Porsche Taycan City Review: Know How This EV Performs In Stop-Go Traffic Of Mumbai

The Taycan is the first EV from Porsche and is one of the best electric cars around in terms of both performance along with being a sports car that also feeds from electricity.

New Delhi: EVs are all fast and fun when presented with an empty road but that is not the real world as is seen in cut-throat traffic on a Mumbai weekday. EVs are supposed to also thrive in the city and that is where we drove this fast electric car for a whole day. The Taycan is the first EV from Porsche and is one of the best electric cars around in terms of both performance along with being a sports car that also feeds from electricity.

However, our test was different in tackling Mumbai traffic and seeing how this car takes up luggage, passengers, and a day out in stop-go traffic. EVs typically get better range in traffic with regeneration and when we picked up the Taycan at the airport, it showed a range of well above 300km. The Taycan in Carmine red looks spectacular and every inch a Porsche albeit being an EV.

The way the charging port slides open spookily is cool along with the slow-slung design with four doors while the rear lights are just stunning. The car gets a lot of attention as we get out of the airport and merge with the traffic. The Taycan is low but not supercar low and it does not scrape its underside at all. It helps when you use the lift function and be a bit gentle with speed breakers but I realised you can drive this just about everywhere. It's also practical since it took three passengers and a lot of luggage quite easily.

The interior is a tech fest with so many screens that you lose count and starting it is similar to a spaceship. What surprises me is how the Taycan tackles traffic and how good the ride quality is. Sure, it has the firmness that you expect but it is not uncomfortable at all. Visibility is brilliant too via its smug cockpit. As onlookers gasp and take photos, the Taycan silently marches along.

With the Mumbai heat, the aircon works overtime but in the city, the Taycan performs better than any fast conventional car as it is silent, smooth and fast when you want to. We were driving the RWD Taycan with a single motor which turns out 400 bhp plus with a 79.2kWh battery pack. You can spec a larger performance battery or get two motors with more power. Porsche offers a lot of customisations and options but the RWD Taycan seemed fast enough for us.

The power on offer is instant but linear while what makes a difference is the two-speed gearbox which replicates a performance petrol car with nearly the same driving experience. Today, we are interested in the useability and here, the car does that admirably with a light steering and throttle that is not overly sensitive. The range does not drop a lot too and driven in stop-go traffic, the Taycan delivered 300km plus in this spec.

As an everyday car, the Taycan works better than other fast petrol cars and shows EVs thrive in the city- even the performance kind. What surprised us is the space, comfort and useability with the futuristic interior only taking some time to get used to with everything being touch operated.

A whole day's driving along with comfortably swallowing our luggage showed the practical side of the Taycan while still having the looks of a supercar. It is an EV that replicates a sports car the closest but also works in everyday scenarios. Our day in Mumbai consisted of stop-go traffic but proved to be an eye-opener in terms of how fast EVs are turning out to be cars that can be used every day while still having the required performance.

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