The transition to electric vehicles has made for a bit of a learning curve for most automakers, as might be expected when all you've built before are cars that run on gasoline. But Porsche has handled this new paradigm better than most because its first fully electric vehicle, the Taycan, still feels like a Porsche in all of the best ways — athletic, precise and fun — while running on electrons.
The Taycan sedan made its debut in 2020 and its lineup has grown since then, adding more and more variants as well as two wagonesque body styles: the Cross Turismo and the Sport Turismo (which we review separately). Last year's Taycan was offered in both rear- and all-wheel drive, two battery sizes, and 10 versions in total. And for 2024, that number may grow.
Now approaching its fourth birthday, the Taycan is due for a refresh if it follows the same model cycle of most other Porsche models. The Taycan has gotten consistent updates to its software over the past four years. The 2023 update increased the Taycan's range and efficiency, added wireless connectivity for Android Auto, and reworked the multimedia system to make it easier to use. Our best guess would then be that the 2024 Taycan sees styling tweaks but keeps mostly the same interior layout.
And this might be wishful thinking, but could we perhaps see a new line-topping performer? Porsche isn't likely to give the Taycan a GT3 or GT4 moniker; those will remain the domain of the sports cars. But a Turbo GT variant of some kind wouldn't be out of the question and that car would be something special. Fingers crossed.
A refreshed Taycan will still compete with other sporty EVs like the Audi e-tron GT (with which it shares an architecture), Tesla Model S, and the AMG variants of the Mercedes-Benz EQS.
The two battery options will likely remain, a standard 79-kWh battery pack and an optional 93-kWh performance battery. The base Taycan and 4S come with the standard pack, while the larger pack is standard on the GTS, Turbo and Turbo S variants.
Only the base Taycan is rear-wheel-drive; the other models all have dual electric motors and therefore all-wheel drive. And all models feature an overboost mode that allows the Taycan to boost its output temporarily for added fun and/or speed. The base model offers 321 horsepower, and the figures shoot up from there to 429 hp in the 4S, 509 hp in the GTS, and 616 hp in both the Turbo and Turbo S. The Turbo S is distinguished by its overboost ceiling: 750 hp, compared to "only" 670 hp in the Turbo. How will Turbo owners ever make do?
