MS Plaid vs Taycan vs EQS

[WilliamG]

I know TMC has a disproportionate number of tall people based on these threads, but let's not forget that 99.8% of American males are shorter than 6'5"

It was just one point. The rear seats are more cramped (I’ve no idea why the missus thinks otherwise?) - and you really can only sit two back there, the trunk is far less usable etc. The entire interior of the Taycan non-CT is more like a Model 3 size.

Might as well use videos to check for those who are cross shopping. The Taycan is much more cockpit-like. A very different feel to the S which is more like an open family cruiser.

 

[terranx]

I don't think there's any question that the S is bigger inside. But the bigger question is whether or not the Taycan is "big enough" and for most people it will be. Especially since the main reason most people buy bigger cars is for comfort, which the Taycan is better than any Tesla at despite the size.

Rear seats - I'd guess it's probably because the S' floor is high enough that your legs end up being in a very awkard position unless the driver / front passenger are short enough to keep the seat very far forward.

 

[CTruck_BMW]

FYI - the OP (me) test drove or rented each one of these 3 options.
I bought a new S and it’s already in my garage.
Best car I owned ever, despite being the cheapest I owned in the last 12 years, almost 30-50% cost of all other daily drives I had (S-class, X7, 7-series), still better.
I hated the Taycan despite the short period of time I tried it.
Lucid remains the only one that I probably needed to try.
Thanks Everyone!

 

[whitex]

I think it’s important to highlight that you have the wagon version, - the Cross Turismo version as that might get lost in the text.

That is true. I would not have switched from Model S to a non-Turismo variant (both Cross Turismo or Sport Turismo have the same trunk).

Also I think the refresh Model S uses its space a little better than pre 2021+ cars.

Interesting that you'd say that. That was not the impression I got 6 months ago when my wife was looking at a 2023 Model S as replacement for her 2018 Model S. Besides feeling a lot less premium (more plasticy) than 2018 Model S, it did seems to have less room. My wife made a comment about less storage room in the front too (though she missed the door pockets). I will tell you one thing for sure, the cupholders were a lot smaller - found that out trying to secure the coffee cup which fit fine in a 2018 but no way in a 2023.

For one example, at 6’5” I don’t have quite enough legroom in the Taycan sedan for driving. The seat needed to back just a hair for me to be truly comfy. No such issue on the S.

I don't drive anyone 6'5" but I have heard Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) had some troubles fitting in a sedan during his filming of the Red Notice.

 

[polyphonic54]

I've had 4 Model S'es 2013-2018. I now have a 2023 Taycan CT today. I will tell you that the back seat is a lot more comfortable for adults than the Model S. I think it's the "foot garage" which provides the passengers on the back with significantly more legroom. My wife used to hate driving on the back of any of our Model S'es - she refused to go on any longer trips back there, but has no problems with the Taycan.

Overall, the trunk space is less - a bit narrower and less under trunk storage, but close enough for me. Here is a quick comparison picture.
View attachment 1019511

Front seats I much prefer the Taycan - I have the 18-way seats which hold me nice and tight during spirited driving. I have not noticed any differences in ingress/egress due to the B-pillar.

I do end up using the funk more on the Taycan than I ever did on any of the Model S'es. It could be because I am not worried about creasing the hood, or maybe the keyless opening of the funk, not sure.

There are other things, like tech features, which I enjoy more in the Taycan than the Model S, but I'll stick to space in this comment.

To each their own. All Porsche’s have a cockpit feel which I do not like. I have tested several Taycans though not the CT. Owned a Macan for a while too. It’s not a brand that offers what I’m looking for (and Porsche told me as much when I complained about my new brakes squealing loudly!)

For this premium/luxury flagship comparison I would swap the Model S and Taycan for Lucid Air and BMW i7. The i7 in my opinion has them all beat by miles on the basis of luxury.

 

[WilliamG]

That is true. I would not have switched from Model S to a non-Turismo variant (both Cross Turismo or Sport Turismo have the same trunk).

Interesting that you'd say that. That was not the impression I got 6 months ago when my wife was looking at a 2023 Model S as replacement for her 2018 Model S. Besides feeling a lot less premium (more plasticy) than 2018 Model S, it did seems to have less room. My wife made a comment about less storage room in the front too (though she missed the door pockets). I will tell you one thing for sure, the cupholders were a lot smaller - found that out trying to secure the coffee cup which fit fine in a 2018 but no way in a 2023.

I don't drive anyone 6'5" but I have heard Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) had some troubles fitting in a sedan during his filming of the Red Notice.

Interesting you say it felt less premium. As usual, different strokes! Oh, and the cupholders in the refresh are a travesty, aren't they? So tiny! That said, anything is (probably) better than the awful sliding mechanism that I kept activating by mistake on the older Model S. And having actual door pockets? Praise be!

 

[whitex]

To each their own. All Porsche’s have a cockpit feel which I do not like. I have tested several Taycans though not the CT. Owned a Macan for a while too. It’s not a brand that offers what I’m looking for (and Porsche told me as much when I complained about my new brakes squealing loudly!)

For this premium/luxury flagship comparison I would swap the Model S and Taycan for Lucid Air and BMW i7. The i7 in my opinion has them all beat by miles on the basis of luxury.

As you say, different people like different cars. I'm not a big fan of the Macan or Cayenne. Whenever I got a Macan or Cayenne (mostly base models) as loaners from Porsche I actually preferred to just drive my wife's Model S or Q8 etron., The new Macan EV might be different, we'll see. I almost ended up with Lucid Sapphire, but having gone through teething pains with Tesla was hoping to avoid it by buying a non-first year Porsche EV. I also waited for the Cross Turismo as the sedan trunk was too small for my daily driver car (gone are the days when I kept 2 cars, 911 and 4Runner for example). I was not entirely successful in avoiding teething pains, like the ones I went through in the past with Tesla. I got to know the Tesla shop foreman and techs, helping debug the car over the early years, similar is happening with the Taycan now - life of an engineer early adopter I guess. 911 that I had only saw scheduled service every 2 years, except for tires, but I did those at a local tire store (same for Teslas). I was hoping Taycan would be the same.

 

[Xenoilphobe]

I would only consider the Cross Turismo or wagon version.