Seven-day test: Living with the Porsche Taycan RWD

Porsche’s entry-level Taycan EV has less power, performance and equipment, but could the single motor rear-drive option be all you really need?

We sampled the $159,700 Taycan RWD for a week of city, family and highway duties. But why did it end up on the back of a tow truck?

Day 1: First impressions

A Taycan for the common people? Not exactly – $159,700 before on-roads is still a lot of coin. And Porsche – being Porsche – couldn’t resist dropping another $40K or so on our tester. Add on-roads and the car you see here is well over $200,000 to drive away.

It still looks the business, and every inch the jaw-dropper. This car features the Taycan S’s 19-inch Aero wheels ($2400) – not a bad option as the standard fit 19-inch jobs are a bit dull.

As I greet the Taycan RWD at the showroom I’m disappointed with the Cherry metallic colour. It dulls the EV’s striking lines. The understated choice, perhaps, for those not wanting to stand out too much in a Taycan.

Porsche doesn’t really do ‘entry-level’, does it? I hop into the cream partial leather seats – it’s a brilliant driving position. You sit low and the dash and controls envelop in a racy manner.

Despite being the cheapest Taycan the tech still feels otherworldy. A 16.8-inch driver display dominates your vision while 14-way power seats, heated steering wheel, surround view cameras and a head-up display all come standard.

Okay, so this one’s been optioned to the eyeballs, but do you really need it? A panoramic glass roof ($3370), Bose audio ($2840), heated front seats ($910), ambient lighting ($890) and Porsche logo puddle light ($600) substantially add to the bill and are hardly imperatives. Well, maybe that Bose audio. It’s bloody brilliant.

We’re showing 100 percent charge and a range of 475km. More than ample. This is thanks to the optional ($12,020) Performance Battery Plus – 93.4kWh on tap rather than the standard 72.6kWh. This buys you an extra 65km according to the WLTP rating, plus an extra 40kW of power and 12Nm of torque.

I pair my iPhone through the 10.9-inch infotainment screen and I’m quickly set up with wireless Apple CarPlay. Excellent. Except there’s no wireless phone charging, annoyingly. In the cable goes.

It’s all highway home – 140km and energy use at 19kWh/100km. Way better than Porsche’s official 26.2kWh/100km.

Day 2: Townie life

The kids are happy to have an EV back in the garage.

Saving the planet is drummed into them at school, so they appreciate our zero emissions Porsche. I forget to remind them we’re not on solar so the emissions have just moved from the tailpipe to the polluting power station. Ignorance is bliss (at least Australia is moving to more renewables for power generation!).

Having tested every other grade of Taycan – including the face melting Turbo S – it’s clear this RWD doesn’t have shattering performance.

You know what? Good. It’s going to be driven around town – much like every Taycan – and as long as it can instantly squirt with the stab of a throttle, I don’t need it to hit 100km/h in 2-point-whatever seconds. This car’s 5.4 seconds to the ton is quite ample. That’ll see off any hot hatch at the lights anyway.

Our Taycan RWD rides on steel coil springs, not the air suspension of every other in the range. I’ve no complaints. On the school run with its numerous road bumps it soaks up the dramas very well, and the low speed cruising is sublime. Quiet, smooth and effortless.

Despite its 2130kg mass it surges forward when asked. Sure, I’d want more performance at the race track, but that’s not what this – or any Taycan, except maybe the GTS – is for. As everyday town transport it’s proving superb.

Well, I’m still getting to grips with the noise. This one’s optioned with Porsche’s Electric Sport Sound ($1050). To me it sounds a bit like an electric bus when it goes from standstill or when slowing down. Probably not the first choice when you dreamed of owning a Porsche.

For all the kids’ stuff, the boot is quite small and not a great shape. The frunk’s a handy size and nicely carpeted. But with that in mind, I’d prefer mine rubberised so I could put in a wet wetsuit / swim gear after a day at the beach.

Day 3: Head for the hills

I’ve still got 200km range remaining so have seen no reason to plug the Taycan in yet. How about a quick fling up my local twisty test route before work?

I’ve taken other Taycans along here and been blown away at how ballistic they are, but also how large they feel. The RWD is no different – it feels every inch the large GT on the road.

What is different is it feeling slightly more user-friendly. There’s 90kg less in its nose thanks to no motor up there, so it seems to turn in with a bit more agility, if with less brawn.

