Heres a fun story: In 2004, Elon Muskhis pockets full of PayPal profitswalked into the offices of AC Propulsion in the L.A. suburb of San Dimas with some questions. Among them was whether theyd convert his Porsche 911 Turbo into an electric car. He was willing to pay a pretty penny (reportedly $250,000) for it. But Alan Cocconi, ACs live-wire founder said sorry, no thanks. So Tom Gage, Cocconis (likely bewildered) business partner, referred Musk to a promising EV start-up they both knew of. And that, kids, is (approximately) where the Tesla saga began. Would Tesla exist today (presently, the second-most valuable car company in the world) if Elon had simply gotten his damn electric 911 from Cocconi? --> Sixteen years later, Elon can finally drive an electric Porsche Turbo S, and at a billionaires-bargain price of $186,350 (our tester rings up at $205,360, all-in). But it would be dreadful optics, because the Wizard of Watts would be driving the Taycan Turbo S , Stuttgarts four-door, four-seat counterattack against Teslas recurring, gauche habit of crashing the private soirees of Europes gasoline-combusting elite. That said, Stuttgart appears to have been taking careful notes in regard to this Silicon Valley upstart. The Taycan Turbo S traces the Model S (probably unavoidable) broad-brush blueprint: dual motorsone front, another in backall-wheel drive, a battery floor, Ludicrous performance (thats L cherlich in German), a frunk up front, all enveloped in an slick, fuselage skin. The Taycans panoramic, fixed glass roof imitates the Teslas copper color when sprinkled with rain (due to the same UV-reflective layer). And traveling Taycans are mainly replenished by a respectable knock-off of Teslas Supercharger oasesthe fast-expanding Electrify America network. But in the other categorythe ways in which theyre differenttheyre starkly different. These days, the Model S front motor is basically the Model 3s permanent-magnet rear motor (part of what defines the latest Raven architecture ). Its rear one is the slightly less efficient inductive typebut it offers the neat trick of being de-energizable (switchable on and off) so it can freewheel during light-load cruising, making it more efficient. In contrast, both of the Porsches motors (a combined 750 hp) are permanent magnet, so the rear motors decoupling (while in efficient Range mode) is necessarily mechanical, and moreover, bundled with a two-speed transmission for both better low- and high-speed performance. Tesla tried that with its original Roadster a decade ago; the struggle to tame the gearshifts hammering torque hit nearly put the fledgling automaker out of business. You may have read Chris Waltons notes from the dragstrip. If not, heres the TL;DR version. First, Walton rotates the steering wheels performance dial clockwise to Sport+, his left thigh stiffening as he compresses the brake pedal, holding the car still. His right foot slowly plunges into the accelerator. The Taycan sits eerily silent, like the first atom bomb at T-minus one before detonating at Trinity. Walton abruptly releases the brake, triggering it. The first thing I noticed is that the Taycan doesnt squat when it launches. It stays flat to maintain some weight over the front tires, he notes later, adrenaline still coursing through his veins. Porsches height-adjusting air suspension was keeping it plumb-level, and it does what feels like an imminent burn out until about 40 mph. Rotating my head fast enough to visually track the wheels, the tires were clearly spasming with incipient wheelspin as the car disappears to 60 mph (in 2.4 seconds) and beyondshrinking, shrinking, puff gone. I can feel it shift into second gear just over 60 mph, Walton said, and then it continues to accelerate very hard. Just 8.1 seconds after it hit 60, the Taycan barreled toward escape velocity, flashing through the quarter mile at 130.7 mph. On to the figure eight. The Porsche engineer said I might be better off with stability and traction control left on, but I thumbed the button on the instrument displays right side anyway to defeat it. The Model S system cant be deactivated; the Model 3s Track mode behaves exactly the oppositeits almost monkey-dance exuberant. I was curious to feel the Porsches naked, unembellished handling. At 81 mph, I spot my secret crack in the asphalt (shhh) and stab the brake pedal. It feels a little soft (its a by-wire system), but geez, this is a 5,109-pound carthats seven baby grand pianosthat Walton already proved can be halted in 103 feet from 60 mph. Its 16.5-in front and 16.1-in rear carbon-ceramic discs are apparently automobiledoms version of an aircraft carriers arrester wires. As I enter the turn, despite the Taycans nicely balanced weight distribution, a quick steering twist warps the tires sidewalls (265/305-mm front/rear Pirelli P Zero NF0 Elects) into 1.02 gs of seven-piano understeer. Exiting, it walks the tail around at a very sassy angle, before it pulses to the next braking point. Before we delve into the Taycans inner self, heres a potpourri of overall observations. Numerology: Its 98 percent of a Panamera GTS length but 109 percent of its weight, and yet already hits 60 mph in the time it takes the Panamera to reach 50. Despite its eliciting regular hoots and thumbs-ups from passersby, I think the Taycans design tilts too understated for a 2.4-second