I recently made the switch from a 2016.5 Tesla Model S 75D to a 2022 Porsche Taycan RWD. I am going to give my opinions on both, as well as trying to incorporate some things from the refreshed MS as I did a 24 hour test drive on it.
The Tech
2016 MS: 4/10
2022 Taycan: 8/10
2022 MS: 9/10
I have seen many complaints about the lagginess and unreliability of the Taycan’s infotainment, so was a bit worried when I ordered my car. It seems that they have resolved most of the issues for 2022 and I have not had any issues. CarPlay is wireless and pops up within about 15 seconds and is honestly the only thing I think you need on a car’s infotainment screen. The instrument cluster looks super sleek and has great graphics. The app sucks, and I would even call it useless especially compared to the MS with its myriad functions and instant connection. One thing I really miss in the Taycan is walk away door lock; the car automatically starts when you sit in the driver’s seat, but once you are out of the car, nothing turns off unless you press the lock button on the door. If I forgot to lock my car I am pretty sure someone would be able to sit in it and drive off, though I have not tested driving it without a key yet. I really appreciate having the AC controls and such on a separate screen (and the haptic feedback feels great), as I was never a fan of having to click another button to get to the fan and other settings relating to the climate controls. Compared to my 2016, the tech in this car is much much better, but I do think that the new Teslas are much smoother and if you are fine with not having CarPlay, is probably the best system on the market. I really appreciate having a top view camera again for pulling into a tight space or in my driveway since it is an odd shape, and also like that the front camera pops up when I get close in the front so I can make sure I do not scrape the bumper as it is very low.
Autopilot: I specced InnoDrive and Active Lane Keeping, which I thought would be comparable to my BMW but it is just not as good. There is no audible warning when it turns off, and the icon is a very small green icon on the bottom of the display, so you really have to keep your hands on the wheel the whole time. It works fine on straight roads/highways but definitely not something to be used anywhere else. The adaptive cruise is SO MUCH BETTER. It is so natural, no phantom braking, and is overall a much better system (even compared to new Teslas). It also slows down for curves and stops at stop signs. My 2016 MS would always phantom brake and autopilot would randomly swerve, so I never trusted those systems anyways.
The frunk in this car I also find actually useful (I never used it in my MS) as you can open it by waving the Porsche logo in the front, and the trunk can also be opened with a kick underneath like most cars which I find extremely helpful when my hands are full and am surprised that Tesla still does not have the feature.
The regeneration is very different in this car, as it occurs mainly when you press the brake pedal (I believe 95% or so of brake pedal usage uses solely regeneration). My favorite option is automatic regeneration because it basically treats it like you have adaptive cruise on all the time. It coasts once you release your foot off the pedal and if a car is ahead it will slow down to their speed and then continue to coast. Definitely no one pedal driving in this car but no complaints there.
The Drive
2016 MS: 6/10 (no air suspension)
2022 Taycan: 10/10
2022 MS: 9/10
The Taycan drives unbelievably smooth, and I feel barely any bumps in the road. It feels like I am driving on a cloud and steering is just so smooth and accurate. My 2016 felt decent but it didn’t have air suspension so I am sure it would have been much smoother if I had air suspension.
The acceleration of the RWD is I believe 5.1 seconds, and it feels plenty fast for me. I live in South Florida and most of my driving is from my neighborhood to downtown so not many opportunities to accelerate it, and it is plenty quick to pull out in front of someone if necessary. The Plaid that I rented felt very fast, even too fast, and I would not see myself ever flooring it except for the party trick.
The Range
2016 MS: 7/10
2022 Taycan: 7/10
2022 MS: 10/10
The real world range of the Taycan is about 50 miles less than the real world range of the Tesla according to many studies I have read online, so really is not as big of a deal as many make it. I only drive probably 100 miles per week and have a charger at home so range is not even a consideration for me; I went with the smaller battery pack. I did test out the Electrify America station just to see what it was like. It was the same experience as Tesla; plug the car in, it starts charging. I went from 30% to 80% in about 16 minutes, and anywhere I would ever drive to there are plenty of stations along the way. You also get free charging for the first 3 years.
The Price
Many people compare the MS Plaid with the Taycan Turbo S and say that the Taycan is double the price for less range and less performance. My Taycan which was fairly well optioned came out to $105,960 before tax (-$7,500 tax credit = $98,460). I believe the Model S was about $105,000 at the time I purchased the Taycan. My insurance is also $1,100 less per year than with my MS. You can make the RWD much more expensive and say it is way more expensive than a LR Model S, but you can also add way more things that aren’t even an option on the Tesla (For example, I chose a $3,000 paint option, you can get massaging seats and customize everything to make get it designed the exact way you want). For this price, the build quality is on another level than the Tesla. There is not a single panel gap, and I cannot make something move nor creak no matter how hard I press. The doors close so much more solid than even a brand new MS. I would much rather have a more comfortable car than a faster one, but to each their own.
