2020 Porsche Taycan launched in Malaysia – up to 761 PS and 1,050 Nm, 464 km EV range; from RM725k

In January last year, Sime Darby Auto Performance (SDAP) was quick to announce that the Porsche Taycan would be coming to Malaysia in 2020, even before the brand’s all-electric model made its global debut later in September. Fast forward to today, and the company is making good on that promise because the Taycan has now go on sale in our country. Its launch coincides with SDAP’s 10th anniversary as the official Porsche distributor in the country.

The Taycan (pronounced tie-can) isn’t exactly the brand’s first EV, as that honour goes to the P1, otherwise known as the Egger-Lohner C.2 Phaeton. Designed by Ferdinand Porsche, the P1 resembled an old horse-drawn carriage powered by an electric motor, and it actually predates the formation of the Porsche company by around three decades. As such, there is some (rough) lineage leading up to the Taycan, which is still Porsche’s first proper, all-electric sports car and marks a new era for the brand.

The Taycan was first previewed by the Mission E concept that appeared in 2015. Thankfully, the final design remains rather true to the show car, as it retains the concept’s distinctive front-end that features vertical side intakes leading into Matrix LED headlamps with Porsche’s trademark four-point LED lighting signature.

Along the sides, you’ll find air extractors aft of the front wheels, and charging ports – the latter revealing itself by simply gliding your finger on the cover. The profile is reminiscent of the Panamera but with a more rakish rear, plus the Taycan gets pop-out door handles like on the latest 992-generation 911. As for the rear, Porsche’s wide-width taillight look is here, with zero exhaust outlets for obvious reasons.

Moving inside, the Taycan’s interior is far more futuristic when compared to its stablemates, with no shortage of displays greeting passengers. For the driver, there’s a 16.8-inch curved digital instrument cluster that sports three gauges instead of the traditional five, with quick access touch buttons on either side for certain vehicle functions.

Moving towards the middle, you’ll find a 10.9-inch infotainment screen above the central air vents and another 8.4-inch display, with the smaller screen handling climate controls and handwriting input. Even the front passenger gets his or her own display, which spans 10.9 inches like the main one, although this is an option. As seen on other Porsche models, an analogue clock takes its place on the dashboard.

Underneath all that bodywork and kit, the Taycan is underpinned by the J1 architecture that accommodates an 800-volt electrical system, with the batteries placed on the floor like many other skateboard-style platforms.

For Malaysia, the Taycan is being offered in three variants – Taycan 4S, Taycan Turbo and Taycan Turbo S – all of which feature an all-wheel drive setup with an electric motor for each axle. The front motor gets a single-speed transmission, while the rear has a two-speed unit instead.

With the Taycan 4S, the electric motors provide 435 PS (429 hp or 320 kW) and 640 Nm of torque, but an overboost function pushes it to 530 PS (523 hp or 390 kW) for a brief period of time. The zero to 100 km/h time with this configuration is four seconds, while the top speed is 250 km/h.

The Taycan 4S is also offered with a Performance Battery Plus option, which bumps the outputs further to 490 PS (483 hp or 360 kW) and 650 Nm (overboost: 571 PS, 563 hp or 420 kW), but with no change in performance. However, the gains come in the form of available range; more on that later.

Stepping up to the Taycan Turbo, you get 625 PS (617 hp or 460 kW) and 850 Nm (overboost: 680 PS, 670 hp or 500 kW), so the century sprint time is shortened to 3.2 seconds, while the Vmax goes up to 260 km/h.

The range-topping Taycan Turbo S is the most powerful of the bunch, packing 625 PS and 1,050 Nm (overboost: 761 PS, 751 hp or 560 kW) to make even shorter work of the century sprint (2.8 seconds) but having the same top speed as the Taycan Turbo (260 km/h).

Powering the electric motors on the Taycan 4S is a 79.2-kWh litihium-ion battery pack, which gives it a maximum WLTP-rated range of 408 km on a single charge. With the optional Performance Battery Plus upgrade, the variant gets a 93.4-kWh unit instead, increasing the range up to 464 km.

The other two variants also come with the higher-capacity 93.4-kWh pack, with the Taycan Turbo offering a range of up to 452 km, while the Taycan Turbo S provides less at 416 km. All Taycan variants get adaptive air suspension with three-chamber air springs, Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), Porsche Traction Management (PTM).

Standard wheels on the Taycan 4S are 19-inch units, while the braking system is made up of 360-mm cast iron discs and six-piston calipers at the front, with 358-mm discs and four-piston calipers around back – the calipers are red here.

