2020 Porsche Taycan Turbo first drive
You gotta be shifting me...
The lack of paddle shifters in the 2020 Porsche Taycan Turbo is surprising at first—not only because electric carmakers have used paddles to control regen force, but also because most grand-touring and sports-car steering wheels have them.
The Porsche Taycan doesn’t have any and won’t. Engineers don’t see the point if there aren’t multiple regen modes to control, but the wheel feels naked without the paddle-shifters. We know, we also bemoaned the loss of a clutch pedal in sports cars until we got used to it. We’d say it’s Stockholm Syndrome, but our drive was in Denmark.
2020 Porsche Taycan Turbo first drive
Hear-esy
For $580 extra Porsche will add an internal-combustion sound in all drive modes that can be activated in the touchscreen menu. (The noise defaults to on when Sport+ is selected.)
The noise resonates somewhere between a throaty 6-cylinder warble, or high-strung V-8. It’s not especially pleasant, and after about 30 minutes it becomes a nuisance.
The two-speed transmission on the rear electric motor joins the party too. The lone gear change happens around 50 mph and, with the noises turned on, resonates in the cabin with a PDK-like snap. While decelerating, the downshift into first gear from second gets a simulated throttle blip, too. It's a nice perk.
2020 Porsche Taycan Turbo first drive
Can you hear me?
Most of the Taycan’s ergonomics and driving position are cribbed from the 911—a nod to the sportier mission of the Taycan compared to the Panamera. But the volume buttons for the Taycan are placed at the bottom of the touchscreen, just ahead of the front cupholder, where the driver would ideally place a bottle.
The problem? If it’s a tall bottle, the volume buttons are almost inaccessible. There is a redundant steering wheel roller for volume as a relief for the driver, but the passenger is stuck with the tough-to-access buttons.
2020 Porsche Taycan Turbo first drive
Check your posture
The passenger-side duplicate touchscreen proved to be far more useful than we anticipated.
Like the redundant volume controls in the Chevy Corvette, the passenger-side display keeps front passengers from reaching close to the driver to change music, input destinations, or control some vehicle functions.
However, the screen only activates when the passenger-side seat senses a full seat via a sensor. That sensor on two of our test cars was placed close to the back of the seat, which meant slouching passengers with rumps toward the front wouldn’t trigger the sensor.
2020 Porsche Taycan Turbo first drive
Foot garage? Plenty of parking
The rear seat may be cramped for leg room and head room—we wouldn’t advise parking anyone taller than 5-foot-10 back there—but not foot room.
The battery placement in the so-called “foot garage” made for a deep well that fit our size 13s with ease. Our knees may have been pressed against the back seat, but our feet were plenty comfy.
2020 Porsche Taycan Turbo first drive
What the frunk?
The front trunk in the Taycan only carries a scant 2.8 cubic feet, most of which is dominated by the charging cord and bag. A small backpack will fit alongside the charge cord, but not much more. Do sports cars need cargo storage? An emphatic no there. But the Taycan’s frunk won't hold much cargo. Don't trade in the pickup.
2020 Porsche Taycan Turbo first drive
Airtime!
Porsche is promising the moon with over-the-air (OTA) updates like some other automakers you may have heard (rhymes with “fesla”). Engineers say that homogolation standards may provide some flexibility in programming and feel in the Taycan. They’re tight-lipped for now about the possibilities, but EV performance could reach new heights with OTA updates—especially if it’s track-related.
