Porsche Taycan GTS v Mercedes-AMG EQE 53 2023 Comparison

Hardly a spoiler alert – these performance EVs are priced to suit their elite pedigree. But the devil is in the detail.

The 2023 Porsche Taycan GTS is priced from $248,300 plus on-road costs, placing it in the middle of the now five-model Taycan line-up.

The Mercedes-AMG EQE 53 sits at the top of the trio of EQEs on offer. You read that right, there’s no EQE 63. The EQE 53 is priced from $213,574 plus ORCs.

That equates to a new small-car differential of about $35K before options, so the Porsche Taycan GTS has some ground to make up.

Not alone in their elite EV world, the Taycan’s close sibling, the Audi RS e-tron GT, priced from $246,875 plus ORCs, would also be a comfortable contender in this neck of the whisper-quiet woods.

Our performance EVs both present with extensive levels of features as standard.

Lengthy equipment lists are a given, with many commonalities, including flush-fit door handles, keyless entry with push-button start, LED lighting front and rear, illuminated kickers and fancy branded puddle lights.

The 2023 Porsche Taycan GTS wears 21-inch wheels wrapped in Goodyear Eagle F1 rubber, with braking hardware consisting of 390mm discs/six-piston callipers up front and a 358mm/four-piston combo at the rear.

The 21-inch wheels on the Mercedes-AMG EQE 53 wear Michelin Pilot Sport EV tyres, while behind there are monster 415mm discs with six-piston callipers up front and 378mm discs and single-piston grippers on the rear.

Adaptive air suspension and rear-axle steering are also common on our test vehicles – the latter standard on the AMG, a $4300 option on the Taycan. Another notable difference is a large dual-pane glass sunroof on the AMG.

Our test EQE 53 also boasts the bonkers hyperscreen infotainment system, priced at $15,600.

Warranty and service provisions divide the two rivals. The Porsche offers a disappointing three-year warranty compared to the AMG’s (slightly better in this scenario) five-year plan.

On top of this, Porsche’s eight-year/160,000km battery warranty also falls short of AMG’s 10-year/250,000km battery coverage.

The AMG’s servicing will cost you $2955 over five years/75,000km, compared to $5495 for the Taycan over the same period.

Specialised paintjobs are also available to boost your street cred. The EQE 53 offers six standard colours as well as three ‘Manufactur’ hues for $2200 in addition to the EQE 53-specific Graphite Grey Magno for $6100.

The Taycan’s $5000 Carmine red paint job slightly undercuts the $5500 price tag of its optional 21-inch RS Spyder wheels.

An inflator kit can be found in place of a spare tyre in both vehicles. And after a screw found its way into the AMG’s Michelin rubber, we can confirm the inflator kit works well and is a trusty stop-gap until a new tyre can be fitted.

The AMG wins this round for both standard kit and aftercare, while our rivals sit lineball for their eye-watering options.

Both the 2023 Mercedes-AMG EQE 53 and Porsche Taycan GTS have received maximum five-star safety ratings, however the former gets the tick from ANCAP while the latter has it only from Euro NCAP.

The rating for the EQE was also based on testing conducted in 2022, compared with less-stringent protocols applied to the Taycan in Europe in 2019.

Equipment levels are similar on both EVs, including autonomous emergency braking (AEB), blind spot warning, rear cross traffic alert, adaptive cruise control, lane departure warning and lane keep assist, reversing camera with 360-degree view, attention assist and speed assist.

Airbag count favours the AMG with 10 to the Taycan’s eight.

Again, there are many similarities in our rivals’ technology suite, including wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth connectivity, AM/FM/DAB radio, satellite navigation, head-up display, voice control assistance, ambient lighting, heated seats/steering wheel and customisable digital instrumentation.

The 2023 Porsche Taycan GTS boasts a 14-speaker Bose sound system with subwoofer while the Mercedes-AMG EQE 53 offers a Burmester 3D surround sound system.

Those impressive infotainment screens are where you can delve into the specifics of clever personalisation and customisation, including all-important statistics on your battery usage and potential range.