It changes direction smartly enough (for something over two-tonnes), it sits incredibly flat in turns, but will understeer if really pushing. I’m not sure about these tyres – I’d want to fit something a bit grippier.

The brakes, too, are a bit lifeless for a Porsche. The anchors assist with battery energy recovery and I fear some of the usual feel is lost as a result.

Despite my morning playtime, the energy use has barely crept up. I’m seeing 23.6kWh/100km – still way below Porsche’s official figure. Am I not trying hard enough? Or do Porsche determine their consumption at the Nurburgring with Mark Webber at the helm?

Day 4: Let’s charge

I’ve plugged the Taycan in to my garage’s 10A power point. Charging speed is a sloth-like 1.92kW.

I’ve reversed the Taycan into my garage – it’s a low machine and the angle of my driveway can mean front splitter scrapes.

This means the AC charge port is the ‘wrong’ side for my power point, and I have to haul the charger’s cable and very heavy box across the bonnet. Please, please don’t drop it on that paint.

I rest it on a cushion to avoid any damage. Note to self, drive into the garage forwards and slowly next time to make this charging less hazardous. Or, Porsche, please make the charge cable longer.

I start with 54 percent charge and 250km range. Four hours and 30 minutes later I’ve added 8.44kWh and am at 60 percent SOC and 301km range. Adding 50km in that time isn’t great. That said, if that’s your typical daily commute, it’s easy to see how plugging in overnight would give you all the juice you need.

Even so, a wallbox would be a non-negotiable should I own a Taycan.

More good news today. Porsche announces it’s rolling out a free update to give current Taycans the same capabilities as MY23 versions.

Rather than over-the-air updates, these happen at a Porsche Centre. Improvements include better thermal management for the battery (greater range and shorter charging times), updates to the infotainment, Spotify’s been integrated and Android Auto is now wireless.

It’s great to hear this is free, but I fear such things won’t be in the future as EVs become more commonplace. It’s a simple way for car companies to boost earnings by charging for such updates.

Day 5: Public charging

It’s Saturday and a day trip with the kids. We’ve only got the two, so we don’t need the optional third seat in the back, which Porsche provided for an extra $1000.

The kids have ample space in their bucket-type rear chairs – loads of leg and head room. I try sitting in the back and it’s not as ideal.

At six-foot my head rests against the side of the ceiling, and if I use that middle seat my noggin’s hitting the glass roof. It’s not a comfy middle seat and it’s too high for most adults – only option it if you’ve got three kids.

It’s pretty classy in the back though. Carpet for the door pockets, soft touch plastic door tops and Bose speakers. Big rear air vents too.

I’m not that old and infirm, but be aware it’s not easy to get in and out of the back of a Taycan in an elegant manner. It really is low. It’s easier to get in the front seats if you’ve got them electrically raised to their highest level.

It’s been wet overnight and the glass roof is illuminated in pinks, oranges and purples. It’s quite lovely.

We arrive at a 50kW fast charger that’s on the Chargefox network – as Porsche provides a three-year subscription for these, it’s your expense-free way of topping up.

The Taycan RWD shares the other Taycans’ 800-volt electric drive system for ultra rapid recharging, but sadly there’s no 350kW charger anywhere near to my home.

We plug in at 39 percent, run some errands around town and kick a footie, then return to the car 88 minutes later. Pleasingly, it’s at 100 percent having absorbed 56.2kWh, and our range shows 477km. Excellent.

Day 6: The odyssey

Big challenge today. I have a job at Willowbank Raceway and the return trip is 363km. After our full charge yesterday we get home with 385km remaining. That gives me 20km in reserve (if the car is accurate) for the journey.

I’ll make no concessions. I want to drive it normally, have the AC on and all the infotainment. Taycans are typically generous with range, so I expect it’ll make it there and back with no issue.

I’m working at a Mopar drag race event, and the Porsche is the only German imposter amongst a sea of US metal. Thankfully the Euro EV isn’t tarred and feathered, but certainly has some of the attendees stroking their beards in confusion.

One chap in a Chrysler 300C V8 refuses to believe it’s electric until I show him how there’s no combustion offering under the sleek bonnet. The organisers don’t ask me if I’d like to run it down the drag strip.

I’m so tired afterwards I have no desire to stop en route and add any more battery charge. This is a reality for many EV owners. You just want to get home and plug it in there.

The Taycan cruises delightfully on the highway, and it’s impressively accurate with how much energy we’ll use. I make it home with 3 percent on the clock and 14km range remaining. I get a small message up saying ‘Please recharge battery immediately’ but no histrionics suggesting things are getting terminal.

