2020 Porsche Taycan: Here's How We'd Spec It

Taycan Turbo S: $219,580

Naturally, I’ve gone with the Porsche Taycan Turbo S, because it’s fantastic. I like that Porsche allows owners to get really tacky with the design, and while ostentatious Carmine Red wheels is definitely fun, my personal Taycan should be a little classier. I’ve selected Gentian Blue paint and the gorgeous 21-inch Taycan Exclusive Design wheels, which wear Satin Aurum paint on the aero inserts. The pale gold shade is used just liberally enough to present a really pleasant contrast with the rich, blue paint.

Other exterior touches includes the $5,660 SportDesign Package with carbon-fiber accents, because I like a bit of tinsel on my super EV, and then deleted the Taycan Turbo S badge from the back, because it goes a bit too far. I’d also pay $900 to get paint the carbon-ceramic-brake calipers painted in black, because the no-cost yellow would clash with the wheels. 

In the cabin, I selected the $2,450 Olea Club leather in Basalt Black and Atacama Beige, mainly because it looks to scatter more Satin Aurum trim throughout the interior. It’s on the steering wheel spokes and climate control vents and ties the interior together with the exterior’s most eye-catching element. I opted for the 14-way chairs because you can spend a further $1,150 and get ventilation and a massage function.

I also opted for the $4,340 Premium Package (blind-spot monitoring, a surround-view camera, and noise/thermally insulated glass). This package also includes a panoramic glass roof, although that particular item is required on every first-year Taycan. The more attractive, lighter double-bubble roof will be available next year.

Functional upgrades include the must-have Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control Sport. At $3,590, it’s not cheap, but the effect of active anti-roll bars along with the Turbo S’ standard rear-wheel steering guarantees an electric sedan that can drive rings around the most agile Teslas. I’ve also grabbed Porsche’s excellent InnoDrive system ($3,610) and the $5,810 Burmester audio system.

Taycan Turbo S: $210,510

I suspect the Taycan will be a controversial vehicle for Porsche, and that makes me sad because the controversy is purely rooted in its electric motivation. This car looks good, and in Turbo S trim as I’ve selected, it’s among the quickest-accelerating production vehicles you can buy. The downside is it’s expensive – very expensive in fact – and I wasn’t even trying to go bonkers while building my preferred Taycan. Then again, all Porsches are expensive, especially when you start checking option boxes. The Taycan is no different, so without further delay, here’s the preferred layout for one Christopher Smith.

The base Taycan is already $150,900, so there’s really no justification for not choosing the Turbo S at a base price of $185,000. The extra dough gets you some additional standard-issue equipment like the Adaptive Sport Seats and snazzy two-tone leather, but more importantly, it unlocks the 751-horsepower overboost option for the 2.6-second blast to 60 mph.

From there, Porsche’s typical nickel-and-diming commences. I’d rather have a classic shade of Guards Red for the exterior, but Carmine is the only red option and it’s an extra $3,150. The Mission E wheels are the best choice by far, but getting them in high gloss black adds $1,290. The SportDesign Package in Carbon Fiber looks deliciously good on this red car, especially with the black wheels but it’s a $5,660 option. Surprisingly, getting scripted Electric badges on the front doors in black was a freebie.

Inside, I stay light on the equipment. The seats and two-tone color combo are cool, but I add the ventilated seat option for $850 to keep things cooler. A Panoramic Roof sets me back an additional $1,490, but the whopper for me is the $5,810 Burmester sound system. Without an engine combusting dead dinosaurs into noise, the Taycan is prime real estate for enjoying a delightful round of Debussy whilst humiliating other supercars on the road. Speaking of which, I need Porsche’s Dynamic Chassis Control Sport setup for $3,590, because our first-ride experience revealed a heavy EV that somehow defies the laws of physics in corners.

The only other option I choose is the parking assist with the surround view for $1,200. Other driver / safety assist systems are, sadly, buried in expensive packages. That’s doubly sad, actually, since I’d expect such things to be standard-issue on a car with a $185,000 base price but alas, welcome to the world of Porsche. Even still, I racked up no less than $24,160 in optional extras to arrive at my $210,510 out-the-door price. With the most expensive Taycan Turbo S exceeding $240,000, you can see I skipped quite a bit of fluff.

Taycan Turbo S: $208,670

For me, the Taycan’s price makes it hard to get interested in Porsche’s first EV. The base price for the Turbo S is $185,000. If that cost isn’t unaffordable enough, then there is a huge list of options that a customer can add to the price. Still, I find the Taycan rather attractive, particularly in Frozen Blue Metallic and 21-inch wheels with carbon fiber aeroblades. On the inside, I really like the luxurious Olea Club Leather in Truffle Brown. It adds $2,450 to the price, but I’m not actually buying the car, so why not get something nice.

Despite the six-figure price, Porsche seems rather stingy with making tech features standard on the Taycan Turbo S. For $4,340, the Premium Package includes parking assist and lane change assist. Porsche InnoDrive with adaptive cruise control is an additional $3,610, and Night Vision assist adds another $2,420. For my money, these high-tech amenities would be a big help in having a Taycan as a daily driver.

Taycan Turbo S: $241,150

Why bother buying a Porsche Taycan at all if you're not going to go all out? My dream Taycan Turbo S wears the gorgeous $3,150 Carmine Red exterior and 21-inch Taycan Exclusive wheels with carbon fiber aeroblades, a $4,150 option. I'm also adding the $5,660 SportDesign package in carbon fiber because why not; it spices up the styling of the front and rear fascia. 

Inside, Porsche offers a leather-free Race-Tex Interior option that looks good in images… but why would I choose that over the gorgeous Olea Club leather in Basalt black? It's a $2,450 option. I'm also adding the adaptive 18-way adjustable seats – with the $2,000 massage function, of course– as well as the Bordeaux Red seat belts ($600), the heated steering wheel with matte black trim ($950), and for my co-pilot, the $1,130 passenger display. The optional 10.9-inch screen = extends the length of the passenger side dash.

All said and done, my Porsche Taycan Turbo is probably the most expensive of the bunch. In its current configuration, it exceeds $240,000. And it's worth every penny.

Tesla Model S: $87,490

I’ve little doubt the Porsche Taycan is the best performing electric vehicle available today. But is its performance so good I’d willingly drop $150,900 on it? Probably not. Especially when a Tesla Model S is available for $79,990. That’s for the Long Range model. Plan on dropping nearly $100,000 for the quicker Performance model. 

I’d ignore the latter trim, though. Again, if performance is what you’re after, just get the Porsche. I’m here for value, and the Long Range has it in spades. With the ability to trot to 60 miles per hour in 3.7 seconds, the Model S Long Range is still properly quick, even if it’s not quite as peppy as either the Taycan Turbo and Turbo S or the Model S Performance. Plus, the Model S Long Range benefits from Tesla’s already established infrastructure of quick-charging Supercharger stations, as well as a rated driving range of 370 miles from the Environmental Protection Agency, the latter of which will surely best the Porsche by at least 70 miles.

While the base Model S Long Range comes well equipped, I’d drop $1,500 on darker coated 19-inch wheels that better hide brake dust and nicely complement the Pearl White paint job that strikes my fancy. Add in a black interior and $6,000 for the irresponsibly named Full Self-Driving Capability package that allows Tesla’s AutoPilot driver-assist system to navigate highway interchanges and automatically overtake slower traffic, and I’m looking at a sticker price of $87,490. In other words, my well-optioned – but certainly not nearly as exciting to drive – Model S costs $63,410 less than the base Taycan Turbo.