New entry level, rear-drive Porsche Taycan starts at $80,000

Porsche has removed the front power unit from its Taycan sports sedan to make entry to electric a little more affordable.

Ditching all-wheel drive reduces weight by 200 pounds so the sacrifice in sheer performance isn’t that huge, while the cash savings are. The Taycan 4S is listed at $103,800 while the new no-suffix Taycan is $79,900 before destination fees.

The base Taycan comes with a choice of two battery packs. The standard Performance Battery holds 79.2 kW and can charge at up to 225 kW, while the Performance Battery Plus has a capacity of 93.4 kW and can charge at 270 kW. Both cars can charge from five percent to 80 per cent in 22.5 minutes. Or, looking at it a different way, you can add around 60 miles of range in five minutes with a max power DC charger.

There’s little performance difference between the two, despite the standard-battery model offering 402 hp in overboost mode and the Plus packing 469 hp. Both cars will accelerate from rest to 60 mph in 5.1 seconds and have a top speed of 143 mph. The Taycan 4S achieves that benchmark sprint in 3.8 seconds, while the $150,900 Turbo takes three seconds on the dot. No EPA official range figure has been released yet, but European WLTP tests show that the standard battery car can manage 269 miles on a charge, while the Plus knocks on the door of 300 miles. Expect the EPA results to come in above 200 miles.

Suspension is by steel springs as standard, but you can opt for adaptive air suspension at extra cost. Other goodies on the options list include a head-up display, upgraded audio, 14-way adjustable massage seats and Porsche InnoDrive with Traffic Jam assist—a sophisticated suite of driver aids that use cameras and radar to map the road ahead and adjust the car’s performance to suit.

Badging aside, you’ll be hard pushed to tell the difference between the new Taycan and its siblings just by looking. The car wears Taycan Aero 19-inch alloy wheels in silver, with black painted brake calipers tucked behind, compared to the red calipers and polished alloys of the 4S. Buyers can specify different wheels and brakes including ceramic discs should they desire.

The cabin comes as standard with a part-leather interior, but can also be optioned leather-free. The big sedan has enough luggage space for five passengers with a small frunk and a sizable trunk.

The Taycan range has already proved to be a huge hit, outselling the Panamera and 718 in the U.S. in 2020, while in EV-loving Norway the Taycan makes up 70 percent of Porsche sales. This new lower-price can surely only accelerate the progress of Porsche’s awesome electric automobile.