the discussed allocation in October with delivery early in the new year never materialised I ended up waiting until April 2022 before the spec was fixed by which time Bose and matrix lights were unavailable and even then it took until the end of July to almost “finish” the car - with 12V battery missing - then another 4 months in storage waiting.

I actually considered cancelling my order but had another demo to check if my enthusiasm had waned and it hadn’t. The only thing was the original demo was on 20” wheels and the second on 21” and the ride was notably worse so I had a bit of a re-think on my order since a ST GTS was also announced by then. Anyway my favourite Taycan wheels are the 21” Cross Turismo and other aspects of the Cross Turismo such as 20mm more suspension travel and compass instead of stopwatch were deciding factors.

At the time the cars were fetching over list used and electricity was still cheap…

My spec is unusual since most people’s “must haves” were often my “don’t want and glad to be able to avoids” so there were zero used ones for sale with a spec I would get my wallet out for.

Anyway the car has been a joy and I love it. One of the reasons I went for the CT was that my most frequent passenger is my dog, but whilst he has been in it he never settles as well as he does in our PHEV Prius where he can see out when he is lying down - if I open both cars and say “jump in” he invariable chooses the Prius, so I am still driving that more than I expected.

Now the massive depreciation is with me I’d be a bit fed up if I could have waited and got one to my spec cheaper but in fact there are currently none of the ones I see for sale I would buy, and I usually keep cars 6 years +.

So what do I like most?

The most popular option has been the 14-way massage ventilated seats.

The double bubble roof still looks so much nicer than a dark sheet of glass to me, a must since I also haven’t liked the glass roof on any previous car that had it as standard.
Not having privacy glass also makes the car much nicer looking and, presumably, lighter inside. A boon since most cars have it thrust upon you in the more upmarket specs as if it were in some way a luxury.
The blackberry leather looks gorgeous and is burnishing nicely with age, I particularly like that the steering wheel isn’t black.
I love the 21” CT wheels but I chose painting to get rid of the machined highlights I dislike - I went with the nla Vesuvius grey, smashing.

I decided a 4S was the sweet spot here in the UK where its power/price ratio was best in the range. Not once felt I needed more power round here.
I got torque vectoring, rear wheel steering and active anti roll bars though since it is cornering prowess that matters on our roads not dragster emulation.
I can definitely feel the torque vectoring effect but the other two just should be better and I assume Porsche know what they are doing.
I have once been front at a traffic lights so I did try launch but I was on winter tyres in the wet on a single track road so nowt to say.

I missed out on matrix lights but am not dissatisfied with the PDLS+ which come as standard. I would be more disappointed if I did as much night driving as I used to but I’m OK with the lights apart from their auto dip which doesn’t always do what I want.

I am a music lover and listening to music at home and going to concerts is a big part of my leisure - my wife is a professional musician and several musicians in the family.
I was therefore concerned by some dire criticism of the standard audio which was imposed due to parts shortage from Bose and Burmester. I am sitting in a dedicated listening room as I type with excellent sound and I have been quite satisfied by the even frequency response and fairly low colouration of the standard Taycan system, so pleasantly surprised.Don’t understand the criticism, I do have the noise insulating glass but have no way of evaluating its contribution - it couldn’t be worse than standard and I am used to spending money to get a better listening environment. The background noise in here is 25dB and in the cruising car >70dB so expecting good accurate sound in a car is bonkers anyway.

I got the luggage compartment net but haven't used it finding a boot liner ideal.

The Mamba green and the Vesuvius grey wheels which I like better than all the other choices are no longer available so I’m glad I am keeping the car a long time.

I didn’t bother with the plastic off road trim or roof rails and I am pleased I didn’t.
I disliked the faux sound, switched it off within seconds on demo so didn’t spec it and haven’t missed it.
I didn’t bother with any of the crests or other prints on the leather - neither noticed nor missed.
The first time I’ve had a heated steering wheel and really like it.
I have 2 hands so didn’t need the electric charge hatch.

