Porsche Taycan Turbo GT review: Taycan to the extreme

Meet the 1,100hp Porsche Taycan Turbo GT. It’s not only the ultimate Taycan but the most powerful Porsche production car ever made. And it exists because of the giant target on Tesla’s back. Job 1 for the Taycan Turbo GT was to outdo the Tesla Model S Plaid Track Pack. And the Porsche has done it with 74hp more, and by decimating the Tesla’s Nürburgring  lap time by 25 seconds to become the fastest four-door EV, and in fact, the fastest four-door, full stop. Other numbers of interest? A 0-100kph time of 2.2 seconds! 0-200kph in 6.4 seconds! These are the official figures; remember, Porsche has a habit to underquote so it could be faster still!

Full-bore acceleration in the Turbo GT is a shock to the system.

I’m at the Circuito Monteblanco in Spain to experience the might of the Turbo GT and of course, the first order of business is to launch it. Left foot hard on the brake, right foot hard on the accelerator and boom! I’m pinned back to my seat and feel as if I’ve been shot out of a canon... silently. Laughter and expletives result from the physical assault that is a Taycan Turbo GT launch. Wild.

At the heart of the GT is a twin-motor setup, of which the rear motor is exclusive to this model. The motor is special because it allows a greater maximum current of 900 amperes, significantly boosting power. As standard, the Turbo GT makes 788hp. Launch control ups the figure to 1,033hp with 1,100hp of peak power available for two seconds. Like other Taycans, there’s a push to pass function – aptly called Attack Mode – activated via a button on the steering mode selector or a pull of the right paddle. It’s not for the faint hearted because it shrinks straights and makes the car feel like its been magnetically pulled to the next corner.  It really feels like driving in fast forward.

While much is shared with the other Taycans, Turbo GT's interior is a place for serious business.

The Taycan Turbo GT, however, is different in demeanour to other Porsche models with a GT badge. It doesn’t feel as raw as the most hardcore version of Porsche’s combustion engine models and makes the mad power seem (relatively) usable. You don’t need to have to have learned driving at the Nürburgring to enjoy it, and that’s a big, big win. The steering setup also has a big role to play in making this Taycan’s performance exploitable. It’s not wildly quick as you expect on something so fast or as focused. It’s precise but forgiving, and that makes a big difference to confidence levels.  

The trick Active Ride suspension is standard on the GT. It’s an air suspension arrangement whose KRA is to keep the car as flat as possible. A low-slung shape and a low centre of gravity thanks to the position of the battery is a great starting point, but the suspension’s aversion to roll is just something else. And what that unlocks is crazy corner speeds. It’s supercar fast.

Winglets and air channels are part of aero upgrades.

Before I sign off on the driving experience, one cool thing. The Taycan GT did the track session, including all out laps and multiple launches, without protest. Each launch delivered the same fighter jet thrust and hot laps didn’t have warnings pop up. Range, however, did take a big hit in each session.

In the journey from Taycan to Taycan Turbo GT, the car has picked up aero upgrades and lost 75kg with the use of lightweight forged wheels, ceramic brakes and carbon-fibre seats. Weissach versions, identifiable by a fixed carbon-fibre rear wing, take the weight loss regime further, eliminating one of the two charging ports, some of the sound insulation and the rear seats! In other ways, the GT is not all too different to other members of the updated Taycan line-up. You get the same 105kWh battery pack that enables a 555km range on the WLTP cycle.

Weissach Pack does away with rear seats.

In markets abroad, the Turbo GT is priced at par with the 911 GT3 RS. In India, that would be in the vicinity of Rs 3.5 crore (estimated, ex-showroom). Sadly, it is not part of Porsche’s India plans, at least for the moment.

That said, absolutely mental as the Taycan Turbo GT is, it’s way too excessive for anything outside a race track. The 884hp Taycan Turbo that will be available in India would do the same job just as well.

The Taycan GT is best viewed as an exercise in pushing the boundaries of electric vehicles. And in that light it’s absolutely sensational. Sensational for the way it performs and for the way it handles. But in the no-holds-barred EV race, it’s only a matter of time before the records tumble. Your play, Tesla.