The recent headlines about legacy automakers scaling back electrification plans due to waning consumer demand and increased competition from China and elsewhere give the impression that fully electric vehicles might be a passing trend. Porsche itself recently announced it was pulling back on its ambitious goal of 80 percent electrified sales by 2030, with the future rate contingent on consumer demand and advances in battery technology. Despite recent setbacks in the consumer take rate of battery electric vehicles (BEVs), they are here to stay.
Porsche has nonetheless continued its mission of continually enhancing its products, with the 2025 model year bringing important updates to the Taycan model line (see the #312 October 2024 tech feature for more details), with the most significant changes being the availability of the Porsche Active Ride (PAR) suspension system as well as comprehensive battery and thermal management updates.
I visited Germany in June 2024, with one of the goals of the trip being to examine the current state of the charging network and overall EV/PHEV experience in Porsche’s home country. I was lucky enough to sample the upper echelon of Porsche’s current electrified offerings, including the 2025 Taycan Turbo GT.
Our test Turbo GT’s aerodynamic accouterments add subtle enhancements to its looks and performance. According to Porsche, the non-Weissach Turbo GT’s front splitter and rear diffuser do not generate net downforce but ensure zero lift at top speed. However, the Taycan’s sports car-like styling comes with a cost. That low roofline makes graceful ingress and egress a challenge—your six-foot-tall tester had to tilt his head to fold into the interior despite the car lifting itself via the active suspension system.
Once ensconced in the Taycan cockpit, it is a nice place to be. The multiple screens and haptic-feedback switch panels are polarizing features, but the controls were relatively easy to figure out. The thicker GT sport steering wheel rim, perhaps in homage to the air-cooled 911, partially obscures the outer gauge “dials” if the display is configured to the classic Porsche five-dial mode.
Our press car was equipped with Porsche’s InnoDrive driver assist package thus the no-cost “Exclusive” heated steering wheel with capacitive touch sensors, which eschews both the extra Porsche Active Suspension Management mode switch and the standard Turbo GT steering wheel paddles: the right paddle activates “Attack Mode”, which allows ten-second bursts of an additional 160 hp (assuming 30 percent or more battery charge), and the left paddle toggles between regeneration modes.
Speaking of regeneration, the Turbo GT continues Porsche’s philosophy of not automatically applying regenerative braking when the accelerator pedal is released, much to the chagrin of drivers used to Teslas and other EVs that allow one-pedal driving. The Taycan’s engineers are adamant that “coasting” is more efficient in most cases. However, a mild amount of lift-off regeneration can be selected via the steering wheel paddle or button, and it is automatically activated in Sport and Sport Plus driving modes.
The Turbo GT’s advertised peak power output of 1,019 hp can occur only with Launch Control engaged and then only for two seconds. Most adjectives and superlatives to describe the rate and effortlessness of the acceleration of high-powered EVs have been used many times in the automotive press world, and the Turbo GT’s rate of increase in velocity can be downright uncomfortable at its peak. It is, however, quite manageable once the driver acclimates to the vehicle’s capabilities, and it becomes less intimidating and quite manageable during passing scenarios on two-lane roads, for example.
The Taycan Turbo GT’s two-speed gearbox features stronger gears and a slightly taller second gear ratio to enable the advertised top speed of 180 mph (190 when equipped with the Weissach Package, which helped that version to its Nürburgring Nordschleife EV sedan lap record). As with other Taycan variants, the upshift to second gear is barely perceptible in most scenarios, with the change in the pitch of the ersatz motor noise via the speakers being the only telltale.
The Taycan’s brake pedal feel is not as linear as that of the Panamera E-Hybrid despite having a similar electronic brake booster setup. It takes a bit of practice to achieve a smooth release of the brake pedal when transitioning back to the accelerator pedal immediately after braking hard for a tight corner. However, once this is mastered, the Turbo GT is a willing partner while hustling through backroads. The steering is slightly sharper than that of the Panamera Turbo E-Hybrid, and the Taycan feels noticeably lighter and sharper despite its curb being only just over 100 pounds less.
