THE PORSCHE TAYCAN TURBO GT FEELS LIKE EV PINNACLE
Porsche needs to win. That’s how the company is wired, and it is as true for road cars as it is for motorsport, needing to create the fastest and most dynamic vehicle in any segment it enters. The favorite way to prove this superiority is then with a record-setting lap time on the infamous Nurburgring Nordschliefe. Which is why, indirectly, we have to thank Tesla for the creation of the new Taycan Turbo GT's most extreme version.
Because the Tesla Model S Plaid’s record-setting ‘Ring times were clearly a thrown gauntlet for Porsche. In addition to the regular Turbo GT that sits at the top of the Taycan range, there will also be a no-cost Weissach Package which reduces weight and improves aerodynamic performance, an option previously limited to the GT/RS cars made by Porsche’s Motorsport division. The result is a purchasable, street-legal two-seat Taycan that smashed the Nurburgring’s production EV record earlier this year, its time of 7:07.55 demolishing the 7:25.23 set by the Model S Plaid Track Pack last year.
So thanks for that, Elon.
Now comes the chance to drive both the regular Taycan Turbo GT and the Weissach Pack. Not on the Nurburgring - that really would be brave - but instead on the Circuito Monteblanco near Seville in Spain. My experience took place on the same day I drove the rest of the revised Taycan range, but was limited exclusively to the track.
From first glance it is obvious the Turbo GT sits above the regular Taycan clan. Front and rear bumpers have gained vertical motorsport style aeroblades on each side and there is a sizable front splitter up front and aerodynamic carbon fiber sill covers. At the rear the standard GT has an active carbon fiber spoiler, but the Weissach Pack swaps that for a raised motorsport style fixed wing. There have been hardware changes, too. The Turbo GT uses the same 97 kWh Performance Plus battery pack as the Taycan Turbo and Turbo S, but gets an upgraded rear motor and revised ratios for its two-speed gearbox. The motor features a 900 Amp silicon carbide pulse inverter, which both sounds cool and futuristic, but also improves performance.
As with lesser Taycans, there are multiple quoted system peaks. The GT’s everyday maximum is 778 hp, activating the Attack Mode boosts that to 941 hp for up to 10 seconds, and launch control raises the bar to 1019 hp, but with an even higher all-out peak of 1092 hp for up to two seconds. This is the first Porsche road car to with a four-figure output, and as such it is a spiritual successor to the 917/10 and 917/30 ‘Turbo Panzer’ Can-Am racecars which broke the same barrier for motorsport in the Seventies.
Acceleration figures are, frankly, unhinged. On Porsche’s numbers, the Turbo GT can blast from 0-60 mph in 2.2 seconds, from 0-100 mph in 4.5 sec and through the quarter mile in 9.5 sec. The Weissach Pack improves on each of those by a tenth. For reference, those figures are nearly identical to the ones Car and Driver recorded for the Bugatti Chiron Sport over the same increments. The Weissach Pack also gets a 190 mph speed limiter, against 180 mph for the regular Turbo GT and 161 mph for the Taycan Turbo S.
Yet while the Turbo GT is capable of delivering accelerative forces that get close to painful, that's not the most striking part of the experience. As with many sharp-end EVs, the lack of combustion fury or punctuation of gear changes makes the acceleration feel otherworldly... and strangely unsatisfying. It’s like the numbers on the speedometer haven’t been earned. The chance to make a launch control start on Monteblanco’s main straight produced G-loads not far removed from a rear-end collision, but didn’t make me want to repeat the experience regularly. Over a full lap the need to engage the Attack Mode for its timed 10-second hits of higher output also proved to be a distraction given the rate at which the circuit’s longer straights were being devoured. Attack Mode needs to be activated either with a small button on the steering wheel’s dynamic mode controller, or, more easily, by pulling the right hand paddle behind the steering wheel. (The one on the left varies regeneration.)
Speed is easy, but it’s the way the Turbo GT grips and turns that really impresses. It gets the full set of active dynamic systems: the electro-hydraulic Active Ride which fights roll and dive, rear axle steering, and a torque-biasing differential at the back. Porsche has even fitted lighter-than-standard PCCB carbon-ceramic brakes as standard. Yet all this technology works together to deliver an organic and natural-feeling driving experience.
The GT’s steering is precise and direct, passing on more sensation than in the regular Taycan and delivering immediate, proportional responses. Despite the amount of power being deployed through the front axle, disruption is minimal. Even with all four tires squealing as they fought to find traction there was no discernible torque disruption through the steering. Grip levels are finely balanced, weight sitting low and pretty much evenly balanced between both ends. On track it was easier to engender understeer rather than oversteer - but like Porsche’s more traditional sportscars it is easy to tweak and tighten the GT’s line with small accelerator adjustments. The only other car I can think of that uses a similar level of technology so invisibly is the Ferrari 296 GTB. It is definitely a flattering comparison.
Bending physics can only go so far, however, and under braking the Turbo GT’s weight prevents it from feeling like a natural track star. For context, the Turbo GT is 1850 lbs heavier than a 911 GT3 RS, with that extra mass obviously requiring more room to slow and effort to turn. On the plus side, the combination of regeneration and the carbon-ceramic brakes gave seemingly tireless retardation on track. Still, braking points need to be selected carefully, especially given the rate at which the GT adds speed.
The Weissach Package turns the Turbo GT up to 11. There is something intrinsically ludicrous about any four-door car with only two seats, the Weissach having a carbon fiber panel in place of any chance of rear passengers. It loses other things to reduce weight, including most of its carpeting, the GT’s standard BOSE speaker system, and also some sound deadening. Even the dashboard’s Sport Chrono clock has gone. The Euro-spec car I drove also had carbon fiber bucket seats, although sadly these won’t be offered in the U.S.
Although louder and leaner - 154 lbs lighter than the GT on Porsche’s numbers - the Weissach doesn’t feel much different to its full-fat sibling at lower speeds. On Monteblanco’s few faster corners the rising downforce levels brought more confidence and stability over crests. The real difference came with the chance to drive another Weissach, fitted with the optional Pirelli P-Zero Trofeo RS tires that were used for the Nurburgring time. These were superb, significantly increasing both grip and feedback, and although it is hard to imagine too many buyers opting for what are basically street legal track tires, they do put the car into its record-setting spec.
Does the Taycan Turbo GT need to exist? At a rational level, undoubtedly not. It is hard to imagine anybody buying the 938 hp Taycan Turbo S and feeling short changed on performance. But this is a car that has been created for emotional reasons as much as commercial ones, to prove that Porsche can build the best performance EV. On first impressions, it feels like another of the Porsche’s many benchmarks.
Looking to purchase a car? Find your match on the MSN Autos Marketplace 2024-04-10T12:07:30Z dg43tfdfdgfd