Blog Porsche Announces Cheaper Version of the All-Electric Taycan

Porsche has announced a lower-priced version of its highly-anticipated Taycan electric vehicle, which could further entice consumers to stray from Tesla.

The model is called the Porsche Taycan 4S, which will carry the same battery size as the Taycan Turbo and Turbo S that were previously announced. 

The 4S will be offered with the “Performance Battery” (390 kW) for $103,800 and the “Performance Battery Plus” (420 kW) for $110,380. Compare that with the $150,900 Taycan Turbo and $185,000 Taycan Turbo S, the 4S becomes accessible to a larger swath of consumers.

The two versions of the Taycan 4S will pack 522 horsepower and 563 horsepower, respectively. The Taycan 4S will have a 0-60 mph time of 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 155 mph.

The Taycan 4S is scheduled to arrive in U.S. dealerships in spring 2020.

 

[svp6]

Like so many others have stated on this forum, model S needs an interior refresh - with that it may compete with the Taycan. A lot of dismissive posts on the Taycan here, but reality is the car is good looking, has performance on par with Tesla, and build quality will be Porsche. Many people who can afford it would be cross-shopping model S.

 

[AdamMacDon]

LoL thats not real service. i do that on my ice cars every oil change except wiper blades. i do tht when they need change.

That not real service costs a very real $400 haha! Also at year two and four they add in brake fluid and then battery coolant change if I recall right, but I heard the battery coolant might be a so-called lifetime fluid now. Thankfully I'm somewhat handy so I'll continue to do my basic service myself and save 400 bucks a year!

 

[Valore]

This is pretty cool. I will ditch my Model S for this Taycan 4S Plus.
I don't need Turbo or Turbo S power, just a nice high quality premium EV, althoug the 4S is still plenty fast.

 

[axhoaxho]

Some good points in this article.

New $104K Porsche Taycan Looks Nice But Is No 'Tesla Killer'

The Teslas have longer range, but more important than that, they have Tesla's supercharger network. That network makes long road trips in Teslas practical. They're still not ideal but they work.

That's not true in any other car. The existing network of DC fast chargers is growing out slowly, but charges at a third to half the rate of Tesla chargers.

Porsche has developed some very fast charging for their cars, but there is no deployed network of those chargers today. All the cars have enough range to handle driving around your home city without ever charging away from your house, so it is the charging network that matters as much as the range.

Tesla owners love that Tesla is a car company that thinks like a computer company. Porsche is a sportscar company and still thinks like one.

The dashboards and controls are vastly different. Tesla surprises customers and the industry by constantly adding new features, some significant, to cars in a way no traditional car company does. This, of course, includes Autopilot which is Tesla's main distinguishing feature.

New $104K Porsche Taycan Looks Nice But Is No 'Tesla Killer'

 

[Valore]

Some good points in this article.

Disclosure: (The author owns a Tesla Model 3, and a small amount of TSLA stock.)

 

[Electroman]

Tesla recommends an annual service, like any machine it needs to be taken care of. If you haven't already, read your owners manual for more info. The first year for the Model 3 is fairly simple, rotate tires, swap wiper blades, check fluid levels, and clean brakes if required. Here's a good video on it:

Not sure what 'Annual' service you are referring to. I went to the SC after an year for 'Annual' service and they shooed me away to come back after 25K miles or two years whichever is earlier.

 

[SammichLover]

Some good points in this article.

Not sure you can call it a “network” yet but there are now some 350kW CCS units deployed in the US, that I understand will let the Taycan hit 250kW, and the 150kW locations are in the low hundreds of locations. Still years behind Tesla SC coverage but if you had a Model S in 2015-2016 you’d be familiar with this level of coverage.

 

[AdamMacDon]

Not sure what 'Annual' service you are referring to. I went to the SC after an year for 'Annual' service and they shooed me away to come back after 25K miles or two years whichever is earlier.