Quite a few items optional on the Taycan were standard on the Prius so I had to decide if more than completely free was worth it to me for some features…
Head up display I quite like but more expensive than it is worth to me and I haven’t missed it.
I haven’t had a single warning from night vision in 6 years so didn’t bother with it when I had to pay extra - maybe I would have if I still drove as much at night as I used to.
I was delighted not to have adaptive cruise control since I hate it and it was imposed in the latest Prius and found it so irritating I stopped cruise control most of the time.
Homelink hasn’t worked so glad it wasn’t expensive - I wouldn’t bother again.
I didn’t bother with comfort access - not worth the cost to me.

I did get the 150kW 400V charger mod but haven’t used it yet - I have only charged away from home a handful of times, never been near an Ionity charger and the most convenient for me isn’t on the sat nav so no preconditioning for it

Overall my requirement for a quit comfortable car with good handling and a good turn of speed are perfectly met by my Taycan. Best car I could have, probably, and the only spec disappointment has been Homelink.

You definitely don’t drive the car enough. I invite you to come on a road trip to Poland. You're welcome to stay at my place.

 

[MarkR]

Great review @f1eng. My opinion is that the ability to configure the car exactly how you want it, with a multitude of options, is one of the great assets of the Taycan. Glad you have enjoyed the car since you have had it.

 

[SergeyIndy]

Really good review and first hand experience with a lot of options.

14-way seats with massage function. I really like them for the slim look vs. 18-ways.
PTV+ and RAS is a must for me having it on the SUVs living in a town with world record of roundabouts.
PDCC is the new one for me and the graphic showing it is working at the slightest off level surface.
Glass Roof is good to see the sky when you lift your head up. I agree the Metal roof looks better.
HUD has limited use to me but was part of a value package so got that. The new one in the Macan EV with augmented reality would be much more useful.
ACC would be the first time having it on a car, not used it around town. Optioned PID hoping for future improvements, tried it once, works as expected, can see it useful in stop and go traffic.
Sport Sound I do like to turn on at times but waste of money if you totally hate it.
Thermal Glass consider a must just for the fact that doors are frameless and without it, it is really flimsy. No issues with phone reception. No toll transponders needed where I live, so not an issue.
150kW/400v optioned that but with 3 fast DC chargers within minutes and the dealer with 2 also within minutes can see only using it in a very distant future at a Tesla charger with a CSS adapter. I will get a Tesla tap if there is a situation to charge at a slow Tesla charger. I assume the chargers labeled Tesla in the area would not allow me to charge if I use Tesla app and Tesla tap.
Comfort Access never been a fan of so did not option on the Cayenne, but Taycan came with it, and it is growing on me to just approach and lift the handle and kick under the trunk to open, then having a button on the trunk lid to close it and then lock the car with one press.
Bose exceeded expectations in a loaner 4S vs. Bose in the SUVs but still went for BM as I did not want to wonder what it would have been. BM sounds great when listening to XM or Spotify but intended for much higher quality inputs that I am yet to try.
Depreciation is massive with very slow sales at the local dealer if any at all, same Taycans just standing for months at the time now. My dealer telling me some California dealers have 50+ in stock. I do not worry about it as my measure is smiles per mile and it is worth more to me than I paid for it. The negative press is all over the place regarding EVs but I see more EVs than ever and our chargers are busier than ever, but a few times I had to use a public DC charger, I have not had an issue (yet) not having one available for me to charge up in a pinch.

 

[WuffvonTrips]

It's good to read about a fellow private buyer feeling so positive about their Taycan purchase.

I got torque vectoring, rear wheel steering and active anti roll bars though since it is cornering prowess that matters on our roads not dragster emulation.
I can definitely feel the torque vectoring effect but the other two just should be better and I assume Porsche know what they are doing.

PTV+ wasn't on my 4S build as I didn't think I'd notice it, but when I decided to get the Turbo, it was inlcuded as standard and I've been so impressed that I'd suggest it as the top priority performance option.
When you say "the other two should just be better"- can I just clarify- that's an observation that, without being able to directly compare with and without those options, it's not possible to measure their benefit, rather than you saying they're not good enough?