The Porsche is intuitive with its less-is-more approach. You’re not left wanting for anything… At least not until you see what the EQE 53 has up its sleeve.

The AMG offers vast opportunity for customisation and individualisation of your screens. Technophiles will appreciate the depth and breadth of the functionality in the AMG – the augmented reality satellite navigation is the hero on this mammoth screen.

Both vehicles are powered by dual permanent magnet synchronous motors.

The Mercedes-AMG EQE 53 bangs out a mega 460kW/950Nm from its twin e-motor powertrain, giving it bragging rights over the Porsche Taycan GTS’s 380kW/850Nm.

But this isn’t the whole story. Both cars have overboost functions, which liberates 440kW in the Porsche and a whopping 505kW/1000Nm in the AMG, though the latter is only available with the $7400 Dynamic Plus Package.

The AMG uses a single-speed reduction gear while the Porsche has a two-speed planetary gearset on the rear axle and a single-speed reduction gear up front.

In a physics-defying display, the EQE 53 will move from 0-100km/h in just 3.5sec (3.3sec with Dynamic Plus), with the Taycan split-seconds behind with its claimed 3.7sec dash.

The 2023 Porsche Taycan GTS has a 93.4kWh lithium-ion battery pack, good for a WLTP-verified range of up to 504km.

On the same WLTP combined-cycle test, the AMG’s 90.6kWh lithium-ion battery is good for a range of up to 526km. So not a great deal in it, to be honest.

And that’s before we take into account driving style which, for these vehicles, is unlikely to elicit an economy run.

The Porsche has a greater 800V electrical architecture which enables charge rates of up to 270kW, while the AMG tops out at 170kW.

Official claims suggest that using a DC fast-charger, a top-up from 10-80 per cent will take about 22 minutes in the Porsche and 32 minutes in the AMG at their respective peak charging rates – should you reach them.

In the real world, the situation is somewhat different. During testing we charged both vehicles via the same ultra-rapid charger, which gave the Taycan 25.6kWh in 19min and the EQE 43.9kWh in 27 minutes, with maximum charge rates hovering just over 100kW.

On test, actual versus claimed energy consumption saw the Porsche Taycan GTS use 31.2kWh/100km v 23.3kWh/100km (WLTP) and the Mercedes-AMG EQE 53 28.5kWh/100km v 22.6kWh/100km (WLTP).

This is where the real test of these performance EVs comes into play.

Burrowed low in the sculpted sports seats, the 2023 Porsche Taycan GTS goes, stops and corners like a 911.

The GTS is uncompromised in its performance-focused dynamics. At low speeds it’s placid and manageable with a range of drive modes for various situations. This car will do the school run via IGA and onto the office without skipping a beat.

Let it loose on the open road with a solid jab of the accelerator, however, and the Taycan is unleashed. Immediate, ballistic power shoves you into the back of your seat and composed, glued-to-the-road cornering steers its nearly-five-metres-long frame with an unnerving agility.

Those drive modes allow you to dial in just the right amount of fiery attitude, depending on the situation (speed limit) at hand. Porsche’s torque vectoring system, air suspension and adaptive dampers work magic to make the Taycan GTS comfortable, supple and astonishingly accurate through the bends. Powering out of corners is its happy place.

It certainly doesn’t sound like a 911, with a synthesised ‘electric sport sound’ to match your throttle inputs, but the Porsche Taycan GTS is first and foremost a performance car with its zero-emissions drawcard a wonderful aside.

Switching into the Mercedes-AMG EQE 53 is a totally different ball game. You sit enveloped in plush leather seats, but the high dash creates a very different feel behind the wheel, in keeping with Mercedes-Benz’s concept of a ‘sporty business saloon’ – but far less sporty than the Taycan GTS.

Until you get moving. Straight-line performance in the EQE AMG is staggering. The 2.5-tonne kerb weight is light work for the EQE’s mighty powertrain – the claimed 0-100km/h time feels well within reach.

While the EQE’s exterior doesn’t scream AMG as loudly as we’d like (it’s in keeping with the EQ design aesthetic), it’s as dynamically impressive as its larger-than-life AMG siblings.