Well, a lone service center not knowing what they're talking about isn't too rare, unfortunately. I had a sales center that wouldn't sell me a LR RWD and only would sell me an SR+, AWD, or Performance, so it's really not that shocking to hear you were told to scram. Not that I would personally ever pay $400 for a service I can do myself. I'm pretty sure between my owners manual (which I read end to end) and Rich's Electrified Garage, one can easily confirm that there is indeed a good amount of evidence to back up a service that occurs annually, IE: an annual service.

 

[CitiesSprinter]

Well, that didn't take long.. I guess the Taycan (turbo) demand is lower than expected.

Um.. Guess again sir.

Porsche is plenty busy with the Taycan. Customer demand has exceeded Porsche's projections by 50% for their first year production of the Taycan.

Porsche Taycan pre-orders surge to 30,000, three variants hinted for debut | The Driven

That said, what's with all the hate? Porsche is a manufacturer that has seen the light for EVs, and have invested billions now for the future with the Taycan. It is the first model based on their all-new EV platform for their future. We should be applauding them for committing to a cleaner (and faster) future!

 

[Valore]

Well, that didn't take long.. I guess the Taycan (turbo) demand is lower than expected.

Quite the opposite actually.

October 2, 2019
Demand for Porsche Taycan prompts automaker to add 500 more jobs – TechCrunch

 

[Oldschool496]

Not Cheaper,

Less Expensive version. Still very expensive.

I'm with most here, would not feel comfortable on trips until a network of chargers(fast and many) was in place.

 

[BryWay]

It's unquestionable that Porsche has massive aspirational appeal -- the brand alone is drool-worthy to some. They build outstanding cars with sumptuous, yet sporty interiors, and drive like nothing else on the road. We all know that. What we don't know is how their first foray into full electrification of a vehicle will turn out. As one poster said above, this car hasn't shipped yet. I'll definitely be among those planning to test drive, but when I think about purchasing one, as a Tesla Model X owner, the logic just doesn't play out. For starters, there's the awesome Supercharger network to consider -- I drive between San Francisco and Palm Springs several times a year. Not likely to be able to do that in a Taycan anytime soon (at least, not quickly). Further, I like the utility of my MX. If Porsche develops a small SUV with gobs of interior space, I might be a little more interested (but, then again, there's the awesome Supercharger network to consider...). The Supercharger network is a form of "lock-in" that I think a lot of manufacturers haven't really considered.

Also, to the point about Teslas being unreliable, I guess I'm one of the lucky ones who got a winner. I've had my car since late-March 2019 and have exactly 14,747 miles on the odometer (I drive a LOT) and haven't had to bring it in for service for a single mechanical issue. The car has performed flawlessly. The only time I've had to take it in for service was to replace my windshield, which suffered a huge crack when a stone (kicked up by a truck on the highway) smashed into it. I scheduled that service using the App, got an appointment within three days of the incident, and Tesla repaired the windshield in two days. They even did a complimentary inspection having seen how many miles I've piled on the car, and made no recommendations for further work. The service was great.

 

[wenkan]

Model S pricing with Model 3 AWD performance and Model 3 SR range? What a joke!

 

[axhoaxho]

Does anyone know if Porsche has something similar to the Tesla Autopilot/FSD on the Taycan?

 

[svp6]

It has adaptive cruise + lane keeping + lane change assist.

Went today and drove a performance model S Raven. Drives very nice, but the interior is dated. Went then to the Porsche dealership. Obviously no Taycan yet, but I sat in several cars (Panamera / Macan / Cayenne) - from basic models to turbo. I still like the Tesla user interface better, but the latest Porsche offerings are much better (very few knobs / dials). The materials, fit and finish are top notch.

Unless model S gets a good interior refresh, I am getting the Taycan 4S when my current lease expires.

 

[Electroman]

I've had my car since late-March 2019 and have exactly 14,747 miles on the odometer (I drive a LOT) and haven't had to bring it in for service for a single mechanical issue. The car has performed flawlessly.

