Much, much better IMO. So the Taycan is a beautiful car, I would argue the most beautiful EV out right now. Its looks verge on the exotic. It’s also extremely well put together and the model S has a few easy to rectify build quality issues (window seals cracking in one spot as an example) - at this point it’s cliche to point out Tesla quality issues, but for a reason. There’s nothing that Tesla Service wouldn’t handle for free and very quickly, and the Taycan had a few small issues too, but nowhere near as many or as obvious. That being sai, it’s the best put together Tesla I’ve ever been in. Definitely feels a lot more premium than a Y/3, as I knew, but to a surprising degree. Aesthetically, the interior is toe to toe with the Taycan, albeit you have a lot of customizability with the Porsche.
The exterior has a few touches that also make it feel more premium than my y - I love the gloss black accents instead of the Y’s matte accents, we got the S in red and the paint job is perfect - no issue and it looks wonderful (I’d say look-wise it’s equivalent to the carmine red paint job on the Porsche, though I’m sure with a paint meter you’d see the difference). Arachnid wheels are gorgeous, etc.
And in terms of usability/experience there’s just no comparing the two - Tesla wins hands down. The mobile app, phone key, one pedal drive, navigation and route planning, quality displays, etc. this is the spaceship…the Porsche was a car. The tech in the Taycan, as in any VE group vehicles, is its Achilles heel. It’s just dumb. Slow. And annoying. Yes it drives incredibly well (it drives like a Porsche), but the day to day, moment to moment, annoyances end up getting to even the most hardcore Porsche fan.
The one thing we’re already missing is the optional rear axle steering - in a car this long (and the S is a bit longer), it’s just a must. It makes maneuvering tight spots so much better and the vehicle just feels more nimble and half its size. Wife also misses the 360 Bird’s Eye view, but quickly getting used to the visualizations and USS for same functionality. Still, would be great to have that top down view in the Tesla.
Overall, we’re saving a ton of money, getting more range, more speed (the LR model S is way faster than our 4S was), and better tech/UX. Not to mention, the supercharger network when we drive long distances. It’s definitely an upgrade and while there are some things we miss, they’re definitely not enough to convince us to switch back to Porsche.
The one outstanding item is the yoke — now that Tesla will begin offering a retrofit starting in March, it’s not a big deal. We’re both still on the fence on whether we will need it…the more we drive, the less of an issue it seems because we’re getting used to the feel and how everything is positioned. We’ll have to see how it feels in a month and then decide. Honestly, it takes longer to get used to the buttons on the wheel, especially turn signals, than the shape of the yoke.