2021 Porsche Taycan

SPEAKER 1: Three, two, one, go. [MUSIC PLAYING] ALLISTAIR WEAVER: This car is literally hot off the plane from Germany. It landed at LAX two days ago and didn't have to quarantine. It's the new entry level Porsche Taycan. It goes on sale in spring, priced a little under $80,000. It's rear wheel drive, like a proper Porsche. And it still has 402 horsepower in launch control mode. In this film, we're going to tell you more about the car. Then, we're going to drag race it against Edmunds' very own Tesla Model Y, driven by one Mr. Carlos Lago. CARLOS LAGO: So why the Model Y and not the Model S? Well, Tesla, among many things, continues to deliver a really good electric bang for the buck, and this car is no exception. We also thought it funny to put up a compact SUV against that Porsche right there. This Model Y is the performance version. We own it, it's actually part of our long term test fleet. You can see more about it at the links below, including videos with me talking about the pros and cons of this vehicle. But it costs about $70,000, which makes it close, in terms of price, to that Porsche. Now, I'm going throw to Allistair so we can talk more about what makes that Taycan that Taycan. But if you like this video and want to see more like it, make sure to like, and subscribe, and leave a comment. Also, visit edmunds.com/sellmycar to get an instant cash offer on your car. ALLISTAIR WEAVER: So to create the standard Taycan, Porsche has taken away the front motor from the Taycan 4S. And in doing so, taken away the all wheel drive and taken in 200 pounds off the curb weight. They've also taken $25,000 off the price of the Taycan 4S to create a standard Taycan priced at a little under $80,000. SPEAKER 2: All right. ALLISTAIR WEAVER: At Edmunds, we do read your comments. We know that many of you just want us to cut out all the chat and jump straight to the racing. And if that's the case, you can click on the chapter right below and we'll go straight to race one. But if you're really interested in the car and you appreciate my witticisms, then indulge me for a moment and I'll tell you all about the new Porsche. The lack of all wheel drive might be an issue if you're living in the Snowbelt, but to be honest, if you're here in California like most Taycans are, it's unlikely to make any difference whatsoever. All it might do, in fact, is improve the car's efficiency. There's no official EPA rating yet for the base Taycan, but it should better. The 4S is rating at 199 miles. And if you are concerned about range, you can always opt for the long range battery pack that adds an extra six grand, but also introduces more horsepower. Bear in mind that when we put the 4S through the Edmunds EV range test, it achieved an extraordinary 323 miles. So let's just say the range of this car should be plentiful. And so to the conclusion, would I have a standard Taycan or should I upgrade to a 4S or even a turbo? Honestly, all depends on your priorities. If you live in the Snowbelt, then maybe you need the all wheel drive. And maybe you must have that extra punch of acceleration. But honestly, is it worth $25,000? For me, no. As a road car, I think it's just superb. Yes, $80,000 plus a few Porsche options and you're going to be paying close to 100,000. But hey, in Porsche terms, that makes it almost a bargain. Anyway, enough of me wittering on trying to be a proper journalist, let's get to the bit that people really care about. How will it drag race? [MUSIC PLAYING] CARLOS LAGO: Hey, Allistair, so three questions about that Taycan. How much power does it have? How much does it weigh? And what's the launch control like? ALLISTAIR WEAVER: So I'll start with question two. It weighs 4,500 and about 60 pounds. So I think it's about 150 pounds heavier than your Tesla. And now the power's a tricky thing because it has 321 horsepower in normal life, but then for launch control, it has an overboost function, which takes you to 402 for two seconds, which might just be enough. What was the third question? CARLOS LAGO: How does the launch control work? ALLISTAIR WEAVER: Oh, yes, the launch controller. So drive mode into sport plus, then foot on the brake, and then it will kick start the systems. And then I put my foot on the throttle and it activates launch control and away we go. You have the optional suspension, which this does, which is a $2,000 option thereabouts. The whole car will