Service and Experience
2016 MS: 2/10
2022 Taycan: 10/10
2022 MS: 2/10
The whole experience of the ordering process has been so seamless. I built my car online, sent my code to a local dealership, gave them a $5,000 deposit over the phone and then began to track my vehicle. With the Taycan, you are given a link to Track Your Dream where you can see exactly where your car is and what steps it has completed. You even get a couple production pictures throughout the journey so you can see how it is looking. My sales advisor was super helpful and I could ask him any time I had a question. The delivery experience took about an hour, paper work taking about 20 minutes and setting up the car taking up the rest of the time. Was also given some money to spend in the store which was a nice touch. For service, they can pick up and drop off my car which I was told I would have on my Model S, but after a couple years I was told that Tesla does not, and has never offered that (which I knew was not true). Nice how Tesla does the mobile services now as that fixed that issue, but as long as I don't have to drive to a service center I do not mind it getting taken there, or done at my house. With my Tesla, I could never get in contact with someone, my issues were never fully resolved, and my sister even cancelled an order for a Tesla after her delivery date kept getting delayed and she was unable to contact anyone.
Conclusion
The Model S is an amazing electric vehicle and without its success, I highly doubt the Taycan would even exist today. The space in the trunk is less and the rear space is a bit less (can fit 5 for a 20 minute drive or so comfortably, but would not want to do a longer trip with 5). If you are looking for the best electric vehicle that holds a lot of space, has the most reliable supercharger network, and gives you astronomical acceleration, without a doubt the Model S is the best option out there. But if you have a smaller family and can charge at home (or even have an Electrify America nearby), then the Taycan is definitely worth at least test driving. You will be blown away the second you sit inside and feel the quality of all the materials. I ordered my car at the beginning of February, and it arrived at the dealership at the end of June. While looks are very subjective, I find that the Taycan is a better looking vehicle, especially with its light bar in the back, and more refined interior. Attached are a few pics, I will take more eventually but have been busy with work, getting it tinted, and new wheels.
The Tech
2016 MS: 4/10
2022 Taycan: 8/10
2022 MS: 9/10
I have seen many complaints about the lagginess and unreliability of the Taycan’s infotainment, so was a bit worried when I ordered my car. It seems that they have resolved most of the issues for 2022 and I have not had any issues. CarPlay is wireless and pops up within about 15 seconds and is honestly the only thing I think you need on a car’s infotainment screen. The instrument cluster looks super sleek and has great graphics. The app sucks, and I would even call it useless especially compared to the MS with its myriad functions and instant connection. One thing I really miss in the Taycan is walk away door lock; the car automatically starts when you sit in the driver’s seat, but once you are out of the car, nothing turns off unless you press the lock button on the door. If I forgot to lock my car I am pretty sure someone would be able to sit in it and drive off, though I have not tested driving it without a key yet. I really appreciate having the AC controls and such on a separate screen (and the haptic feedback feels great), as I was never a fan of having to click another button to get to the fan and other settings relating to the climate controls. Compared to my 2016, the tech in this car is much much better, but I do think that the new Teslas are much smoother and if you are fine with not having CarPlay, is probably the best system on the market. I really appreciate having a top view camera again for pulling into a tight space or in my driveway since it is an odd shape, and also like that the front camera pops up when I get close in the front so I can make sure I do not scrape the bumper as it is very low.
Autopilot: I specced InnoDrive and Active Lane Keeping, which I thought would be comparable to my BMW but it is just not as good. There is no audible warning when it turns off, and the icon is a very small green icon on the bottom of the display, so you really have to keep your hands on the wheel the whole time. It works fine on straight roads/highways but definitely not something to be used anywhere else. The adaptive cruise is SO MUCH BETTER. It is so natural, no phantom braking, and is overall a much better system (even compared to new Teslas). It also slows down for curves and stops at stop signs. My 2016 MS would always phantom brake and autopilot would randomly swerve, so I never trusted those systems anyways.
The frunk in this car I also find actually useful (I never used it in my MS) as you can open it by waving the Porsche logo in the front, and the trunk can also be opened with a kick underneath like most cars which I find extremely helpful when my hands are full and am surprised that Tesla still does not have the feature.
