2025 Porsche Taycan Delivers Better Performance, Longer Range

Published on February 6, 2024 in New Models by Gabriel Gélinas

With light snow falling on Stuttgart, the preproduction unit of the new Porsche Taycan Turbo we’re driving is merging onto the autobahn at full throttle. A few seconds later, the speedometer is already indicating 200 km/h. The Taycan Turbo has always been mighty explosive, but the refreshed model coming for 2025 takes it to another level thanks to a new rear motor contributing to a gain of 80 horsepower, as well as a Push-to-Pass function in the Sport Chrono package boosting power for 10 seconds.

Longer range, improved performance and faster charging—three goals Porsche engineers worked to achieve while updating the Taycan. And The Car Guide was recently invited to the German automaker’s headquarters in Stuttgart to see how that turned out.

As the first electric Porsche in the modern era, the Taycan set a milestone when it made its global debut in 2019. The next year, the sporty EV won the 2020 World Performance Car and 2020 World Luxury Car awards. To this day, Porsche has sold nearly 150,000 units of the Taycan—all models and variants included—around the world.

There are three body styles to choose from. In addition to the sedan, Porsche offers the Sport Turismo and Cross Turismo. When the new Taycan launches in Canada this summer, only the sedan and Cross Turismo will be available at first.

35 Percent Longer Range

Using new battery chemistry, the 2025 Porsche Taycan with the Performance Plus pack benefits from increased capacity—now 105 kWh instead of 93.4 kWh—and a weight saving of 9 kg. According to Porsche engineers, the RWD configuration can travel up to 678 km, while the Turbo S manages 630 km based on the WLTP standard. The more realistic figures for the North American market, as calculated by the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) in the U.S., should logically be around 528 km and 492 km, respectively.

In the case of the Taycan Turbo S, the 14-percent increase in battery capacity is not the only reason why range is longer now. Porsche claims the drivetrain is 5 percent more efficient, kinetic energy recuperation is 4 percent better, while weight and aerodynamics are improved by 11 percent. Overall, range has been extended by almost 35 percent.

A Lot More Power

The Taycan Turbo S gets a boost of 188 horsepower as part of the 2025 refresh, trimming four tenths of a second from its 0-100 km/h acceleration time (now 2.4 seconds) with launch control activated. More precisely, output is an insane 938 horsepower, while peak torque is 818 lb-ft.

Interestingly, with the newly integrated Push-to-Pass function derived from Formula E, drivers can press a button in the middle of the drive mode selector on the steering wheel to enjoy 94 extra horsepower for 10 seconds. A countdown appears on the right-side digital gauge of the instrument cluster.

Just so we’re perfectly clear, the new Taycan Turbo S is the most powerful production model ever offered by Porsche. The Taycan Turbo is rated at 871 horsepower and 693 lb-ft of torque, while the Taycan 4S generates 536 horsepower and 512 lb-ft—or 590 horsepower and 523 lb-ft when equipped with the optional Performance Plus battery.

Improved Dynamics

All Taycan models now come standard with an adaptive air suspension, while an all-new Porsche Active Ride suspension is available. The latter controls each wheel individually, applying pressure to compensate for body motions.

It’s a bit like the active suspension system developed by the Williams F1 team in the early 1990s. The car’s suspension could be adjusted for each corner of a track in an effort to improve lap times. With the new Porsche Taycan, the idea is mainly to enhance ride quality and comfort.

We had the opportunity to put the Porsche Active Ride suspension to the test on a quiet byroad not too far from Stuttgart. Under hard acceleration, the system works on the rear wheels to prevent the car from squatting. It’s the opposite when you stomp on the brakes: pressure is applied to the front wheels to reduce nosedive. In corners, the suspension effectively mitigates body roll, increasing stability and maintaining passenger comfort in the process.

It doesn’t work that way in Sport mode, of course, since weight transfers are key to identifying the car’s limits during spirited driving. Incidentally, the standard adaptive air suspension on all Taycan models has allowed engineers to incorporate a feature that automatically lowers the car upon opening the doors for easier ingress and egress.

Faster Charging

New battery chemistry means the updated Taycan is able to charge at faster rates sooner than before. Previously, the battery had to reach a temperature of 35 degrees in order to extract a maximum of 270 kW from a DC charger. Now, it only needs to get to 15 degrees, while the maximum charging rate is increased to 320 kW.

As a result, you’ll spend significantly less time at DC chargers. During a session at Porsche’s R&D centre in Weissach, we managed to restore 25 percent of the battery in just over 5 minutes.

Three Screens

Also part of the 2025 update, the displays for the instruments and infotainment system feature sharp new graphics, while an available third screen allows the front passenger to stream video content that remains invisible for the driver. When parked for a quick stop or for charging, content can be displayed both on the centre screen and the passenger screen.

Wireless Apple CarPlay is included, too, but the big news is Apple CarPlay+, an advanced interface allowing direct control of the car’s HVAC system, audio and more. Furthermore, the new Taycan gets a more powerful 15W wireless charger for smartphones with a built-in cooling device that prevents overheating.

New Look, Especially in Turbo Trim

Porsche designers worked to refresh the Taycan and create more visual separation between the three body styles, especially where the upper rear section of the car is concerned. Turbo and Turbo S models now have a unique identity with specific front and rear fascias, plus a new colour called Turbonit for the badges and lettering. The rocker panels are finished in black with Turbonit accents.

Overall, the revised and improved 2025 Porsche Taycan makes a big leap in terms of performance, range and DC charging capacity. The last two items are something many potential customers used to complain about, but that likely won’t be the case anymore. As mentioned earlier, deliveries in Canada will start this summer. Pricing is set at $135,600 for the base Taycan 4S, $196,800 for the Taycan Turbo and $236,100 for the Taycan Turbo S. Don’t forget the luxury tax.