Major Porsche Taycan facelift brings 421-mile range and over 900bhp

A new, updated version of the Porsche Taycan has been announced with a range of up to 421 miles, faster charging, a new look and a hefty boost in power .

The Porsche Taycan made its debut all the way back in 2019 and represented the zenith of EV technology at the time. Even now it remains one of the best electric sports cars you can buy, though newer rivals such as the Tesla Model S Plaid, Mercedes EQS and the forthcoming Lotus Emeya have the Porsche trumped in many areas. All that is about to change with the launch of this far-reaching facelift.

10

2024 Porsche Taycan prices and specs

As before, the facelifted Porsche Taycan is available as a saloon, as well as in Cross Turismo and Sport Turismo estate forms. There are also five powertrain configurations: the eponymous entry-level ‘Taycan’, the Taycan 4 which is only available in Cross Turismo form, the 4S, the Turbo and the Turbo S. 

At this stage, it’s unknown whether the driver-focused GTS model will make a return sometime in the future, although we have seen a high-performance model – expected to be badged ‘Turbo GT’ – testing on the Nurburgring race track and sporting an aggressive bodykit along with a large spoiler.

Undoubtedly the headline addition of the Taycan’s mid-life facelift is a more powerful Performance Plus Battery. Standard-fit on top-spec Turbo and Turbo S models, this has now increased in capacity from 93kWh to 105kWh (gross) – it’s also now roughly 9kg lighter than before, all thanks to some clever engineering and the inclusion of carbon fibre components. As a result, electric range has seen a bump across the entirety of the Taycan line-up. Specify the bigger battery on the base Taycan and Porsche says it’ll do a maximum of 421 miles in ideal conditions.

Charging is now faster, too. The Porsche Taycan already had one of the fastest available charging speeds of any EV at a maximum of 270kW but Porsche says its electric saloon/estate can now top-up at speeds of up to 320kW. This means that a 10% to 80% top-up is still possible, despite the larger battery, in 18 minutes – provided you find a powerful enough rapid charger, that is.

10

Of course you’ll need the extra range and faster charging speeds if you wish to make use of all the power the Taycan has on offer, of which there is now even more thanks to the addition of a new rear-mounted electric motor. Starting from £86,500 – roughly £7,000 more than before – the base rear-wheel drive model receives a 26bhp uplift when specified with the optional Sports Chrono package, cutting its 0-62mph time by 0.6 seconds to 4.8 seconds. 

Similar increases can be found across the range, although the biggest power boosts have been reserved for the flagship Porsche Taycan Turbo and Turbo S which now output 871bhp and 938bhp – an increase of 200bhp and 186bhp respectively. Porsche says the latter will hit the 62mph benchmark in 2.4 seconds – 0.4 seconds faster than before – although at £161,400, it is rather expensive.

Finally, Porsche has made some drastic changes to the Taycan’s suspension set-up. All versions now get air suspension as standard – traditional coil springs are no longer available – with an upgraded Active Air Suspension system on dual-motor cars that enables individual control over each damper and thus should result in a better ride overall.

10

Exterior design

The Porsche Taycan has influenced the exterior design of the maker’s entire line-up over the last few years, with the newly-unveiled electric Porsche Macan adopting many of its styling cues - namely its sleek-looking rendition of Porsche’s ‘four dot’ front light signature.

Facelifted Taycan models look largely the same as the original, although eagle-eyed readers will be able to spot the tweaked front and rear bumpers, as well as the revised alloy wheel designs. Porsche has also gone as far as updating the aforementioned four dot lights with a more intricate design, as well as offering the option to have the ‘PORSCHE’ script illuminated as part of the rear LED light bar.

10

Interior and technology

It’s generally business-as-usual on the inside of the updated Porsche Taycan, with the updated model retaining the old car’s 16.8-inch curved digital instrument cluster. This gets updated graphics and software, though, as does the main 10.9-inch touchscreen and optional passenger display. 

In terms of interior design, the facelifted Porsche Taycan will be available with several new upholstery options, mostly taken from the recently-updated hybrid-powered Porsche Panamera. The Taycan should continue to be one of the few high-end EVs offered with a fully vegan interior, although we do think it's a shame that the updated model won’t get the illuminated Porsche logo on the headrests, as seen in the new Macan.

The new Porsche Taycan is now on sale, with first deliveries expected to arrive later in spring 2024.