It doesn’t, however, feel as authentic behind the wheel as the Taycan GTS. The steering is not as crisp or communicative and while the EQE has torque vectoring, adaptive damping and four-wheel steering, it plays out very differently in the big Benz.

It’s impressive, but not as convincing a performance sedan as the Taycan GTS.

Overall ride comfort goes to the slightly softer EQE, while also creating a bit of a line in the sand for buyers. Do you want the ‘softer’ EV performance sedan?

Chalk and cheese, quite frankly. The 2023 Porsche Taycan GTS feels every bit a ‘normal’ Porsche – refined and race-ready.

Finished in soft Race-Tex suede at every touch point, the restrained use of red contrast stitching and red seat belts deliver a flash of colour and the sculpted 18-way sports seats knowingly hug your body.

The trio of digital touch-screens for instrumentation, infotainment, climate and in-car settings and a dedicated front passenger screen look sophisticated as they blend into the slimline dash design.

In-cabin storage is limited, but two cup holders, a small lidded arm rest and open oddment storage suffice. There’s no wireless phone charger, but two USB-C ports tucked away in the arm rest.

At the other end of the spectrum is the Mercedes-AMG EQE 53 – big, bold and unashamedly ostentatious in its design. It’s an assault on the senses moving from the Taycan, but not in a bad way.

There’s no mistaking where your money has gone – particularly if you’ve optioned the mesmeric hyperscreen, as is the case with our test vehicle. The EQE’s three screens live behind one large piece of glass that stretches the full width of the dash.

The quality of materials, fit and finish are as good as the Taycan. AMG logos aplenty, but the EQE feels more like an executive hauler with some added razzle dazzle – contrast stitching, ambient lighting and so on.

The EQE’s seats feel a little larger and softer and offer heating and ventilation, bettering the amenity found in the Taycan.

Storage solutions in the EQE are excellent, shaming the fiddly offering of the Taycan. It also adds wireless phone charging.

Second rows further separate these rivals. The Taycan’s optional centre seat costs $1000 and you’d be better off spending that on Uber rides. It’s token, at best, compared to the EQE’s bench that extends an additional 90mm in width.

Legroom is also vastly different in this pair. As measured with colleague Feann Torr’s driver seat position in place, an additional 100mm knee-room in the EQE is transformational for second-row occupants.

For the sake of it, we’ll tell you boot capacities are 450 litres in the Taycan and 430L in the EQE.

Overall, the Porsche’s ‘less is more’ approach to interior design may see it age more gracefully than the (currently) super-on-trend EQE, but the AMG will win the functional and practicality stakes every time.

Both the 2023 Porsche Taycan GTS and Mercedes-AMG EQE 53 make a strong case, but which is best depends on how you plan on using them.

The Porsche DNA is unwavering in the Taycan GTS. It is more engaging to drive than the EQE 53 AMG and more competent and comfortable when pushed to the limit.

But the EQE is a beast and arguably delivers the best of both worlds – astonishing performance with comfort and versality, too.

Finding the best all-rounder, however, was never our intention. This comparison is unashamedly about finding the height of sports car thrills from an EV powertrain.

And with a performance-first mindset, our money (and plenty of it) lands with the Porsche Taycan GTS.

2023 Mercedes-AMG EQE 53 at a glance:
Price: $213,574 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Powertrain: Two permanent magnet synchronous motors
Output: 460kW/950Nm
Transmission: Single-speed reduction gear
Battery: 90.6kWh lithium-ion
Range: 459-526km (WLTP)
Energy consumption: 20.2-22.6kWh/100km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Five-star (ANCAP 2022)

2023 Porsche Taycan GTS at a glance:
Price: $248,300 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Powertrain: Two permanent magnet synchronous motors
Output: 380kW/850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed reduction gear (f); two-speed planetary gear set (r)
Battery: 93.4kWh lithium-ion
Range: 439-504km (WLTP)
Energy consumption: 20.3-23.3kWh/100km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Five-star (Euro NCAP 2019)