• Auto123 gets in a first drive of the 2025 Porsche Taycan.
Seville, Spain - First presented in 2019, the Taycan EV gets a first big makeover for 2025. Porsche has retained the same platform but revised all the car's parameters, from power to range to handling. The power of the Turbo GT in particular is surreal.
The brand's engineers have outdone themselves and succeeded in transforming a 2.2-ton vehicle into a sports car capable of putting fear into the biggest exotics on the market.
Design of the 2025 Porsche Taycan
At first glance, the differences between the outgoing model and this new, second generation are subtle. There are updates to the front bumper, headlights, fenders and taillights.
The most important changes are not visible to the eye, because they’re to do with the powertrain and the undercarriage. The Taycan variants have been redesigned via use of a wind tunnel to better disperse the air and add a more pronounced ground-hugging effect.
Porsche has gone to great lengths to make this sedan a true sports car in every sense of the word. The battery capacity jumps from 93 to 105 kWh, with the exception of the base Taycan 4S, which offers an 89-kWh battery with a single electric motor.
The interior
In the cabin, elegance is taken up a notch. The design is both simpler in presentation and more technological in execution, following the example of other recent models from the brand. As expected, the cabin can be covered in a range of rich materials and colours.
As with all Porsche models, the list of luxury options is long, including four-zone climate control, massaging front seats, heated steering wheel and heated rear seats.
Like in the Panamera, you get four seats, but it's possible to add a third seat in back if desired. Overall space is more cramped than a Panamera, but with enough room to be comfortable.
Technology and safety
The trend is to sticking everything on a screen, and the Taycan is no different. In other words, a few buttons are missing.
There's a 16.8-inch curved screen for the gauges, and two touchscreens in the middle control the infotainment system. The upper screen is integrated into the dashboard and measures 10.9 inches; it provides access to important functions. The 8.4-inch touchscreen beneath it allows users to adjust climate settings, check battery status, enter navigation details, interact with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto wireless functions and open and close trunks and charging ports.
Another 10.9-inch touchscreen is available for the front passenger, and a 5.9-inch touchscreen is available as an option on the rear seat to control seat heating and temperature. There are also optional entertainment screens for rear passengers behind the front seats.
Other enhancements to the infotainment system include improved route-planning options based on the battery's state of charge.
Versions of the 2025 Porsche Taycan
There will be five versions of the 2025 Taycan on the Canadian market. The 4S base model comes with the 89 kWh battery, while the 4S performance plus model gets a 105-kWh battery. The Turbo, Turbo S and Turbo GT models are next, followed by the Weissach edition, the ultimate Taycan.
All models come standard with ambient lighting, electrically folding exterior mirrors with perimeter lighting, Porsche Intelligent Range Manager (PIRM), heat pump with new cooling system, wireless charging tray, driver and front passenger electric charging ports, drive mode switch and Power Steering Plus.
Powertrains for the 2025 Porsche Taycan
With the exception of the base 4S model, which is powered by a single rear-mounted electric motor, all other 2025 Taycan variants are equipped with two electric motors, one at the front wheels and the other at the rear.
When it comes to numbers, well, here’s a bunch of them. Let's start with the entry-level 4S version, which produces a maximum output of 536 hp and 512 lb-ft of torque with the 89-kWh Performance battery.
When fitted with the Performance Plus battery, the Taycan 4S can generate up to 590 hp and 523 lb-ft of torque.
The Taycan Turbo can generate 871 hp and 693 lb-ft of torque. Finally, there's the Turbo GT, offering 1,109 hp and 1,098 lb-ft of torque.
Thanks to the Sport Chrono package's new push-to-pass function, up to 94 additional horses, depending on the model, can be obtained for 10 seconds at the touch of a button.
Increased acceleration rates are generally the result of higher system output. For example, the Taycan Turbo S delivers 188 more hp than before with Launch Control. This brings the top model's system output to 938 hp and 818 lb-ft of torque. The same system on the Turbo GT goes by the evocative name of Attack mode.
Driving the 2025 Porsche Taycan
Due to an embargo imposed on the Turbo GT version until April 10 concerning driving impressions, we'll limit our portion behind the wheel to the other models in the range.
Before going into our visceral impressions, let's first mention Porsche's pharaonic technical mastery of the art of driving. To put it in its simplest terms, the Taycan makes you a better driver.