 

[RingoDingo]

Depreciation is massive with very slow sales at the local dealer if any at all, same Taycans just standing for months at the time now. My dealer telling me some California dealers have 50+ in stock. I do not worry about it as my measure is smiles per mile and it is worth more to me than I paid for it. The negative press is all over the place regarding EVs but I see more EVs than ever and our chargers are busier than ever, but a few times I had to use a public DC charger, I have not had an issue (yet) not having one available for me to charge up in a pinch.

For sure they're piling up. Porsche Austin has 18 new Taycans in stock... whereas previously they might have 2-3 new at any given time. That's aside from the CPOs and used available. Maybe they just need to chill out at the factory for a bit.

 

[n3ophyte]

Nice write up Frank.

Re: HomeLink - I have it but not got around to making it work with my Hormann BI-Secure garage door yet. I understand I’ll need to re-configure the door receiver and hand transmitters to use fixed-codes rather than rolling codes (Bi-Secure). That way HomeLink in the Taycan can emulate the hand transmitters properly. Perhaps you have a similar problem?

 

[Tighlines]

I have 2 hands so didn’t need the electric charge hatch.

HA! If I had a hundred hands I still would have added that, must have IMO.
You should post pics for those who haven't seen it. It is a very unique and complimentary color combo.

 

[OzzieT]

Great write up @f1eng

 

[2P168S]

Nice write up! Part of the fun of these cars is you can make it what you want.

 

[tigerbalm]

Best car I could have, probably, and the only spec disappointment has been Homelink.

I live in a large apartment complex with an underground car park secured by a gate. The management company only give you one fob for the gate – despite us having two car parking spaces and two cars. So it was always a pain sharing the fob (or getting out to tap our keys) to open it.

When I got my first Porsche (a Panamera) I too was very disappointed when Homelink just would not learn the signal from my remote. I tried so many times to set it up.

Ah well.

A few months into my ownership, I was queuing behind a car at the gate. They were fumbling about trying to find their fob – not a unusual experience.

Anyways , on a whim – I thought I'd try another attempt to setup Homelink and record my fob. Imagine my surprise when Homelink almost instantly reacted to the fob being pointed at it and declared itself setup.

I drove in and out of that gate about five times testing it and it worked. I am now a few Porsche vehicles ahead and Homelink is always spec'd and has worked.

I had been trying to set it up at our car parking space – which is well away from the gate – and despite holding down the fob and pointing it at the PCM (as per instructions) it never reacted. But there is something that happens when you are at the actual gate – some signal that the gate responds with – because when I do the setup when pointing directly at the gate – the setup is almost instant.

If you haven't tried setting it up while parked directly in front of the gate as if you were going in or out – it might be worth another go.

I've become so used to the feature – and it is always excellent at popping up based on GPS position too – that I forget what it would be like to not have it!

 

[f1eng]

If you haven't tried setting it up while parked directly in front of the gate as if you were going in or out – it might be worth another go.

I'll give it another go!!!

 

[f1eng]

When you say "the other two should just be better"- can I just clarify- that's an observation that, without being able to directly compare with and without those options, it's not possible to measure their benefit, rather than you saying they're not good enough?

Thanks!
Yes, since I haven't directly compared them I can have no view on their benefit but they should and I imagine will be better than not having them. I'll edit for clarification.

 

[f1eng]

Nice write up Frank.

Re: HomeLink - I have it but not got around to making it work with my Hormann BI-Secure garage door yet. I understand I’ll need to re-configure the door receiver and hand transmitters to use fixed-codes rather than rolling codes (Bi-Secure). That way HomeLink in the Taycan can emulate the hand transmitters properly. Perhaps you have a similar problem?

Maybe, I will give it another try but at the moment I have my Merc 500E in that garage so not in a rush.

 

[f1eng]

HA! If I had a hundred hands I still would have added that, must have IMO.
You should post pics for those who haven't seen it. It is a very unique and complimentary color combo.

I open the hatch with one hand and plug in with the other.

I specialised in the aerodynamics of Formula 1 car most of my career and blocking the air curtain behind the tyre in order to have a gadget I didn't need was a horrifying thought!

It is a neat gadget though and I may have gone for it just for its gadget quotient if it didn't have negative aero influence.

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