Taycan as a family vehicle

[TomC]

Can anyone please provide me with some honest feedback on using a Taycan as a family vehicle with a dog? We have our first child on the way and were looking at a new car, which resulted in my discovering the huge incentives the UK government currently offer on purchasing an electric vehicle. Ergo, it makes zero sense to buy anything other than electric. The choices are therefore limited to the Jaguar I Pace, Tesla (likely S, as we don't like the look of the X and the doors make it completely impractical for our garage) or the Taycan. The Taycan is the only one I can get excited about and even seems good value for money. Whilst we're taking the Taycan for a test drive next week due to the dealerships reopening, I was still after anyone being able to provide insight into having used it in this way.

The real stumbling point is that we have a Boxer dog, so taking him and the baby anywhere would mean having them both in the back and I'm not sure how practical that will be.

Sponsored

 

[Taycanturbolondon]

Think of the Taycan as a BMW 3 series or Mercedes c class in terms of interior space. Boot space rear is Golf size with a bonus trunk.
Nothing beats a 4x4 with kids hence people gravitate to them. I’m a single parent with a 3 year old and it’s plenty practical for me (no dog)

 

[PanameraFrank]

The real stumbling point is that we have a Boxer dog, so taking him and the baby anywhere would mean having them both in the back and I'm not sure how practical that will be.

I can fit a Bernese and a medium Labradoodle in the back at the same time without issue, they are still full sized sedan rear seats.

The trunk & frunk don't have a ton of room, though, so depending on how much cargo you need that could be an issue. The rear seat room is equivalent to a full sized sedan but the boot space is more of a small sedan.

Don't buy an iPace. That car is rampant with buybacks and major issues (over 10% of iPaces sold have been lemoned/bought back, crazy numbers) & JLR sells it out of necessity without actually supporting it.

 

[Dave T]

If you can trust the dog around the baby, I don’t see why it would be a problem to put them both back there. The taycan is smallish, but it is a four-door sedan. If this is going to be your only car, the bigger issue will be dealing with charging hassles on long trips.

 

[robborover]

Pushchair in the boot will need assessing, it's a decent size but not massive. If it's your second car (so to speak) then should be fine but not as practical as 4x4 as others have said with all the baby "stuff". Has ISOFIX so chairs etc is no issue.

 

[RG2020]

We’ve got a 2 year old but no dog. Child seats fit in no problem & the amount of space in the rear is about average. 2nd child on the way and no worries about getting them both in. Not ideal for family trips though as you’ll know kids don’t travel light, would struggle to get all the paraphernalia in, roof box would probably be needed.

But if I had a dog I can’t see I’d ever want to put it in the Taycan. Each to their own & depends how well behaved said dog is. I’d say the space is probably just about there to fit a dog (lying on a bed on the seats) and a child in, but no more. If you want something enough you can usually make it work. I’m sure there are good covers you could buy.

 

[manitou202]

I would only consider the Taycan if you are willing to wait for the Cross Turismo version (wagon). I wouldn't put a large dog in the back seat with a small child in any sedan. Even in a minor accident the dog could end up seriously injuring your child. It's not worth the risk. I know there are harnesses that "buckle" the dog in the rear seat, but I would really question their effectiveness.

A hatchback, wagon, or SUV is the best bet. Taycan Cross Turismo is the way to go. If not, the Model S, E-tron, or I-pace assuming you want to stick with electric. I would lean towards to Model S or E-tron in this case. E-tron has some of the best charging speeds and is a solid luxury SUV. Model S is quick and has the best charging network.

 

[manitou202]

Medium size child seats fit great. I regularly have my three kids in the back (3, 8, and 11 years old). A baby seat might be a bit tight. The passenger might lose some leg room. Not sure if anyone can comment on a baby seat.

 

[PanameraFrank]

I'm not sure I follow how a sedan vs SUV backseat makes a difference safety wise, it's still one row. You gain more leg/head room in an SUV but that's irrelevant here. Boxers aren't huge.

If you're putting a dog & child together on a row of seats both need to be secured. There are crash tested dog harnesses available that buckle in. This will work equally well in a Taycan vs a Macan/eTron/whatever.

Storage, of course, is a different story. The Taycan doesn't have much with the rear seats up.

 

[manitou202]

In my opinion something like this is much safer.

Boxers still weigh 50-70lbs. An object that size flying around in an accident can kill.

https://www.travall.com/products/tr...yX2kJGuRblAjhO4TfjowKWVoBnUgD5BMaAp2EEALw_wcB

 

[laniru1]

Have you looked at the Tesla Model Y

 

[4SJB]

Hi Tom
I have had children and dogs for 28 years and a Taycan would not jump out at me as a great family car.
We have always been very heavy users of cars - 5 of us plus dogs plus roof box. Trips to Scotland, The Lake District and skiing in the Alps. It depends however what you want to do.
If you are only using it for day trips with the dog and one child, you will probably be ok. Child in child seat, dog clipped in. But for anything more I would suggest a 530e for a year or so until they bring out the Macan EV. That has got to be the perfect family EV.

 

[4SJB]

*530e touring

 

[JamieG]

My dad tends to flatten the rear seats down, puts a large towel down and our (large) Labrador jumps on in and lays down. There's no way he could fit in the trunk or frunk. I think I'm going to buy one of these hammocks for the back seats in the Black Friday sales. Without partitioning the back seats, between the child seat and the dogs area, I wouldn't advise putting them both together. You'll end up being the next viral Taycan crash video!

 

[HK111]

My wife puts the 4 children (4, 6, 10, 11) in the car - but what then with me ?!? More seriously, the T4S has become our daily driver for everything, except when we all 6 go for a drive. I have no experience with dogs, though; that may be a very limiting factor.

I think the advice of waiting for the Taycan Cross Turismo is very smart.

Sponsored