Purists will argue the Porsche Taycan’s competitors are other battery-electric sedans, such as the Tesla Model S. But not all consumers play by those rules. In fact, many shoppers simply want the best performing vehicle their money can buy.
Taycan to the limit:
That’s why we’ve pitted the high-output Porsche Taycan Turbo S against a handful of the quickest, mid-size petrol and petrol-electric hybrid saloons sold today. Specifically, the slinky Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid and Mercedes-AMG GT63 S 4-Door Coupe, and the squarer BMW M5 Competition and Mercedes-AMG E63 S.
| Porsche Taycan Turbo S | Porsche Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid | BMW M5 Competition | Mercedes-AMG GT63 S 4-Door Coupe | Mercedes-AMG E63 S | |
| Price | £138,826 | £140,132 | £96,205 | £121,495 | £92,645 |
| Powertrain | Two electric motors | Twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 and electric motor | Twin-turbo 4.4-litre V8 | Twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 | Twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 |
| Horsepower | 751 bhp | 677 bhp | 617 bhp | 630 bhp | 603 bhp |
| Torque | 774 lb-ft | 626 lb-ft | 553 lb-ft | 664 lb-ft | 627 lb-ft |
| Transmission | 2-speed automatic | 8-speed automatic | 8-speed automatic | 9-speed automatic | 9-speed automatic |
| Drivetrain | All-wheel drive | All-wheel drive | All-wheel drive | All-wheel drive | All-wheel drive |
| 0-60 MPH Acceleration | 2.6 seconds | 3.2 seconds | 3.1 seconds | 3.1 seconds | 3.3 seconds |
| Top Speed | 162 mph | 192 mph | 190 mph | 195 mph | 186 mph |
| Weight | 2,323 kg | 2,310 kg | 1,982 kg | 2,158 kg | 2,048 kg |
Predictably, the near-immediacy of the Taycan Turbo S’s 751-bhp and 774 pound-feet of torque helps the electric Porsche off the line with launch control engaged (the motors top out at 616 ponies without launch control). Sixty miles per hour arrives in a hair-raising 2.6 seconds, or 0.5 second ahead of the next quickest options, the 617-bhp BMW M5 Competition and the 630-bhp Mercedes-AMG GT63 S 4-Door Coupe.
With only two gear ratios for its rear motor (the front motor runs a single ratio), the all-wheel-drive Taycan Turbo S’s top speed of 162 miles per hour is more than 20 mph slower than that of its petrol-sipping competitors, which offer seven-, eight-, and nine-speed gearboxes. That said, it’s unlikely typical buyers will ever reach any of these super saloons’ top speeds, and the Taycan Turbo S’s superior straight-line acceleration is sure to make more of an impact on shoppers’ day-to-day driving experience.
