Porsche's all-electric Taycan: South African pricing announced

Johannesburg - Well heeled South Africans looking to make the switch to an electric car will have an extra choice from the fourth quarter of this year when the Porsche Taycan goes on sale locally.

The importer has released the pricing for its Taycan range ahead of launch, and South Africans will be forking out between R2 586 000 and R4 027 000 for their chosen model, and that’s before options and with the smaller three-year Driveplan. Opt for the five-year deal and the base price for the 4S entry model rises to R2 636 000.

All three versions boast two Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors, with one located on each axle to provide all-wheel-drive capability.

But the models do differ in terms of performance and battery range.

The 4S, for instance, has a listed output of 320kW, but can push up to 390kW in overboost when launch control is activated, in which case you can expect the car to sprint from 0-100km/h in four seconds flat, according to claims.

Stretch your budget by almost a million, however, and you can get the strangely-named ‘Turbo’ model, which offers outputs of 460kW, or 500kW in overboost, and a claimed sprint time of 3.2 seconds.

The top dog is the Turbo S and here you get 560kW on overboost, although the normal output is still listed at 460kW, but it does break the three-second barrier, with a claimed 0-100 time of 2.8 seconds.

But how far between charges?

According to Porsche, the 4S has an estimated range of 301km while the Turbo and Turbo S are said to be capable of around 346km and 327km respectively.

Visually, the Taycan 4S can be told apart by its 19-inch ‘Aero’ wheels, unique front apron design, red brake callipers as well as black treatment for the rear diffuser and side sills. The 4S models can, however, be ordered with 20- or 21-inch alloys.

The Turbo S rolls on 20-inch Aero rims as standard, while the Turbo S gets the sportier 21-inch ‘Mission E’ alloys, with five thin spokes finished in black.

Standard features include Adaptive Air Suspension with Porsche Active Suspension Management, Integrated Porsche 4D chassis control, Lane Keeping Assist, Park Assist front and rear, eight-way electrically adjustable seats and dual-zone climate control.

Standard cabin gadgetry comes in the form of a 16.8-inch curved digital instrument cluster as well as Porsche’s Direct Touch Control central infotainment system.

There is a vast array of optional extras, including Adaptive Cruise Control with Traffic Jam Assist (R55 670), Active Parking Support (R22 860), Night Vision Assist (R53 100), massaging front seats with ventilation (R48 250), Burmester 3D surround sound system (R142 490) and a separate touchscreen for the front seat passenger (R24 560), to name just few of the features available in the Taycan.