The regeneration is very different in this car, as it occurs mainly when you press the brake pedal (I believe 95% or so of brake pedal usage uses solely regeneration). My favorite option is automatic regeneration because it basically treats it like you have adaptive cruise on all the time. It coasts once you release your foot off the pedal and if a car is ahead it will slow down to their speed and then continue to coast. Definitely no one pedal driving in this car but no complaints there.
The Drive
2016 MS: 6/10 (no air suspension)
2022 Taycan: 10/10
2022 MS: 9/10
The Taycan drives unbelievably smooth, and I feel barely any bumps in the road. It feels like I am driving on a cloud and steering is just so smooth and accurate. My 2016 felt decent but it didn’t have air suspension so I am sure it would have been much smoother if I had air suspension.
The acceleration of the RWD is I believe 5.1 seconds, and it feels plenty fast for me. I live in South Florida and most of my driving is from my neighborhood to downtown so not many opportunities to accelerate it, and it is plenty quick to pull out in front of someone if necessary. The Plaid that I rented felt very fast, even too fast, and I would not see myself ever flooring it except for the party trick.
The Range
2016 MS: 7/10
2022 Taycan: 7/10
2022 MS: 10/10
The real world range of the Taycan is about 50 miles less than the real world range of the Tesla according to many studies I have read online, so really is not as big of a deal as many make it. I only drive probably 100 miles per week and have a charger at home so range is not even a consideration for me; I went with the smaller battery pack. I did test out the Electrify America station just to see what it was like. It was the same experience as Tesla; plug the car in, it starts charging. I went from 30% to 80% in about 16 minutes, and anywhere I would ever drive to there are plenty of stations along the way. You also get free charging for the first 3 years.
The Price
Many people compare the MS Plaid with the Taycan Turbo S and say that the Taycan is double the price for less range and less performance. My Taycan which was fairly well optioned came out to $105,960 before tax (-$7,500 tax credit = $98,460). I believe the Model S was about $105,000 at the time I purchased the Taycan. My insurance is also $1,100 less per year than with my MS. You can make the RWD much more expensive and say it is way more expensive than a LR Model S, but you can also add way more things that aren’t even an option on the Tesla (For example, I chose a $3,000 paint option, you can get massaging seats and customize everything to make get it designed the exact way you want). For this price, the build quality is on another level than the Tesla. There is not a single panel gap, and I cannot make something move nor creak no matter how hard I press. The doors close so much more solid than even a brand new MS. I would much rather have a more comfortable car than a faster one, but to each their own.
Service and Experience
2016 MS: 2/10
2022 Taycan: 10/10
2022 MS: 2/10
The whole experience of the ordering process has been so seamless. I built my car online, sent my code to a local dealership, gave them a $5,000 deposit over the phone and then began to track my vehicle. With the Taycan, you are given a link to Track Your Dream where you can see exactly where your car is and what steps it has completed. You even get a couple production pictures throughout the journey so you can see how it is looking. My sales advisor was super helpful and I could ask him any time I had a question. The delivery experience took about an hour, paper work taking about 20 minutes and setting up the car taking up the rest of the time. Was also given some money to spend in the store which was a nice touch. For service, they can pick up and drop off my car which I was told I would have on my Model S, but after a couple years I was told that Tesla does not, and has never offered that (which I knew was not true). Nice how Tesla does the mobile services now as that fixed that issue, but as long as I don't have to drive to a service center I do not mind it getting taken there, or done at my house. With my Tesla, I could never get in contact with someone, my issues were never fully resolved, and my sister even cancelled an order for a Tesla after her delivery date kept getting delayed and she was unable to contact anyone.
Conclusion
The Model S is an amazing electric vehicle and without its success, I highly doubt the Taycan would even exist today. The space in the trunk is less and the rear space is a bit less (can fit 5 for a 20 minute drive or so comfortably, but would not want to do a longer trip with 5). If you are looking for the best electric vehicle that holds a lot of space, has the most reliable supercharger network, and gives you astronomical acceleration, without a doubt the Model S is the best option out there. But if you have a smaller family and can charge at home (or even have an Electrify America nearby), then the Taycan is definitely worth at least test driving. You will be blown away the second you sit inside and feel the quality of all the materials. I ordered my car at the beginning of February, and it arrived at the dealership at the end of June. While looks are very subjective, I find that the Taycan is a better looking vehicle, especially with its light bar in the back, and more refined interior. Attached are a few pics, I will take more eventually but have been busy with work, getting it tinted, and new wheels.
