Jay Leno got behind the wheel of a Porsche Taycan for the first time.

Posted on February 10, 2020
Luxury
Jay Leno got behind the wheel of a Porsche Taycan for the first time.

The Porsche Taikan is one of the most anticipated cars of 2020, and after driving it in several places, it is clearly a good car. Very good. In this episode of "Jay Leno's Garage," he seems a bit cautious, but the more you learn about this car, including why it has a transmission and how it can charge from 5 percent to 80 percent in just over 20 minutes, the warmer you begin to feel about it. Also in this episode, a Porsche spokesperson explains to Leno why the floor in the cabin is not flat.

The Taycan arrived at dealerships last December in Turbo and Turbo S grades only. These range-topping models are priced at $152,250 (launch price increases to $154,660) and $186,350 (launch price is $188,960), respectively. Both are 616 hp in standard mode, but with launch control, the output of the Taycan Turbo temporarily jumps to 670 hp and that of the Taycan Turbo S temporarily jumps to 750 hp.

The Taycan 4S will be available in the spring. Pricing for this model will start at $105,150, with two battery options available. Peak output is 522 hp with the small battery and 563 hp with the large battery.

So far, only the Turbo and Turbo S have had their range measured by the EPA, with figures of 201 and 192 miles, respectively. Based on our own experience with them, the EPA's estimates are reasonable. However, they do not depict the fact that the range of the Taycan tends to remain constant, whether driving at high speeds near the Arctic Circle or along warm California canyon roads. In other EVs, the range can vary by as much as 30% depending on the weather.

Production of the Taycan will take place in a new building at Porsche's main plant in Zuffenhausen, Germany; to achieve CO2-neutral production, the Porsche plant relies entirely on renewable energy for its electricity and heating needs.

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