April 2018, 25k miles. Zero service center visit. Have not done my annual service yet.

 

[kkillebrew]

Sadly, for every negative post there are hundreds that are very pleased with their Tesla’s. In my experience...

• If you want to participate in an experiment by a company more interested in video games and fart noises than cars, buy Tesla.
  I am sure if you compare the amount of effort that goes into the “Easter eggs” vs the autopilot and FSD efforts, I am certain the games/farts was minimal! But they are still lots of fun!
  
  
• If you don't mind holding 45 minutes to talk with a human and waiting 30 days for a service appointment, buy Tesla.
  Simply use the app to make your appointment. Instant. Or simply drive to a service center if issue requires prompt attention. My FOB died once. Opened a ticket with my app, Tesla came to my house to fix it! 5 days wait. That is service!!!
  
  
• If you love having your car in service 5-10 times per year for issues nobody else has to worry about, buy Tesla.
  Many have not need to bring the car for service at all in one year.
  
  
• If you like having features removed from your vehicle without your permission, including battery capacity and acceleration, buy Tesla.
  I would say the opposite! How many model 3 owners woke up a couple of months ago to find the latest over the air update added more range to their cars. So far, nothing has been removed from my Model S.
  
  
• If you like crappy, beta software full of bugs, buy Tesla.
  FAKE NEWS... My Model S has not suffered by any software issues that a simple reboot has not resolved. I am sure this is true for thousands of owners. Only those who have experienced issues are usually the ones who post.
  
  Overall, Tesla would not have sold nearly 100,000 last quarter if all your statements were true. And the numbers will keep growing, just wait and see.

So, different strokes for different folks. If you prefer to wait and buy a Porsche, please, you have all the right to. Trying to put down an American Tesla is... oh well, I will leave it at that.

PD. My friend’s Porsche has had to go in for service plenty of times!

 

[MightyHawk]

Um.. Guess again sir.

Porsche is plenty busy with the Taycan. Customer demand has exceeded Porsche's projections by 50% for their first year production of the Taycan.

Don’t pay attention to what they say, but what they do.

First of all, those numbers were before Porsche announced a price for the Taycan “Turbo” models. If they actually had people willing to convert their pre-orders into upcoming deliveries for those two high-margin models, they would have done so, and delayed the 4S launch until they had spare capacity. Porsche is the highest margin automaker in existence, and they have little interest in cutting the selling price by $50k for a marginal reduction in cost.

Second, I spent many years in product marketing/management, and no sane company ever does a major launch with two model variations, mentioning almost nothing about a third, and then launches the third six weeks later. That is known as a badly bungled launch, meaning they are *reacting* to unexpected product demand mix.

 

[kkillebrew]

I switched to the MS after 17 years of of Jaguar XJ8's - both the luxury Vanden Plas and the Long wheelbase models. And no, the MS does not approach the interior build of Jaguar in either quality or luxury. Nor is the paint or body alignment as good, except where it matters. If you took your new Jag into the dealership with paint chips revealed and new ones only a week into ownership they would faint with shame on the spot, give you a loaner for a month and have it repaired. All this is true when comparing traditional ICE luxury vehicles to the Model S. That is where the comparison stops, because in all other ways the MS is a quantum leap of technology and performance that no current ICE or EV even comes close to possessing.

A real world car actually in production that actually works, and that can transport you with 20% of the normal driving fatigue and effort across the continent with power, performance and intelligence that is unsurpassed by any other vehicle. That is what I got when I purchased my Model S, and I have never looked back. I will never own another ICE car again.

One moire thing regarding the one-sided overly exaggerated rant regarding communications with Tesla... Has anyone ever, I mean EVER attempted to contact Jaguar at the same level Tesla extends? Mercedes? BMW? This is where the haters go silent. I speak from 25 years of premium automobile ownership, not specs and quotes grabbed from the internet.

 

[Valore]

Porsche is always good and highly reliable. I feel sorry for people who can only afford Tesla. But that's life.