Around these parts we’ve driven just about every version of Taycan on the market, and it’s fair to say we’ve loved them all. When Porsche offered us the opportunity to drive the new GTS in Los Angeles, we jumped at the opportunity. More than probably anyone without a Porsche name badge, we were probably best equipped to tell you what the GTS would feel like before we even got behind the wheel. The GTS formula at this point is a known quantity, and we expected it to be quite good. Obviously, Porsche being Porsche, it seriously delivered.
The GTS has been described as the Goldilocks answer in Porsche’s lineup. You seriously can’t go wrong ordering a GTS. Not only is it the sweet spot of power and comfort, but it usually comes with all of the options you’d want from a lesser model fitted as standard. The GTS also features some exciting trim that you can’t get on “regular” models. The blacked out headlights and tinted taillights, for one, plus the window trim and model designations in black make a real impact, especially when contrasted against the wonderful GTS-signature Carmine Red paint.
The first thing to keep in mind is that the GTS gets the same rear motor as the Taycan Turbo, with the same two-speed transmission for higher efficiency. That is paired with the smaller and less expensive front motor from the Taycan 4S to create a unique horsepower level at 590 ponies smack between the 4S at 462 and the Turbo at 670. Not only is that more than sufficient, it still provides some good push. It’ll go from 0-60 in 3.5 seconds, regardless of which body style you order. It’s also standard with the larger 93.4 kWh Performance Battery Plus for plenty of real-world range.
Speaking of bodystyles, the GTS is available in a unique Sport Turismo body. It’s physically quite similar to the Cross Turismo already on offer in 4S and Turbo guise, but without the fender cladding and higher suspension. If you want the lower and sleeker Sport Turismo, the only way to get it is as a GTS. Honestly, that’s the way I’d get a Taycan if I were in the market right now. It’s gorgeous, holds all of the stuff you’d ever need, has more rear seat headroom to hold real adults, and it’s just as quick as the sedan. There’s no downside.
The cars we drove on this event were fitted with the optional 21-inch RS Spyder Design wheels, which are far and away the prettiest wheels available on the Taycan right now. Personally, I’d get the standard wheels and buy something from the aftermarket because I think the 21s are a little too large for daily use, but if you want to keep it stock that’s not a bad way to go.
So here’s the unfortunate part. On the day that we were given to drive the Taycan Sport Turismo GTS it was incredibly cold and raining biblically in Los Angeles, meaning our drive up into the mountains north of the city were fraught with low-traction wet roads, high winds, and frequently falling rocks. There was a rock slide that blocked the route, and we were forced to turn around with our tails between our legs before we could even get the batteries down to half charge.
Thankfully our colleagues at EV Pulse were in the following day for their test of the car, and the weather did a complete 180, providing them with sunny weather and dry roads.
While I couldn’t get much of a test of the driving dynamics of the Taycan completed during our torrential downpour of a day, and couldn’t ascertain the nuances of Porsche’s GTS-specific suspension tuning, I could tell that it was indeed quite good. With big sticky tires and a rear-biased power-delivery, the Taycan is always going to be a joy to drive, so I’m excited to feel what a GTS is like to drive perhaps on a race track or at least a dry canyon road someday.
From the inside, however, the GTS really got my blood pumping. I was driving a Euro-only metal roof example, so I didn’t get the open and airy feeling that all GTS Sport Turismo buyers here in the U.S. market, but it was treated to the typical Taycan experience of road focus. The view out through the windshield is tremendous, and with the heads up display, gives the driver very little reason to bring eyes away from the view ahead. The sculpted fenders frame the road in an exciting and enticing way. I was driving as quickly as I reckoned I could, given the state of the road. While I liked the non-sunroof model I was driving, a trick new piece of tech in the sunroof-equipped models was the new Variable Light Control option. Each of these panels (shown below) can become opaque to block out the heat of the sun on a hot summer day, and while it feels a little gimmicky it’s incredibly fun to swipe your finger up and down the screen dimming and brightening the interior as you go.
This car is ultimately exactly what you’d expect from a Taycan. It’s a sleek and beautiful shape that accelerates quickly, runs rings around the competition, and drives like you would want an electric Porsche to drive. It’s fun and fast and beautiful and expensive. It’s maybe the best car ever made, which is saying a whole lot when you consider what other cars Porsche itself has built. If you’re going to a Porsche dealership today and considering buying anything but a Taycan, you’ll regret it.
Pricing for the Taycan GTS sedan starts at $131,400, while the pricing for the Taycan GTS Sport Turismo will start at $133,300. Spring for the Sport Turismo with about ten grand in options tacked on top, and you’ve got a perfect everyday sports wagon that will accept pretty much anything you can throw at it. Neither price includes $1,350 delivery, processing, and handling fee. Both Taycan GTS models are available to order now and U.S. deliveries will start in Q2 of 2022. EPA range and consumption figures will be available closer to delivery.