Porsche Taycan Turbo GT 2024 Review – International

The facelifted 2024 Porsche Taycan electric sports sedan opens at $175,100 plus on-road costs for the base-grade Taycan before running through a 10-variant range that tops out at $416,600 plus ORCs for the all-new Turbo GT on test here.

Arriving in Australia in the third quarter of 2024, the Taycan Turbo GT is an 815kW EV monster that seemingly defies physics and has already set two lap records – one at the Nurburgring in Germany and the other at Laguna Seca in the US.

Simply put, it’s Porsche’s quickest and most powerful series-production vehicle to date.

Speaking at the car’s global launch in Spain, Taycan’s special vehicle model line manager, Christian Muller, described the Turbo GT as ‘’more radical” than any electric Porsche thus far “with a focus on racetrack”.

It’s a mind-melting machine in several ways, especially when accelerating in a straight line, blasting from 0-100km/h and 0-200km/h quicker than a Bugatti Chiron hypercar. After testing it on the racetrack we can confirm that it’s a genuine weapon, not just a straight-line scimitar.

Buyers can also select a Weissach package at no extra cost that improves performance even further by deleting the rear seats, adding lighter carbon-fibre front bucket seats and several other tweaks that shave 75kg from its portly 2.3-tonne weight.

Rivals include the Audi e-tron GT RS (the Taycan’s cousin, with which it shares numerous parts and components), but not much else. The Tesla Model S Plaid and Lucid Air are not sold in Australia so that ends the argument before it starts for Aussie buyers.

Porsche offers a three-year factory warranty, one of the weakest in this country, while the eight-year/160,000km battery warranty is on par with most EV rivals.

Service intervals are set at 24 months or 30,000km, whichever occurs first, and will set you back $5495 over five years or 75,000km.

As the new hero model in the German brand’s EV portfolio, the 2024 Porsche Taycan Turbo GT is equipped with loads of high-end performance and luxury items, including full bucket seats made from carbon-fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP) with ‘Turbo GT’ embroidered head restraints.

You can swap in 18-way adjustable ‘comfort’ seats for no extra cost.

A GT sports steering wheel with 12 o’clock ‘race car’ marking is in there, as are six digital displays – four of them touch-screens, including one in the rear – along with quad-zone automatic climate control.

A quick squiz outside the vehicle reveals 21-inch lightweight forged alloy wheels shod with ultra-fat Pirelli P Zero R tyres (265/35ZR21 front, 305/30ZR21 rear). Hard-core Pirelli P Zero Trofeo RS tyres are optionally available.

Big carbon-fibre reinforced ceramic brake discs (vented and cross-drilled) measuring 420mm front and 410mm rear reduce unsprung weight and have better thermal dynamics than conventional cast-iron units.

Brake cooling capacity has been increased and 2kg shaved from the callipers, the latter 10-piston aluminium monobloc fixed units up front and four-piston grippers at the rear – painted gold, naturally.

The bahn-storming Turbo GT is also equipped as standard with Porsche Active Ride (PAR) suspension with GT-specific tuning, which is one of the highlights of the car’s performance package – but more on that later.

Cosmetic and aerodynamic upgrades lavished on the Taycan Turbo GT include a distinctive cowling with a new front splitter flanked by aero blades and an active rear spoiler with a carbon-fibre gurney flap.

Tick the box for the Weissach package, however, and things start getting serious. The no-cost optional package adds an additional front diffuser and underbody air deflectors, along with the mother of all high-rise fixed rear spoilers featuring a carbon-weave wing with Weissach logos.

And it’s not just for show; wind tunnel testing confirms the wing can generate up to 220kg of downforce at high speeds.

Although the Weissach package giveth, it also taketh away, deleting several convenience and luxury items to save weight, including floor mats, the Bose stereo and rear speakers, a second charging port and sound-deadening materials.

As mentioned, the rear seats are removed with the Weissach package, creating an intriguing four-door, two-seat silent sports car. The back seats are replaced with a fetching custom-made carbon-fibre shroud and lighter-weight glass windows are also in use.

A panoramic glass roof is a no-cost option for the Turbo GT and six exterior paint jobs are available, including two new hero colours: Pale Blue Metallic and Purple Sky Metallic. The latter will be removed from the line-up after a year, adding exclusivity.

Buyers can also splash a bit of extra cash ($20,340, to be precise) with Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur to choose unique paint colours. Sticker packs for the doors and bonnet in blue and black are available for a bit of extra visual sizzle too.

The 2024 Porsche Taycan Turbo GT is fitted with eight airbags, autonomous emergency braking (AEB) and a 360-degree surround-view parking camera.

Aussie models add adaptive cruise control and lane change assist as standard, along with other expected safety tech like rear cross traffic alert, lane departure warning and lane keep assist, blind spot warning, attention assist and speed assist.

