Porsche Taycan vs. Tesla Model S (2012). Elon Musk "lived to see"

Elon Musk regularly says: "I'm still waiting for someone to make a car better than the 2012 Tesla Model S."

Porsche is eager to compare the Taycan to the Tesla Model S. However, given the car's many features, it appears that the company is referring to the older generation Tesla Model S that was captured during testing in Italy. So we decided to check how the electric Porsche compares to the first 85 Tesla Model S 2012 - and whether Elon Musk should wait.

In 2012, the Tesla Model S 85 became the top model of the American manufacturer. So, to make the comparison fair, it must be combined with the highest version of the Porsche Taycan Turbo S... Let's do it.

Price: Porsche Taycan vs Tesla Model S (2012) = 0: 1.

When Tesla Model S The most expensive S 85 variant in the Signature limited edition was supposed to start at $ 80. In the end, it turned out to be costly $95. Tesla Model S 85 Signature Performance it was the cost of the order $105... In the third quarter of 2012, the dollar exchange rate was PLN 3,3089, which means that the Tesla Model S will cost between PLN 316 and 349 thousand net.

Tesla Model S (2012) Signature (c) Tesla

The Porsche Taycan starts at $ 150 for the Taycan Turbo and $ 900 for the Taycan Turbo S. On the surface, the electric Porsche is more expensive than the early Tesla.

Tesla is definitely winning this duel.

Bateria: Porsche Taycan vs. Tesla Model S (2012) = 1: 1

The battery capacity of the first Tesla Model S was 85 kWh gross, and the usable capacity was slightly lower. By comparison, the battery capacity of the Porsche Taycan Turbo / Turbo S is 93,4 kWh with a usable capacity of 83,7 kWh. So Porsche wins in terms of capacitybut this is a haircut.

It is also worth noting that this capacity has its own name ("Performance-Battery Plus"), which means that there will be a version without a plus with a lower capacity. Or with two pluses with a big ...

Acceleration: Porsche Taycan vs Tesla Model S (2012) = 2: 1

The first Tesla Model S 85 accelerated to 100 km / h in 5,6 seconds. Compared to a Porsche, this is a ridiculous result, the Taycan Turbo S accelerates to 100 km / h in just 2,8 seconds - twice as fast! In addition, Porsche can repeatedly accelerate to 200 km / h (the company claims 26 times, no more) in a minimum time of 9,8 seconds.

A clear win for Porsche.

Range: Porsche Taycan vs Tesla Model S (2012) = 2: 2

According to the EPA, real mileage Tesla Model S 85 (2012) was 426,5 kilometer... EPA data for the Porsche Taycan is not yet available, only WLTP values. EPA data shows real range in mixed mode when driving calmly in good weather, while WLTP refers to urban mode. Usually EPA = WLTP / ~ 1,16.

> Electric vehicles with the longest range in 2019 - TOP10 rating

So, if Porsche reports that the WLTP Porsche Taycan is 450 kilometers, which means that the real range in combined mode (EPA) will be 380-390 kilometers.

Tesla Model S (2012) wins, although the lead is small.

Specifications, racing, cooling: Porsche Taycan vs Tesla Model S (2012) = 3: 2

Tesla Model S accelerates quite well compared to internal combustion cars, but 5,6 seconds to 100 km / h is not a particularly impressive value. On the track, the car looked even worse: with frequent acceleration and braking, the Model S (2012) quickly overheated and limited the power available to the user.

Against this backdrop, the Porsche Taycan clocks in at 7:42 minutes at the Nürburgring. This value refers to "pre-release prototype", but the production version is unlikely to be much worse. The car also offers all-wheel drive – the Tesla Model S 85 was originally rear-wheel drive – with 560 kW (761 hp) and 1 Nm of maximum torque.

> Porsche Taycan at the Nurburgring: 7:42 min. This is the territory of strong cars and excellent drivers.

An absolute victory for Porsche in this category.