I plug it in to the garage power point and it says there’ll be a full charge at its current 1.70kW rate by 1am Wednesday morning – it’s Sunday night now, so that’s a long way off.

It ends up receiving 26 percent charge after 14 hours in the garage, buying me 128km range. With the Porsche centre 150km away to return it, a quick splash and dash on my way down there will see me right.

Day 7: No happy ending

But no. Best laid plans and all that. With 12 percent remaining and 53km range I decide to treat myself to an Evie 350kW ultra rapid charger on the Bruce Highway. Ten minutes should do it – I’ll just add 100km or so and then Porsche Brisbane can give it a full charge at base.

The Evie charger has a ‘problem starting your charge session potentially due to poor internet activity’ – that’s what it says on the Evie app on my phone. No worries, I disconnect the charge cable and return it to the charger.

Now reset, I go to put it in the Taycan’s still open DC port. I pull the bottom plastic flap down and… what? The electric door over the charge port starts to close. I quickly withdraw the charge cable to prevent damage, but the internal plastic flap gets trapped. This prevents the door closing fully, and it refuses to electrically open with the button through the central screen.

Why?

It really should just pop up again to free the flap. Mystifyingly, it doesn’t have this as an option.

Instead, I ask the electric AC charge port (on the other side of the vehicle) to open – it refuses. There’s a “Charging ports impaired” amber warning on the dash.

What follows is seven hours of battling DC chargers, AC chargers and trying to find a public power point (spoiler alert, that’s not easy). All the while the Taycan RWD’s range is creeping towards zero.

I’ll be putting together a full story of what happened – and how the same problem has been reported by Taycan owners – which is lengthy enough to deserve a separate page away from this seven-day review.

After exhausting all options, the Taycan ended up on the back of a tow truck. I simply couldn’t get any charge into the battery to give enough range for it to reach Porsche Centre Brisbane.

Did it sour the experience? Of course it did. But having tested EVs for close to ten years now, this was the first time I’ve not been able to charge one with the consequence being tow truck or nothing. Perhaps I was due such a drama.

If I put this charging catastrophe aside for now, the Taycan RWD proved a much-loved week-long addition to the family.

It was used as most will be – in town and on highways – and to that end I didn’t miss the more rapid twin motor Taycans’ performance. The RWD does all I need on the luxury, tech, ride quality and killer good looks fronts. It just needs to be painted a better colour.

After almost 1000km of driving our energy use averaged 19.3kWh/100km. Incredible, not least when Porsche’s official figure is 26.2kWh/100km.

What it misses is that classic Porsche driver involvement, but that’s the same in every Taycan. So I have a plan.

Buy this no options Taycan RWD – $159,700 before on-roads – rather than the $200,000 you’ll pay for my test car with its many extras, or for a next level up Taycan 4S.

Treat the Taycan RWD as your everyday family car, then put the $50k you save towards buying a used Porsche Cayman or Boxster and have that for the real thrills. If you prefer new, a Mazda MX-5 or Toyota GR86 would also do the trick.

EV 7-day logbook: Porsche Taycan RWD

The car: Porsche Taycan RWD

Price: $159,700, plus on-road costs

Price as tested: $197,460, plus on-road costs

Options fitted: Performance Battery Plus, LED matrix headlights, On-Board AC-charger, panoramic sunroof, Bose surround sound, 19-inch Taycan S Aero wheels, Cherry metallic paint, Electric charging cover, Home Energy Manager, Porsche Electric Sport Sound, Extra Rear Seat, Seat heating, ambient lighting, adaptive sports seats front, Porsche logo courtesy lights.

Claimed EV consumption: 26.2kWh/100km

Actual EV consumption: 19.3kWh/100km

Kilometres travelled: 945km

Porsche Tacan RWD Vitals

Basics: EV, 4 or 5 seats, 5 doors, sedan, RWD

Range: 369km (WLTP) or 434km with Performance Battery Plus

Battery capacity: 72.6kWh or 93.4kWh ($12,020 option)

Warranty: 3 years/unlimited km

Battery warranty: 8 years/160,000km

Motor: 1 rear 240kW/345Nm (300kW/345Nm with launch control overboost). With Performance Battery Plus, 280kW/357Nm (350kW/357Nm with overboost)

AC charging: 11kW, Type 2 plug

DC charging: 270kW, CCS combo plug

0-100km/h: 5.4 seconds