Although the Porsche Taycan has never been rated by ANCAP, the independent Australian safety authority’s European affiliate, Euro NCAP, awarded the Taycan a five-star safety rating in 2019.

The 2024 Porsche Taycan Turbo GT is a technological marvel, fitted with enough cabin tech to get the tech bros of Silicon Valley salivating.

On top of the usual interior tech, such as four touch-screens and two digital instrument displays – including a massive 16.8-inch driver’s display and a head-up display – the Taycan now finally comes with a wireless smartphone charger, complete with a thoughtful cooling system.

Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are in there, the latter incorporating new-generation phone mirroring software that allows greater functionality including the ability to adjust the climate, audio and more settings without having to switch back to Porsche’s native operating system.

Native TV streaming from content providers like Disney+ and Amazon Prime are in there and an updated version of the ‘Porsche Electric Sport Sound’ has been added, but, to be frank, it fails to generate excitement. Hyundai has proved EVs can sound cool with the new IONIQ 5 N.

Just like Roger Ramjet, the 2024 Porsche Taycan Turbo GT has been munching proton pills, which has bequeathed it with the sort of superpowers that would have been unfathomable just a couple of decades ago.

Fair dinkum, this vehicle is a four-wheeled intercontinental ballistic missile, the quickest and most powerful series-production vehicle from Porsche thus far.

Acceleration is utterly breathtaking, the 0-100km/h sprint taking 2.2 seconds (with the Weissach package), thanks in large part to an upgraded rear motor but also a tricked-up high-voltage inverter.

The new pulse inverter that controls the rear e-motor adopts silicon carbide semiconductor materials which, in turn, allow for an increase in current from 600 amps in the Taycan Turbo S to 900 amps in the Turbo GT.

In other words, the components that control and send power to the electric motor can do it more efficiently and, well, with more hostility…

No wonder Porsche has coined the term ‘Attack mode’ for the GT Turbo’s most potent propulsion setting.

While 2.2 seconds is an astonishingly rapid 0-100km/h acceleration time – which is limited “only by the tyres”, according to Muller – he reckons that 0-100km/h times will soon cease to be the benchmark for extreme high-performance EVs, with 0-200km/h sprints the new measuring stick.

It takes the Taycan Turbo GT just 6.4 seconds to reach the double tonne, with virtually no let-up in acceleration as it hurtles forward with inexorable commitment.

The multi-million-dollar Bugatti Chiron achieves the same 0-100km/h and 200km/h acceleration in 2.4 and 6.5 seconds respectively, meaning the circa-$400K Porsche outpaces the big Frenchie. Phwoar!

Following half a dozen 0-200km/h acceleration tests (0-240km/h at times), it becomes manifestly clear that Porsche is locked in battle with the EV world’s best and brightest, such as the Telsa Model Plaid sedan and even the Rimac Nevera and Pininfarina Battista supercars.

Which begs the question: How fast will the upcoming ultra-exclusive Porsche Mission X hypercar be?

When cruising, the Taycan Turbo GT generates ‘just’ 580kW, rising to 760kW when overboosting (read: keeping the throttle pinned). But engage Attack mode and for 10 seconds peak power reaches 815kW or 1093hp, with a bombastic 1340Nm on tap.

Engaging launch control is as simple as double-footing – stepping on the brake and the throttle together – which generates maximum wheel torque of 14,628Nm, claims Porsche.

In observable human terms, it’s enough thrust to rearrange your lunch and Porsche has reinforced the two-speed automatic gearbox to cope with the extra thump. The final drive ratio has also been modified to suit.

The German manufacturer reckons the scorching 2024 Porsche Taycan Turbo GT can cover up to 554km on a single charge (WLTP), or 555km with the Weissach package, which shaves 75kg.

During this test we only drove the vehicle on the racetrack, making any sort of range prediction entirely academic.

Updates to a denser 97kWh lithium-ion battery pack (105kWh gross), up from 93kW, reduce weight by 9kg and improve recharging times, which Porsche reckons have been halved when using an ultra-fast DC charger, from 37min to 18min.

That said, from our experience EV charging times are so tenuous and inconsistent it’s best to validate things yourself.

Despite being heavier than half a dozen musk ox and measuring almost five metres long, the 2024 Porsche Taycan Turbo GT hides its size and weight very, very well – so much so we had to double check we weren’t wearing augmented reality glasses and being duped by an AI-generated deepfake virtual reality.

Driven at white-knuckle pace around the Monteblanco racetrack in northern Spain, the big German unit shows a clean pair of heels, lapping the circuit with confident ferocity and even a hint of poise.

Acceleration can only be described as extraordinary, and combined with exceptionally high levels of grip with the 21-inch lightweight forged alloy wheels shod with Pirelli P Zero R tyres, it punches out of corners with tremendous zeal.

