2023 Porsche Taycan Turbo Performance

For all the nay-sayers that think electric propulsion is boring, Porsche is here to prove that the opposite is true with its all-wheel-drive electric sedan. The Turbo S provides neck-snapping acceleration thanks to its two magnet-synchronous motors, dispatching the 0-60 mph sprint in a face-melting 2.6 seconds with top speed arriving at 161 mph. Lamborghini, Ferrari, and McLaren owners beware - this thing will disappear over the horizon before you've even thought about selecting third gear. Total system output with overboost engaged is a whopping 750 hp with 774 lb-ft of torque. Even without max power, the Turbo S can produce up to 616 hp, a figure that the regular Taycan Turbo also boasts, although that model's maximum output is capped at "only" 670 horses. The Taycan is about more than just raw acceleration, however, with each variant coming standard with adaptive air suspension, 4D chassis control, and active aerodynamic aids. Despite its spectacular performance, Tesla claims an even more outrageous 0-60 time of under two seconds for the Model S Plaid.

Two motors are used to power the Taycan Turbo, with a single motor operating the front wheels and a stronger magnet-synchronous motor on the rear wheels, making this an AWD vehicle. Part of the reason that the Taycan Turbo is so damn quick is that it uses a two-speed automatic gearbox on the rear motor with a single-speed front motor, something that is still unusual for electric vehicles. In case the naming convention that Porsche uses is as confusing to you as it was to us, we should clarify that there is no turbo anywhere in the vehicle. For Porsche, the Turbo name is something of a sub-brand that indicates you've bought one of their higher-output models that places a greater emphasis on performance. In the base Turbo model, you get 616 hp and 626 lb-ft of torque, but an overboost function that comes into play when you activate launch control increases power to 670 hp. In the Turbo S, the base power output is the same as in the base variant, but can increase to a hypercar-rivaling 750 horses. Torque is higher on this model too, at 774 lb-ft of torque.

Regardless of the model you opt for, the acceleration is instantaneous, and you'll likely never fully acclimatize to how fast the Taycan gets going from a dig. No wheelspin, no shuffling of power, no hesitation - just raw acceleration. A whirring noise is all that informs you of what's going on in the powertrain, but everything is very smooth, allowing you to cruise comfortably just as well as accelerate brutally.

The Taycan Turbo electric sedan is the more efficient model of the two models. The latest available figures are 81/80/81 MPGe on the EPA's city/highway/combined cycles, a noticeable improvement on last year's 71/75/71 MPGe thanks to reprogramming the battery algorithms to improve efficiency. Maximum EPA range is up from last year's 212 miles to 238 miles this year. The Turbo S lags slightly behind, with 212 miles (up from last year's 201 miles) of range and figures of 76/74/75 MPGe (improved over last year's 69/71/70 MPGe) on the city/highway/combined cycles. These figures are less impressive than those of the Tesla Model S, which claims up to 396 miles of range if you go for the Plaid model, but they're better than last year.

In terms of charging, the 93.4 kWh battery can be refilled from empty to full in 10.5 hours on 9.6-kW alternating current. Using a 50-kW direct current outlet will get the battery from five to 80 percent charge in 93 minutes, while DC charging at the 270-kW maximum will do the same in only 22.5 minutes.