All models come with adaptive air suspension as standard. The new Porsche Active Ride suspension can be ordered as an option and acts on all driving parameters. It smooths out excessively steep bends, reduces oversteer and understeer and makes mincemeat of nasty potholes and other road imperfections. Not only does it make for a formidable ride, it also offers unprecedented driving comfort.
The suspension keeps the Taycan's body level at all times, even during dynamic braking, steering and acceleration manoeuvres. If the appropriate mode is activated, the suspension can compensate for pitch and roll movements to reduce acceleration forces acting on the occupants.
You can choose to drive in Eco, Comfort, Normal, Sport and Sport Plus modes. The Taycan's ideal driving position, communicative steering and precise handling make it unique among electric vehicles. What's more, even when driving on low-profile 21-inch wheels, the Taycan Turbo S we drove never felt stiff or hard.
There's no one-pedal driving, and frankly, no one complained - it makes for a more natural, purer ride. Our Turbo S model pushed this 2295 kg carcass from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.4 seconds. And that's not all - you'll get to 200 km/h in 6.6 seconds.
You have to experience it to be able to describe it. It's both violent and so well controlled that it's a little scary, as Porsche pushes the limits of what's possible even for a driver without any real driving talent.
Pricing in Canada for the 2025 Porsche Taycan
As you can imagine, such a machine comes with an exorbitant price tag. You'll need at least $135,600 for a basic 4S version. But even at that price, you're still a long way from reality.
We had a 4S version on site at the Monteblanco circuit, and it's more than up to the task. In addition to the base price of $135,600, our model included over $75,000 in options, $2,950 in shipping and preparation costs, $2,750 in dealer fees and over $21,000 in luxury taxes. This brings the price down to $238,673 before taxes. With taxes, we're at $273,640.
We now move on to the turbo version, which starts at $196,800. Our model tested in Spain had $56,400 worth of options, with $2,950 in freight and preparation charges, $2,750 in dealer fees and $25,912 in luxury taxes, bringing the total to $285,027. With taxes, the total is $327,680.
Next comes the Turbo S, which starts at $328,200. Add the $54,400 in options, $2,950 in freight and preparation charges, $2,750 in dealer fees and $29,844 in luxury taxes, and the total comes to $328,279. After taxes, you're looking at $377,120. Alrighty then!
The Turbo GT starts at $270,000. This model can top $400,000...
Batteries and recharging
Careful, more numbers ahead. The 2025 Taycan can be recharged at 800-volt DC charging stations to a maximum of 320 kW under ideal conditions. That's 50 kW more than before. The fast-charging window of the new performance battery has been considerably enlarged.
In addition, a 150-kW DC/DC converter is now included as standard, to optimize charging speeds on 400-volt networks.
Depending on individual driving style, among other variables, this can reduce the time needed to go from 10 to 80 percent charge compared with the previous car. In the first-generation Taycan, the charging time from 10 to 80 percent charge at 15 degrees Celsius is 37 minutes. Under ideal conditions, the new Taycan takes just 18 minutes, even with its larger battery capacity.
The advertised range for Europe is 636 km (WLTP) for models with Performance Plus batteries. The Turbo GT version achieves 555 km. Our test day on a Turbo version gave us an average fuel consumption of 20.71 kWh/100 km - a respectable figure for such a beast.
The final word
The top-of-the-range 2025 Taycans are worthy of today's greatest sports cars, with the added bonus of four doors and room for rear passengers.
Unfortunately, with the exception of Germany's Autobahn or a day at the track, it's hard to see where and when you'll be able to exploit more than 40 percent of the car’s available power. That's why we recommend the 4S version with all-wheel drive, which will do more than satisfy your needs, all while relieving you of at least $250,000.
Questions asked about the model
Extraordinary as it is, the 2025 Taycan can't be fully exploited here. Not only will it set you back $250,000, but you'll often find yourself frustrated behind the wheel of this speedy car.
Strong points
- Incredible potential
- Extremely easy to drive
- Surprising comfort
Weak points
- Very high price
- Endless options
- Braking could be better
Competitors of the 2025 Porsche Taycan
- - BMW i5
- - Lucid Air
- - Mercedes-Benz EQE
- - Tesla Model S