The Porsche Taycan Turbo S Is Quicker Than A Bugatti

Feb. 01, 2020 2:05 PM ET by Jay Traugott / 29 Comments

It's the beginning of a whole new era.

Porsche knew that even its most faithful customers would be instantly skeptical about its first all-electric vehicle. And they have every right to be, given that the German automaker's decades-long specialty was flat-sixes, turbo fours, and V8 combustion engines. It is the quintessential premium sports car company thanks to the Porsche 911 and 718. The Porsche Panamera is one of the finest luxury sports sedans on the market and the Cayenne and Macan have forever altered what it's like to be behind the wheel of an SUV. But one of the biggest benefits of electric vehicles is instant torque allowing for brutally fast acceleration.

While Porsche has yet to release official figures, Car and Driver did some independent testing of the Porsche Taycan Turbo S and the results were beyond impressive. How impressive? Try a 0 to 60 mph in only 2.4 seconds and a quarter-mile sprint in 10.5 seconds at 130 mph.

Put it this way, the Taycan Turbo S is the third-quickest car the publication has ever tested. In fact, only the Porsche 918 Spyder and Lamborghini Huracan Performante are faster to 60 mph. This 750 horsepower electric sedan also happens to edge the 0-60 mph time of the Bugatti Veyron 16.4, which is rated at 1,001 hp. The Bugatti hits 60 mph in 2.5 seconds.

Furthermore, the quickest Tesla Model S, the Model S Performance, goes to 60 in 2.7 seconds and the quarter-mile in 11.1 seconds at 120 mph. Tesla is reportedly prepping updates for both its Model S and Model X, so it'll be interesting to see whether performance will be one of them.

But there's also something else to remember regarding the Taycan Turbo S, its disappointing range. The EPA rated it at only 68 MPGe, meaning only 192 miles on a single charge. Nothing's perfect after all. And, of course, a 2.4-second sprint to 60 mph doesn't come cheap, though not anywhere close to Veyron money, with the 2020 Porsche Taycan Turbo S begins at about $186,000.

Anything less than $200k for supercar and hypercar-smashing acceleration is something of a bargain.