Compared to a Taycan Turbo S, the Turbo GT has slightly more static negative camber of the front wheels and unique software calibration for the PAR system (which is optional on the Turbo S). The result is a very sharp turn-in, with the front end never giving up grip, even during the tightest decreasing radius curves of Germany’s B500 road.
The Porsche Active Ride system is standard on the Turbo GT and operates via the Taycan’s 800-volt battery. While this could, in theory, allow for smaller and lighter motors and actuators than the Panamera’s 400V system, the same motors and controllers can operate via 400V or 800V and are shared between the two platforms. The unique calibration of the Taycan Turbo GT version of PAR does not noticeably counteract pitch and roll in the Normal driving mode as does the Panamera’s PAR setup, with Porsche stating this is intentional with the four-door sports car image of the Taycan.
Regardless of the selected driving mode, the palpable sensation of the Taycan’s lower center of gravity lends a feeling of agility that belies its size and mass. One downside of the PAR system is that it requires energy that cannot be directly recuperated; Porsche said that the motors can draw over 5.0 kW of energy when fully exerted.
The drive from Zuffenhausen to Frankfurt during my final day with the Turbo GT highlighted the breadth of the Taycan’s capabilities. The journey was done entirely on B-roads and through towns, villages, and around countless roundabouts, gliding silently and efficiently while drawing the attention of some onlookers with its subtle but purposeful styling enhancements. A brightly-colored GT-series Porsche may have garnered more attention, but the Taycan Turbo GT could likely outrun all but the most expertly driven examples of those.
The U.S. list price for the Turbo GT begins at $230,000 versus $209,000 for the Taycan Turbo S. The Turbo GT’s standard Porsche Active Ride system and Pirelli summer tires (265/35ZR-21 front, 305/30ZR-21 rear) account for the $7,700 “Dynamic Package” that is optional on the Turbo S, so the Turbo GT’s power boost, chassis upgrades, aero enhancements, and prestige/bragging rights would probably make up for the remaining price difference in the minds of customers shopping in this echelon of performance EVs.
There is, however, one glaring chink the in the armor of the Taycan as an executive express with the lack of rear seat legroom and luggage capacity. An alternative choice would be to sacrifice some of the ultimate performance and sharpness of the Turbo GT and opt for the Sport Turismo (wagon) version of the Taycan Turbo S, which initially doesn’t seem to offer much more luggage space. Still, the rear hatch provides a much more convenient loading bay than the sedan’s shallow trunk aperture. The Sport Turismo’s rear seats also fold to offer 41.4 cubic feet of cargo capacity. For perspective, the current Macan and Cayenne offer 53.1 and 60.3 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats folded. The standard Taycan Turbo GT sedan offers 11.5 cubic feet of rear cargo space.
Or, our imaginary German executive could simply instruct their passengers to pack lightly, deal with the lack of rear seat leg room, and hold on as the Taycan Turbo GT whisks them to the Swiss Alps in one of the most impressive and rapid means of doing so on land.
The spectacular amount of torque and power from the electric motors and relentless traction and grip (all backed by spaceship noises emanating from the speakers) make the Taycan Turbo GT a genuinely fun car to drive. During this trip, there were no track driving opportunities, but the poise and performance exhibited in smooth and well-banked curves of the Black Forest mountain roads offer a glimpse into the Turbo GT’s track prowess.
Was the lack of the drama and involvement of a combustion engine a problem? No, not in this case. The low center of gravity and overall feeling of sports-car-like agility are simply not possible without the Taycan’s “skateboard” EV chassis with a low-mounted battery pack. The driving experience is unique, and the effortless power delivery is addictive. The Turbo GT may be overkill for many buyers. Still, it is a testament to the engineering team’s prowess in assembling a combination of hardware and software components and distilling them into a seamless and amazing driving experience.
