When asked to name how much weight a world-class driver’s car could carry around with it in 2020 without stretching the bounds of dynamic credibility, the Autocar parish might ordinarily agree on a figure of 1500kg. But ask someone who’s just got out of a Taycan Turbo S where that particular kerb weight ceiling lies and we’d bet they couldn’t tell you. They’ll simply be too busy trying to fathom how a car this heavy can be made to handle with the incredible level of composure and precision, the natural chassis balance and the fluent poise you would normally associate with a car weighing nearly a tonne less.
On both road and track, but especially on the road, this car’s handling is nothing short of astonishing. The way in which it controls its mass is effortless – quite the opposite of what you expect, given how much of it there is to marshal. And yet the car remains supple and absorptive over bumps and undulations, but ever level, ever on top of its body movements, and surprisingly balanced and keen when changing direction. The chassis can get just a little bit floaty over really big inputs taken at speed. Even so, a burly builder carrying a brimful bucket of wet cement up high and close to his chest is the image that springs to mind; barge him if you like, but he’s got it – and he’s not spilling a drop.
The car’s steering is perfectly weighted and has enough tactile feel to keep you well informed about grip levels. It feels so typical of Porsche for its blend of accuracy, honest linearity and feedback, and yet it also manages to filter away any unwanted side effects of the car’s active roll cancellation, four-wheel drive and four-wheel steering systems. All you perceive is fluent precision, crisp turn-in, laudable mid-corner balance and well-matched traction, stability and dynamic poise as you accelerate away from the apex.
The air suspension automatically adjusts for ride height, but it does occasionally oblige you to check which of the car’s modes you’re using when you encounter sleeping policemen, high kerbs or steeper driveways. You can sometimes inadvertently scrape the Taycan’s nose when using Range mode (which adopts the lowest ride height), and you’ll find its ride composure at speed is better in Normal or Sport.