Modernity: Porsche Taycan vs. Tesla Model S (2012) = 3,5: 3

In 2012, the desire to create a comfortable, large electric car for the family showed incredible courage. Moreover, Tesla's competition then offered small cars with a range of about 130 kilometers. Tesla gets half a point.

> Tesla owner pleasantly surprised by Audi e-tron [YouTube review]

No less bold is the attempt to create a sports electric car in 2019. Everyone knows that electrics provide fantastic acceleration and great performance, but we still struggle to get the heat out of the battery and drive system fast enough. It seems to us that Porsche's proposal was ahead of its time - the Tesla Roadster 2 was supposed to be their symbol (photo below). Porsche gets half a point.

We don't know much about the design of Porsche inverters or batteries, so we leave this topic open. What we do notice is that Porsche nodded gratefully and mimics Tesla in terms of ... screens in the interior... Tesla has one giant, Porsche still hides and assembles several smaller ones.

Porsche screens have practically replaced the classic buttons, knobs, switches - in the Taycan we can only find a few of them on and around the steering wheel. Everything else is customizable. Tesla gets the second half of the point to set a trend:

Interior Tesla Model S (2012) (c) Tesla

Porsche Taycan (c) Interner Porsche

Average place: Porsche Taycan vs Tesla Model S (2012) = 3,5: 4

The Porsche is not to be compared to the Tesla Model S. When it comes to volume inside, a family limousine from California can seat five people, and even a 7-seat version will hit the market in a few years. Of course, we do not take this into account, because this is a later product - we only pay attention to how much space needs to be arranged:

Meanwhile, the rear seat of the Porsche Taycan not only has two seats, it also offers less legroom than the cabin of the Opel Corsa-e, the B-segment electric vehicle! Luxurious crampedness:

Porsche Taycan back seat. Photo inverted vertically for ease of comparison (c) Teslarati

The back seat in the Opel Corsa-e. Opel engineers even tweaked the shape of the back to give the back seat a little more room (c) Autogefuehl / YouTube

Charging power: Porsche Taycan vs Tesla Model S (2012) = 4,5: 4

In a poorer configuration, the Porsche Taycan charges with 50kW of power at 400V charging stations. However, it's easy to buy a package that increases the charging speed to 150kW. In addition, the configurator mentions 270 kW, which should be available on 800+ V chargers - such power was promised at the premiere.

> Porsche Taycan with _Optional_ charger 150 kW. 50 kW at 400 VAC as standard?

Against this background, the Tesla Model S (2012) looks rather pale, because on the Supercharger v1 it charges with less than 100 kW, and over time (and with the new version of chargers) it will reach the level of 120 kW. However, it should be added that in the case of Tesla, there was no need to buy additional packages for faster charging, the increase in power was achieved thanks to an update to the Supercharger and software in the car. It is possible that the battery pack was also equipped with more efficient cooling - Tesla did not disclose this, and such upgrades are known to occur regularly.

Be that as it may: Porsche wins here.

Summation

A photo of Porsche engineers evaluating the Taycan against the 2016 Tesla Model S before facelift suggests that the German company was actually trying to catch up with the previous generation Tesla Model S in order to significantly outperform it in some respects. Following the principle that it is better to have a product that is better in some aspects and on sale now than continue to work over the ideal product.

(Those who wanted to write excellent Ph.D. theses are still writing them today ...)

It's safe to say that the Porsche Taycan wins with the Tesla Model S (2012). In some aspects - ride quality - the car is definitely in the lead, in others - back seat, price, range - it's still a little lame, but the verdict is in favor of the Taycan. Elon Musk has lost the right to say: "I'm still waiting for someone to make a car better than the 2012 Tesla Model S."

However, it is unlikely to be a failure when the world's leading premium sports car brand tries to compete with someone else's products from years ago.

Note to the editors www.elektrowoz.pl: The rated categories were chosen according to what Porsche boasted during the premiere. The exception here is the comparison of the amount of space inside.

Opening photo: Porsche tests the Taycan with a Tesla Model S before facelift (April 2016). Photo taken by (c) Frank Kureman, an Electrek reader, in October 2018 near the Stelvio Pass.

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