The Taycan Turbo gets larger 20-inch wheels and the Porsche Surface Coated Brake (PSCB) system, where tungsten carbide-coated iron discs (415 mm front and 365 mm rear) are clamped on by silver ten- and four-piston calipers.

On the Taycan Turbo S, this is further upgraded to the Porsche Ceramic Composite Brake (PCCB) system, with ceramic brake discs (420 mm front and 410 mm rear), also with ten- and four-piston calipers that are painted yellow

These braking systems work with the car’s energy recuperation to recover some range while driving, but you’ll still want to plug the Taycan in to fully charge the battery. For that, there are two means to do so, starting with AC charging via a Type 2 connection and the car’s onboard 11-kW charger. To note, the Taycan has two charging ports, with the one on the driver side being a Type 2, while the opposite side has the CCS Combo 2, with only the range-topper having the self-opening charge flaps rather than manual ones, which you can open from the inside.

With AC charging, Taycan models with the smaller-capacity battery – the Turbo 4S in this case – will require eight hours to get from zero to 100% state of charge (SoC), while the 93.4-kWh-equipped variants take nine hours. That certainly sounds like a lot of time required, so the Taycan also supports DC charging of up to 270 kW with a CCS Combo 2 connection. This only applies to the Turbo and Turbo S versions, with the 4S supporting up to 225 kW of DC charging instead.

Going with fast charging, it takes 93 mins to get from a 5-80% SoC, or 28-31 minutes to recover 100 km of range, when you are plugged into a 50 kW charger. Those times are significantly reduced with a more powerful 270 kW charger, as it takes 22.5 minutes to get from a 5-80% SoC, or 5-5.5 minutes for 100 km of range.

Now comes the question, where do I find the appropriate chargers? Well, when your purchase a Taycan, SDAP will (for a limited time) provide you with a Porsche Mobile Charger Plus (22-kW AC charging) and supporting Porsche Home Energy Manager, with all the necessary inspections done prior to ensure compatibility with your home’s electrical system, so your AC charging needs are covered at home.

You can also go to public AC charging stations scattered around Malaysia, including those that are part of the ChargEV network. Alternatively, if you’re looking for DC charging stations, there are a few of those around too, providing up to 50 kW of charging capacity.

SDAP is also doing its part to ensure Taycan owners have access to fast charging, as it has set up a 175-kW DC charger at all Porsche Centres in Malaysia, which can deliver a full charge in just 36 minutes. The fast chargers are being deployed ahead of the start of Taycan deliveries that are scheduled to start in the first quarter of 2021, and are free to use by Taycan owners.

On the mention of deliveries, let’s talk about pricing. The Taycan 4S retails for RM725,000 on-to-road without insurance (the price of the optional Battery Performance Plus upgrade will be revealed later), while the Taycan Turbo is just shy of the million mark at RM999,000. The flagship Taycan Turbo S will go for RM1,195,000, and all variants come with a four-year vehicle warranty (extendable to 15 years) and maintenance programme, along with an eight-year battery warranty.

For a simple breakdown of the Taycan range, we’ve listed key figures in bullet point form as well:

Porsche Taycan 4S – RM725,000

• 435 PS and 640 Nm; overboost: 530 PS
• Zero to 100 km/h in four seconds; 250 km/h top speed
• 79.2-kWh lithium-ion battery pack
• 11-kW onboard AC charger; support for 225-kW DC fast charging
• 408 km WLTP-rated range

Porsche Taycan 4S with Performance Battery Plus – price to be announced later

• 490 PS and 650 Nm; overboost: 571 PS
• Zero to 100 km/h in four seconds; 250 km/h top speed
• 93.4 kWh lithium-ion battery pack
• 11-kW onboard AC charger; support for 270-kW DC fast charging
• 464 km WLTP-rated range

Porsche Taycan Turbo – RM999,000

• 625 PS and 850 Nm; overboost: 680 PS
• Zero to 100 km/h in 3.2 seconds; 260 km/h top speed
• 93.4 kWh lithium-ion battery pack
• 11-kW onboard AC charger; support for 270-kW DC fast charging
• 452 km WLTP-rated range

Porsche Taycan Turbo S – RM1,195,000

• 625 PS and 1,050 Nm; overboost: 761 PS
• Zero to 100 km/h in 2.8 seconds; 260 km/h top speed
• 93.4 kWh lithium-ion battery pack
• 11-kW onboard AC charger; support for 270-kW DC fast charging
• 416 km WLTP-rated range

GALLERY: Porsche Taycan Turbo S

GALLERY: Porsche Taycan Turbo

GALLERY: Porsche Taycan 4S

GALLERY: Porsche Taycan charging

GALLERY: Porsche Taycan official photos

Tags: Sime Darby Motors