car with the legendary Turbo S on its rump. And the battery pack is impressively large (93.4 kW-hr), giving what it sacrifices to provide holes for the rear passengers feet (lowering knee height). Then theres the synthesized drivetrain sound thats a techno mix of the motors actual soundprint. In Sport mode its the whoosh of a high-speed elevator headed for the 77th floor; switch to Sport+, and youre checking the mirror for Lord Voldemort in the back seat. Lets check the surprising list of ergonomic quirks: The shifter toggle is perfectly hidden by the steering wheel rim (I sometimes turned the wipers on). The side mirror controls are more easily reached by a rear passenger; the critical rear glass is an oblong porthole, and the panoramic roof provides a vista view of clouds and birds and whatever else is up there you shouldnt be looking at. The night after our track test session, I drove north through the desert out to Barstow, windows down, heater on full blast to quickly exhaust the battery before I clocked its recharge time at a super-duper 350-kW Electrify America charger. It thumped over bumps with Porsches usual girder solidity. Lifting the accelerator brings either sailing (no drivetrain resistance) or a regen rate thats too wispy for one-foot canyoning (a third, heavier rate is needed). At 75 mph, I scanned across the Taycans slick, colorful, starship display panels. Listened to the motors sampled siren. And wondered: Are you really a Porsche? Do you have passion? Do you hold true to the Porsche heritage? Here lies the Taycans central question. My thoughts drifted back to last year, when I ambled an electric Jaguar iPace along Pacific Coast Highway toward Newport Beach in an 11 p.m. drizzle. I got to thinking about this concept of automotive history and brand heritage so deeply that, when I got home, I fired up my 1959 Austin-Healey Bugeye Spritea concentrated shot glass of ancient car charismaand at midnight headed right back out to compare it to the modern, electrified Jag. Back to back, the iPace struck me as a hologram of a Jaguar. Our ancient caveman attraction to fires warmth and crackletoday, carried around with us in more civilized cylindersis bred deep in our bones. In the Jag, I was in the cold, jungle night, with silvery cat eyes peering from the trees. Driving that Taycan along that same PCH route to work, I stopped at a light, north of Huntington Beach with a view of the Palos Verdes peninsula looking like a pile of jewels spilling into the Pacific. A postcard, if you Photoshopped out the carpet of black smoke from L.A. Harbor coiled around the base of the hill. Stuttgarts turn to insert Porsche DNA into the cool, sterile electric car has sparked life; in several ways, its notably better-driving than any gasoline Panamera. The Taycan also answers the Jeopardy question: What is the Porsche we need for a livable planet? And better yet, its a Porsche youll also really, really, want. 2020 Porsche Taycan Turbo S POWERTRAIN/CHASSIS DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT Front/rear motor, AWD MOTOR TYPE AC permanent-magnet electric motors POWER (SAE NET) 750 combined hp TORQUE (SAE NET) 774 combined lb-ft MAX MOTOR SPEED 16,000 rpm WEIGHT TO POWER 6.8 lb/hp TRANSMISSION Front 1-speed direct; Rear 2-speed automatic AXLE/FINAL-DRIVE RATIO Front 8.05:1/8.05:1; Rear 8.16:1/15.6:1 SUSPENSION, FRONT; REAR Control arms, air springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar; multilink, air springs, adj shocks, anti-roll bar STEERING RATIO 14.2-9.3:1 TURNS LOCK-TO-LOCK 2.5 BRAKES, F; R 16.5-in vented, drilled, 2-pc carbon-ceramic disc; 16.1-in vented, drilled, 2-pc carbon-ceramic, ABS WHEELS, F;R 9.5 x 21-in; 11.5 x 21-in, forged aluminum TIRES, F;R 265/35R21 101Y; 305/30R21 104Y Pirelli P Zero NF0 Elect DIMENSIONS WHEELBASE 114.2 in TRACK, F/R 66.5/65.2 in LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT 195.4 x 77.4 x 54.3 in TURNING CIRCLE 34.1 ft CURB WEIGHT 5,109 lb WEIGHT DIST, F/R 49/51% SEATING CAPACITY 4 HEADROOM, F/R 38.2/36.8 in LEGROOM, F/R 41.8/32.2 in SHOULDER ROOM, F/R 56.4/53.2 in CARGO VOLUME 2.9 front; 12.9 rear cu ft TEST DATA ACCELERATION TO MPH 0-30 1.0 sec 0-40 1.4 0-50 1.9 0-60 2.4 0-70 3.1 0-80 3.9 0-90 4.8 0-100 5.9 0-100-0 9.8 PASSING, 45-65 MPH 1.1 QUARTER MILE 10.5 sec @ 130.7 mph BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 103 ft LATERAL ACCELERATION 1.02 g (avg) MT FIGURE EIGHT 23.6 sec @ 0.87 g (avg) CONSUMER INFO BASE PRICE $187,470 PRICE AS TESTED $205,360 STABILITY/TRACTION CONTROL Yes/Yes AIRBAGS 8: Dual front, f/r side, f/r curtain, front knee BASIC WARRANTY 4 yrs/50,000 miles POWERTRAIN WARRANTY 4 yrs/50,000 miles ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE 4 yrs/50,000 miles BATTERY 8 yrs/80,000 miles BATTERY CAPACITY 94 kW-hrs REAL MPG, CITY/HWY/COMB 00.0/00.0/0.00 mpg-e EPA CITY/HWY/COMB ECON 67/68/68 mpg-e EPA TOTAL RANGE 192 mi ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY 50/50 kW-hrs/100 miles CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB 0.00 lb/mile (at vehicle) RECOMMENDED FUEL 120-/240-volt AC & 400-/800-volt DC electricity FROM 20-MI RANGE, L3 (150 kW) CHARGE TIME TO ADD 100/150MI 17 mins/27 mins FROM 20-MI RANGE, L3 (350 kW) CHARGE TIME TO ADD 100/150MI 11 mins/19 mins The post 2020 Porsche Taycan Turbo S First Test: Lcherlich Mode appeared first on MotorTrend .