Track Drive: 2022 Porsche Taycan GTS

• Porsche's GTS models have always been performance bargains and often the real sweet spot of the lineup.
• The GTS includes a number of upgrades over the Taycan 4S, many of which have been borrowed from the powerful Taycan Turbo.
• We spend the afternoon lapping the new Taycan GTS at a racetrack to see if it holds up like we expect from a Porsche.

Porsche unveiled the new 2022 Taycan GTS and GTS Sport Turismo just ahead of the Los Angeles Auto Show, meaning there's now a GTS variant of every model in Porsche's lineup, from the Macan to the 911. The GTS name dates back to 1963 with the Porsche 904 GTS, though that was basically a street-legal race car far removed from the comfortable and well-appointed GTS models Porsche sells today.

The new Taycan GTS, like all other modern GTS models, represents a bit of a performance bargain. Slotting between the Taycan 4S and the Taycan Turbo, the GTS builds off the former with parts from the latter, most importantly the Turbo's larger rear motor. While that means the GTS doesn't make quite as much horsepower as the Turbo, the pair have identical torque figures.

Other parts from the Turbo include the 93.4-kWh battery (optional on the 4S), torque vectoring for improved traction, and an adaptive air suspension (with a GTS-specific tune). The GTS also has larger brakes than the Taycan 4S and shares visual cues with other Porsche GTS models, including black badging, black exterior trim, black wheels and the Sport Chrono performance package as standard equipment.

How does it drive?

Frankly, like a bat out of hell. Thanks to a well-sorted suspension, responsive steering and a potent electric powertrain, the Taycan 4S was already one of the quickest and best-handling cars on the road today, electric or not. The Taycan GTS pushes things even further. In fact, it feels more like a slightly detuned Taycan Turbo than it does a more capable 4S.

You really feel the difference between the 4S and the GTS in corners. The GTS' suspension is better at keeping the car balanced — not an easy task given the Taycan's heavy battery pack. It's the extra torque that really makes a difference. The torque vectoring system helps manage power at all four corners, so the GTS absolutely rockets out of a corner. With the stability control in its Sport setting, the car will rotate a bit under throttle without leaving you hanging too far out. It really helped on some of the track's tighter sections when you have a lot of angle on the steering.

Steering feel itself is fantastic for a car this size. It's lighter than you might expect from a sedan, but it means you don't have to muscle the car through a turn. It's easy to get a good rhythm going with smooth transitions from corner to corner. The low nose gives you great forward visibility, so it's easy to place the wheels right at the apex.

The Taycan GTS we drove was equipped with optional 21-inch wheels with Pirelli P Zero summer performance tires. They work well once they get a little heat into them (though performance fades if they get too warm), but they're not our favorite summer tire. Our tester also had the optional carbon-ceramic brakes that help prevent fade after repeated hard braking. We found that we could trail brake a bit into a corner, carrying more speed and trusting the car to carry you through.

While the brakes didn't fade, the tires were a bit gooey and cooked by the end of our session. What didn't degrade was performance. While it was a fairly pleasant day at Willow Springs International Raceway, EVs have to do a lot of thermal management to keep battery temperature in check. Yes, we were draining the batteries on these cars at a hilarious rate, but we noticed no discernable power loss. While it's no 911, no other electric vehicle feels quite as good or engaging on a track as the Taycan GTS.

Edmunds says

The new Porsche Taycan GTS was hugely impressive on the track, with performance that would shame some supercars. It may not be the quickest EV on the road, but it might just be the most fun.