2021 Porsche Taycan 4S Owner Review - US

Porsche Taycan 4S 2021 - title image

Porsche Taycan

4S 2021

9.3/10not logged17 votes

2021 Porsche Taycan 4S

My impressions after one year with the Porsche Taycan 4S

17 May 2022

Porsche Taycan Pros and Cons

Pros:

  • Excellent highway stability

  • Sporty, refined driving experience 

  • Infinite customization of the Taycan with various cosmetic and performance options

  • Superior styling

  • Acceleration continues pulling well over 100mph

  • Extraordinarily fast charging at Electrify America chargers

  • Exceptional build quality 

  • Range is much better than EPA ratings

  • Great acceleration 

  • Better than expected storage

  • Reliable

  • Variable suspension/ride height makes for a more practical daily driver

  • Quiet and refined at high speed

  • Good sound system (Bose)

  • Decent lane keeping

Cons:

  • Infotainment and software is mediocre compared to EV rivals

  • Mobile app experience is mediocre, connectivity is unreliable 

  • Some software updates require going to the dealership and can, in some cases, take several days

  • Very expensive depending on options

  • Screen and infotainment layout is unintuitive 

  • Software updates are not as frequent or as impactful compared to EV rivals

  • Less reliable charging network than the Tesla Supercharging Network

  • Camera quality is lacking given the price

  • Weight of the vehicle can be felt on tight turns

  • Wireless charger is only for one device, hard to use, and very slow

  • Battery preconditioning requires built-in navigation to trigger and cannot be manually overridden

  • Can be awkward to get in and out if the vehicle 

  • No Android Auto on the 2021 year Taycan. 

  • Center console storage is awkward to use

Considered buying

Tesla Model S

Plaid

example image of Tesla Model S

The Attractions:

Extremely fast, practical, great software, expansive charging network, frequent software updates, best-in-class autopilot

The Dealbreakers:

Uninspired design, heavy boat-like handling, poor customer service, questionable build quality in units I tested

Owner Review

2021 Porsche Taycan 4S

The Porsche Taycan 4S is a true EV sports car. Its greatest strengths are its incredible styling, handling, customizability, uniqueness, and build quality. Its greatest weaknesses are its poor software, unreliable charging infrastructure, and reliance on the dealership network for critical software updates.

Overall, I would recommend the Porsche Taycan to anyone looking for the  best electric sports car on the market.


For any specific questions about my experience with the Porsche Taycan, feel free to leave a comment or find me over on twitter.

Permalink for this article: https://www.myevreview.com/6283ec3abe4d9

Long-term average consumption

Long-term average consumption: 3.4 mi/kWh

See Tech Specs - Porsche Taycan

Porsche Taycan Photos

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Discussion

  • profile photo of Nick Nick NL
    2022-05-17 19:47:50 UTC

    two-speed transmission

    Thanks for the nice review. How do you like the two-speed transmission? In my experience it sometimes shifts weirdly when overtaking at full throttle.
    • profile photo of QuietCanvas QuietCanvas US [2 EVs in garage]
      2022-05-17 20:27:20 UTC

      Re: two-speed transmission

      I don’t mind the transmission. Mine is pretty seamless 90% of the time. While I do prefer a single gear due to requiring fewer moving parts, the two-speed in the Taycan is unobtrusive in my personal experience.
  • profile photo of Leaf Leaf AT
    2022-05-20 13:06:32 UTC

    Turbo

    Hi. Have you considered the Turbo or Turbo S variants?
    • profile photo of QuietCanvas QuietCanvas US [2 EVs in garage]
      2022-05-20 13:38:45 UTC

      Re: Turbo

      I have considered both, but I felt the 4S has the best range-to-power ratio for the price. In my opinion, the best spec now is a Taycan GTS which has the most range and power similar to the Turbo. The GTS was not available at the time I got my 4S.
  • profile photo of SUN SUN BE
    2022-05-26 05:50:03 UTC

    Taycan 4S

    I recently tried the Taycan 4S, the bodywork is incredibly stiff, the chassis is great on bumps.
    • profile photo of QuietCanvas QuietCanvas US [2 EVs in garage]
      2022-05-26 07:35:52 UTC

      Re: Taycan 4S

      I’d agree, it definitely depends on what mode you have it in, but even at its most comfortable it’s stiff/sporty.

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