It was only a matter of time, I suppose. No sooner had Porsche taken the wraps off of the Taycan than reviewers and readers from across the net were salivating at the prospects of a match-up between the new kid on the block Porsche Taycan Turbo S and Tesla Model S P100D - the benchmark of electric cars generally and performance electric cars specifically.
With Elon Musk breathlessly tweeting the benefits and features of Tesla cars with a frequency approaching that of President Trump's political broadsides, the wait is finally over. As ole' Shelby was fond of saying, "time to run what ya brung."
Better put a pot of coffee on the stove, Elon, and prepare to tweet like crazy til dawn because it doesn't look good for Tesla in a straight line or through the twisties. German TV channel VOX recently pitted the Porsche Taycan Turbo S against the Tesla Model S P100D in both acceleration and handling and its no wonder the Palo Alto-based electric car innovator was trying to one-up Porsche at the Nurburgring a couple months back.
In straight line performance the Porsche edges the Tesla from 0-62 mph in 2.66s vs. 2.87s before walking away from 0-124 mph, 8.65s vs. 11.27s, and totally dominating in the 0-155 mph in 13.52 vs. 22.53! Wow!
And while the test was rather rudimentary, it doesn't look much better in the handling department either. Through a series of cones in an evasive maneuver the Porsche adroitly negotiates the course while the Tesla just doesn't seem too sure footed. The Porsche corners quick, flat, and forcefully. The Tesla appears lazy and unsure.
To be fair though there are many factors involved in these tests and they should be taken with a grain of salt. First, a German TV channel performed the tests and they could have very well had their thumb on the scale given Porsche is a German company. Two, I cannot stress enough the importance of the person behind the wheel and quite frankly the driver in the Tesla was piloting that thing like an old lady. No offense to you old ladies out there. Three, the Porsche has yet to hit the road and pre-production models are purposely tweaked and massaged by car companies to over-perform in prized testing metrics. Four, the Tesla was an off the lot version containing an old motor design. The new "plaid" version sporting three motors, new aero, suspension and etc. should even things out considerably if not keep the trophy on Elon's mantle where it's always been.
As the old Chinese proverb goes, "...may you live in interesting times...", certainly applies and portends an exciting future in electric performance car warfare. I can't wait to see what develops. Buckle up.
(via Xautoworld)