The new Porsche Taycan

With more power, better efficiency, longer range and styling tweaks, the newly updated Porsche Taycan is again setting the benchmark for EV driving and useability pleasure.

In 2019, the world got a first view of the electric vehicle (EV) that would completely change the game. It was the Porsche Taycan, the first high-performance EV from one of the most formidable and legendary sports-car makers and the car that would set the precedent for how an EV can look, feel and, importantly, drive. At the time, Tesla had cornered the market with its futuristic and tech-heavy presence and straight-line speed, but the Taycan brought new hope to car enthusiasts, proving that, yes, an EV can not only have the driving thrill and familiarity of a sports(ish) car, but somehow, it can still feel like a Porsche. Five years on, a new Taycan has arrived, and while it’s technically not an entirely new-generation model, it’s undergone a major mid-life refresh that sees every parameter in the iconic EV achieve Daft Punk levels of harder, better, faster, stronger.

The EV market has been completely revolutionised since the early days of the Taycan.

The EV market has been completely revolutionised since the early days of the Taycan. But the reason why it has continuously been the darling of car critics worldwide is in its ability to bring emotion into the mix and blend that sharp sub-three-second 0-100km/h dash (at least with the Taycan Turbo S) with cat-like reflexes.

The new Taycan’s exterior bears all the sleek sophistication and iconic Porsche silhouettes of the past, however, there are new lights, new front wings and the higher-end variants have been lightly refined to look slightly more distinctive. Plus, there are 21-inch wheel options and a couple of new paint colours, including a gorgeous sage green called Shade Green Metallic – a fresh alternative to the iconic Crayon grey. Ultimately, however, the big, new engineering achievements lie underneath.

Out on the open road, Taycan is quicker and more dynamic than ever – braking, steering and acceleration have all received a further sports car-like overhaul.

Laying the foundation for the newly improved Taycan is a bigger battery and some seriously new efficient motors. This means more range – up to 626 kilometres – better energy recuperation and faster charging that can take up to 320kW DC of charge (50kW more than before) and can replenish 315 kilometres of range in just 10 minutes. Elsewhere, the surgeon’s knife has extended to aerodynamics, software tech and the overall weight. Porsche now also offers its lovely adaptive air suspension as standard, so it’s more comfortable, too. That technical wizardry has also been applied to the chassis, which results in a flatter and more stable feel during acceleration and a smoother ride over bumps.

Those reflexes we spoke of? Sharp, fun and highly emotional, in the best way possible. Out on the open road, Taycan is quicker and more dynamic than ever – braking, steering and acceleration have all received a further sports car-like overhaul. With the Sports Chrono package, you’ll find a neat little party trick borrowed from the Porsche 911, too – a ‘push-to-pass’ button turns the Taycan into a rocket ship for 10 seconds, adding a boost of up to 70kW. For context, the new Taycan lineup’s output ranges from 300kW/420Nm to 570kW/1110Nm – with a top speed of 230km/h just on the base model – so adding 70kW of boost is like dropping a hatchback engine into the situation.

The Taycan continues to present one of the best arguments that you can have a sports-car feel, five-passenger occupancy, timeless design and an emissions-free drive, too.

Inside, some of the new user-tech features include fewer tactile buttons and more ways to control things via smartphone mirroring that helps to reduce screen fingerprints. Across the middle of the dash, there’s now an option to extend the existing 10.9-inch infotainment screen the whole way to the passenger side, giving them more apps to control without having to reach across the console (again, a win for the fingerprint-conscious). To avoid driver distraction, the passenger screen has been treated with a privacy glass-like finish so it’s hidden from the driver’s view. Another cool feature Australia now gains is the panoramic glass roof system with variable light control – think of this as an electric sunshade for your roof. With the touch of a finger, liquid crystals in the glass transform into a ribbed or fully opaque, sun-shielding finish. Be warned though: it’s hard to go back to a fabric sunshade after this.

Considering the original Taycan was a seriously impressive car, the Stuttgart marque didn’t have to go as hard as it did for a mid-life refresh. Ultimately, outside of all the technical stuff – which shows how fast things are moving in the space – the Taycan continues to present one of the best arguments that you can have a sports-car feel, five-passenger occupancy, timeless design and an emissions-free drive, too.

Porsche Taycan is priced from $174,500.