Engage Attack mode and the Taycan GT launches towards the horizon with what can only be described as ultra-high-definition aggression. Adding an extra 120kW of power for 10 seconds, maxxing out at 815kW, the flagship EV delivers cosmic acceleration.

It’s brutally rapid from point to point, and together with superb levels of traction and an eagerness to rotate into corners thanks to its low centre of gravity (the lowest of any Porsche road car), a crafty torque vectoring rear-end, not to mention rear-axle steering, it quickly becomes clear that this is a frighteningly capable track tool.

The steering is ultra-direct and although there’s not much feel or feedback, the way the nose tucks into corners then tracks through them with surgical precision is aided by some very clever suspension tech, dubbed Porsche Active Ride (PAR).

First introduced on the new third-generation Porsche Panamera, PAR adds four motor pump units that hook up to the new dual-valve adaptive dampers at each wheel, which are designed to reduce body roll and pitch with the sort of precognition that Nostradamus would find disquieting.

The suspension set-up is extremely effective, allowing the overweight four-door sports sedan to generate absurd corner speed.

It’s entirely discombobulating just how rapid and capable this car is – one’s brain struggling to compute how you got from here to there so quickly. It’s vicious.

The traction systems have been reworked to allow more power-sliding if that’s your thing, while brake performance and cooling has been improved – and is one of the most noticeable differences between this model and pre-facelifted Taycan.

Indeed, the anchors are not only stronger and more forceful now but brake pedal feel and modulation is more linear – it doesn’t convey the sometimes binary ‘on-or-off’ sensation of its predecessor, a trait often found in recuperative braking systems.

But for all its accomplishments – and they are very many! – Porsche’s Bugatti-bashing EV superstar has a handful of weaknesses.

Dive into a corner with too much pace and not even the intelligent suspension and gargantuan Italian tyres can arrest its momentum, the front-end pushing wide as understeer occurs, the front wheels squealing in protest.

When you push past the point of no return in something this heavy, driver control is abridged. Perhaps the optional Pirelli Trofeo RS tyres would help somewhat? I doubt it; unstoppable forces, immovable objects, and all that.

While we’re riding the train of complain, there’s also the emotional connection – or lack thereof – to lay bare.

While the top-spec Taycan is alarmingly rapid around a racetrack and exceptionally confident, the spaceship-like ‘engine noise’ that accompanies it is insipid and, together with a lack of steering feel, it can make it all feel a bit clinical and cold after a while.

To be blunt, it feels soulless, but this is an ailment that afflicts pretty much every EV on the market at present.

The Taycan Turbo GT is blisteringly fast around the racetrack, a genuine spleen popper, and far more approachable than a Porsche 911, but I truly hope its lack of personality can be reversed as development continues.

If you plan on taking your 2024 Porsche Taycan Turbo GT to the racetrack, our recommendation would be sticking with the full bucket seats, as experience shows when shooting up a fast 140km/h crest leading into a blind left-hander, high levels lateral torso support are vital.

The carbon-fibre bucket seats are described as ‘epic’ in my notes, delivering reasonable comfort and excellent support, while the other major touchpoint, the GT sports steering wheel, is excellent due to ample sizing and rim girth, the synthetic suede finish (Race-Tex in Porsche speak) and twin suspension and powertrain ‘satellite’ dials.

Porsche has clearly spent most of its development budget on mechanical and powertrain upgrades because the cabin is largely unchanged compared to its predecessor, but the abundance of Race-Tex suede and carbon-fibre makes the Turbo GT feel special.

Especially so if you option the Weissach package, which deletes the rear seats to save weight (22kg). But the whole idea of a two-seater four-door sedan is a bit of a head-scratcher.

There are plenty of reasons to buy the 2024 Porsche Taycan Turbo GT, chief among them its wicked pace and staggering dynamics.

It’s not cheap at $416,600 plus on-road costs, but if you want a supercar that rips from 0-200km/h in less than seven seconds, it starts to make more sense.

And unlike most other non-exotic EVs, this silent-but-violent apex predator won’t wilt after a few hot laps.

Its incendiary acceleration and astonishing composure for such a big and heavy sports sedan makes it far more compelling than the original Taycan Turbo S, and while purists may need more convincing – and a more emotional driving experience – ultimately this is a hugely impressive feat of engineering and sets a new benchmark in the high-performance EV realm.

2024 Porsche Taycan Turbo GT at a glance:
Price: $416,600 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Third quarter 2024
Powertrain: Two permanent magnet synchronous electric motors
Output: 580kW/1340Nm (760kW in overboost, 815kW Attack mode)
Transmission: Two-speed automatic transmission on rear-axle motor
Battery: 97kWh lithium-ion
Range: 555km (WLTP)
Energy consumption: 20.7kWh/100km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Five-star (Euro NCAP 2019)