There’s a certain Jekyll-and-Hyde streak to the Porsche Taycan Turbo, and it’s something only an EV can pull off convincingly. One minute it’s smoother than a big automatic Mercedes in traffic, gliding along with barely a whisper. And, when you want to crawl home after a long day, it’s as easy going as a Maruti Alto. No engine fuss, no gearbox theatrics, no hesitation or lurch — just a calm, fluid way of dealing with the daily grind. As a city car, it’s almost disarming.
That’s what makes the Taycan such a genuine daily driver. You don’t feel like you’re driving something highly strung or temperamental. Visibility is good, the driving position is spot on, and the ride — especially on air suspension — is supple enough for broken city roads. The only real worry comes from its low ground clearance. Indian speed breakers pop out of nowhere , and I’ve found myself instinctively reaching for the nose-lift button more often than the volume control. It’s not a gimmick here — it’s survival equipment.
But then comes the other side of the Taycan’s personality. The side you save for empty roads and unsuspecting passengers. My favourite party trick is simple: A clear stretch, a firm grip on the wheel, Sport Plus engaged, boost button pressed — and then just floor it. All hell breaks loose. The surge is instant, violent and utterly addictive. It pins your head to the seatback like you’ve been fired out of a cannon. The best way I can describe it is that moment on a roller coaster when the track suddenly disappears beneath you, except here the horizon itself seems to snap towards the car, like it’s tied to a stretched rubber band.
Off the line, the Taycan Turbo is brutally quick. It can do 0-100kph in 2.3 seconds.
This is acceleration you normally associate with racing cars, or at least supercars with questionable practicality. And yet, it delivers it with zero drama — no wheelspin, no noise, just pure, relentless thrust. What really seals the deal is that it has brakes to match. The stopping power is immense, progressive and reassuring, which gives you the confidence to use the performance rather than fear it.
A car like this needs space, and the Mumbai–Pune Expressway provided just that — at least in theory. In reality, it’s now so infested with cameras that you only get to enjoy the Taycan in short, sharp bursts. Even a brief squeeze of the accelerator is enough to have you glancing nervously at the speedometer. The Taycan gathers speed so effortlessly that staying within limits becomes an active exercise in restraint.
What genuinely surprised me, though, wasn’t the performance — it was the range. This is one of those rare EVs where the numbers actually mean something in the real world. With its massive 115kWh battery and impressive efficiency, the Taycan delivered a proper shock. A Pune run covering Pune city, Pimpri, Chakan and back, all on a single charge, with over 100km still showing. That’s a real-world 500km-plus range, something very few EVs can honestly claim today.
Yes, drive it hard and the range will drop, but the point is that you can drive it hard and still go far. This is an EV with supercar pace that doesn’t wilt the moment you stretch its legs. Mahabaleshwar? Easily doable without range anxiety creeping in halfway up the ghats.
And that’s what makes the Taycan special. It doesn’t just feel like a very fast EV — it feels like a Porsche. The power delivery is calibrated, not spiky. The steering is accurate and talkative. The brakes are progressive. The responses are measured, not hair-trigger. It has that elusive Porsche feel, translated brilliantly into the electric age. Jekyll when you need it to be. Hyde when you want it. And somehow, it does both without breaking a sweat.
From HT Brunch, January 31, 2026
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