Entry-level rear-wheel drive Porsche Taycan revealed

Porsche has revealed a new entry-level variant of its Taycan electric car. The new model joins the range with two battery size options and, for the first time in a Taycan, two-wheel drive. Overall Taycan sales were second only to the Macan in Porsche’s line-up during 2020, and that’s without this new, even more accessible model.

The new variant, simply called the ‘Taycan’, will open the range priced nearly £13,000 less than the current Taycan 4S at £70,690. It features either a 79.2kWh or an optional 93.4kWh battery pack, that powers a single electric motor on the rear axle.

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The permanently excited synchronous motor (Porsche’s words, not ours) is identical to that found in the 4S, and produces either 312bhp or 374bhp, depending on if the smaller or larger battery capacity has been chosen, with respective overboost figures of 402bhp and 469bhp.

Despite the variation of peak power figures, performance of both capacity options are identical at 5.4sec for the 0-62mph sprint, topping out at 142mph. While this makes the entry-level Taycan the slowest model in the range, it’s also the first Taycan to be given a 300-mile WLTP-certified electric range with the larger battery fitted, the lesser model will still reach 269 miles on paper.

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The removal of key tech in the Taycan’s chassis to reduce costs means the use of steel coil springs in place of the three-chamber air suspension in other Taycans, so too smaller six-piston front brakes and a 19-inch aero wheel design that is available on the 4S as a no-cost option. 

While entry-level cars can sometimes feel stripped of toys, this Taycan, with rear-wheel drive, coil spring suspension and a crucial (although as yet unconfirmed) reduction in weight, could be the most satisfying of all to drive – even without the headline-grabbing acceleration figures of its more expensive brethren. 

If nothing else, the new £70k price point will also put the Taycan onto far more shopping lists, especially when the inevitable tax benefits of running an electric vehicle are taken into account. The new model is available to order now, with deliveries expected in the spring.