hunker down as well, which is kind of cool. CARLOS LAGO: How very theatrical. So this Model Y is slightly lighter, surprisingly. Tesla doesn't say how much horsepower this car has. So I've got no power rating and you've got two. And in terms of launch control, I just hit the go pedal as hard as I can as quickly as I can. ALLISTAIR WEAVER: So typically crude American engineering then. CARLOS LAGO: I'd call it American pragmatism. ALLISTAIR WEAVER: So it's a tough one to call. It's all about how much that overboost actually helps me get off the line. He's got all wheel drive, I've only got rear wheel drive. Will that make much difference in cars that weigh this much? Probably not. I'd say I'm 50/50. CARLOS LAGO: I'm going to wipe the floor with that Porsche. ALLISTAIR WEAVER: Should we do this? CARLOS LAGO: I think so. SPEAKER 1: Counting down in three, two, one, go. [LAUGHS] ALLISTAIR WEAVER: Well, it's a bit more conclusive than what I thought. CARLOS LAGO: Ha, it's not even close. ALLISTAIR WEAVER: 106 miles an hour at the end. CARLOS LAGO: Allistair, I'm afraid to say that wasn't even close. ALLISTAIR WEAVER: I was actually kind of surprised by how big the gap was. CARLOS LAGO: Did it leave the line hard? I mean, you've got launch control with air suspension, and all that launch control, and two power levels, and all that. ALLISTAIR WEAVER: Yeah, I think I got a better wheel spin because of rear wheel drive rather than all wheel drive. But I felt sophisticated, though. CARLOS LAGO: Well, it's fashionable to arrive late, right? Even if it's the finish line. ALLISTAIR WEAVER: I arrived in style. CARLOS LAGO: I think on the second run, I'm going to give you a head start of a second or two, what do you think? ALLISTAIR WEAVER: Much as it pains me, I think I probably need it. SPEAKER 1: OK, drivers, you ready? Give me a honk, please. [HONKS] CARLOS LAGO: He's going to go on one, I'm going to go on go. SPEAKER 1: Hey, are you rolling? CARLOS LAGO: That should be enough. Make this race a little more interesting. SPEAKER 1: OK, drivers, race in three, two, one, go. CARLOS LAGO: It's a little delayed. ALLISTAIR WEAVER: Oh, I was a bit slow on the off. CARLOS LAGO: Bye bye. Bye bye, Mr. Porsche. Bye. ALLISTAIR WEAVER: Once this thing's up and running, there's not actually much in it. I think it's just got to be more traction in the old all wheel drive. I was a bit slow on the uptake then, I forgot that I was going on one, not going on go. CARLOS LAGO: I don't think it matters. I think we can say with some confidence that in a drag race, the top of the line performance Tesla Model Y is faster than the base model Porsche Taycan. Is that a fair assessment? ALLISTAIR WEAVER: I think so. It would be interesting if we do a roll race now because actually, once you're up and running, you're faster off the line. I think the all wheel drive definitely helps. But then once it's up and running, you don't really go away. CARLOS LAGO: I think we should try exactly that. So now we're going to do a roll on race. We're both going to get to about 30 miles an hour and then cross the start line, nail the go pedal as we do so to see if the gap stays the same as the race continues to see how much this race is based on the launch. ALLISTAIR WEAVER: OK, 30 miles an hour. I'm not even level. CARLOS LAGO: And there's the horsepower. There's the horsepower. ALLISTAIR WEAVER: Oh, man. Next time, I need to bring a Turbo S. CARLOS LAGO: I think it's just a horsepower advantage. ALLISTAIR WEAVER: Yeah. [LAUGHS] CARLOS LAGO: Allistair, there's nothing quite like the sound of quiet defeat. ALLISTAIR WEAVER: I'm just taking in my synthetic electric motor noise. CARLOS LAGO: Do that all you wish. I'll be waiting for you at the finish line. ALLISTAIR WEAVER: Yeah, that was pretty conclusive to be honest. Much more conclusive than I thought it was going to be. CARLOS LAGO: I guess memo is, if you want the fastest EV you can get for about $70,000 or $80,000, it's probably going to be a Tesla. ALLISTAIR WEAVER: That's true, at least until the Mustang Mach-E GT arrives before too long, a couple of months. CARLOS LAGO: I think we should drag race those, yeah? ALLISTAIR WEAVER: Don't give the game away. [LAUGHS] CARLOS LAGO: Shh, keep it a secret. We might drag race a Model Y with a Mustang Mach-E. ALLISTAIR WEAVER: I think it will be the most interesting and original little editorial idea of all time. [LAUGHS] [MUSIC PLAYING]