Gold is so in proper now. It’s change into a well-liked new automotive shade for the stylish luxurious set, and I’m not simply saying that as a result of I purchased myself a shocking gold automotive earlier this yr. Within the vogue and structure industries, gold is having a renewed second. Hell, precise gold simply hit an all-time excessive. I’m additionally considering of gold as a result of it’s awards season, my private favourite season, and we’re coming off of a improbable Olympics. If there have been an automotive Olympics, or an automotive Oscar to offer out, the 2025 Porsche Taycan GTS would take residence the gold — and never simply due to this one’s paint-to-sample Nordic Gold paint.
There are electrical automobiles on the market with extra outrageous efficiency and velocity, there are fashions which can be sillier and extra hoonable, there are definitely ones which can be cheaper. But when what you’re searching for is the very best total efficiency EV, when you can solely give out one award or one thing has to get gold, it’s the up to date Taycan GTS. Whereas not one of the new stuff for the Taycan’s 2025 facelift is a complete gamechanger (properly, besides one factor), it’s a complete replace that makes an incredible automotive even higher.
Full disclosure: Porsche flew me to Atlanta, drove me out to northern Georgia and put me up in a pleasant lodge so I may drive the 2025 Taycan GTS and 2025 911 Carrera T. They even took us to a restaurant with German-style pretzels.
From the surface, you’d be forgiven for not considering a lot has modified. The GTS shares its entrance finish with different non-Turbo Taycans, and whereas I wasn’t an enormous fan of the redesigned bumper at first I feel it’s rising on me, although that would simply be due to this excellent gold paint. You get extra black and Anthracite Gray trim bits, the Sport Design splitter and totally different finishes for the wheels, however that’s about it. That Porsche facet stripe is a $460 choice; if that’s not cool sufficient, you’ll be able to spend $1,210 on a Taycan decal set with a extra dynamic design that provides a stripe throughout the hood and the roof as properly.
For 2025 the Taycan GTS now makes 690 horsepower and 582 pound-feet when utilizing launch management (or 596 hp and 534 lb-ft in regular driving), a rise of 100 hp over each final yr’s GTS and what you get within the 2025 Taycan 4S. Each new Taycan has a extra highly effective rear-axle motor and bigger battery packs, with the GTS solely being provided with the larger 105-kWh pack that’s optionally available on lowlier Taycans. Porsche says the GTS will now hit 60 mph in simply 3.1 seconds, 4 tenths faster than earlier than, and go on to a quarter-mile run of 11.1 seconds, virtually a full second faster than earlier than — and each of these figures really feel conservative in the actual world. The way in which the Taycan GTS accelerates is intense, not simply when utilizing launch management, and I really like the kick you get when the two-speed transmission shifts. Regardless of the wild quantity of energy, crucially the GTS doesn’t really feel too quick to truly use in the actual world. You actually don’t want the 871 horsepower of the Turbo, although that automotive’s 2.5-second 0-to-60 time undoubtedly is entertaining.
As a part of the usual Sport Chrono bundle, a brand new push-to-pass button within the steering wheel’s drive mode dial unlocks 93 horsepower of additional juice for as much as 10 seconds, and it raises the torque to the launch-control determine. It does make a noticeable distinction if it is advisable move a slow-moving automobile or wish to actually blast out of a nook, plus the accompanying sounds and animated countdown timer within the gauge cluster are enjoyable. If you happen to spec the optionally available GT Sport steering wheel it comes with a pair of paddles, considered one of which prompts the push-to-pass operate and is unquestionably simpler than reaching for the button.
Porsche nonetheless doesn’t do regenerative braking within the vein of different EVs, the place the automotive will start to decelerate while you let off the accelerator, and I nonetheless assume that’s a disgrace, but it surely’s not as disappointing when your brakes are as rattling good as Porsche’s are. This explicit Taycan GTS has the optionally available $9,070 carbon-ceramic brakes (add on an additional $910 for the black calipers) and they’re a number of the greatest in the marketplace. There’s no fade, no squeaks, no aggressive tip-in, no jerky operation; simply linear pedal really feel and exceptionally robust braking energy. The Taycan may not have the regen you’re used to, but it surely’s now capable of recuperate as much as 400 kW of vitality underneath braking, and I can really feel that recuperation working to assist gradual me down once I stomp on the left pedal.
The Taycan GTS’ steering is just wonderful, with nice suggestions and a pleasant quantity of heft whereas nonetheless feeling gentle and darty. It’s simple to make fast corrections, and the optionally available $1,340 rear-axle steering helps the Taycan really feel smaller than it’s. It steers similar to every other Porsche sports activities automotive, and the tall fenders and low hood provide you with an analogous view out to that of a 911, making the Taycan simple to position. Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus is included on each GTS, providing you with an electronically managed rear differential lock that may variably distribute torque between the rear wheels, additional aiding within the automotive’s maneuverability and letting me get on the facility earlier when cornering. The Pirelli P Zero summer time tires on this GTS’ 21-inch wheels provide tons of grip, too.
As commonplace the Taycan GTS has Porsche’s Energetic Suspension Administration, an adaptive air setup, however when you shell out $7,150 you may get the brand new Energetic Trip setup, which is genuinely magical and the gamechanger I discussed earlier than. As an alternative of utilizing conventional anti-roll bars, the energetic dampers every have an electronically managed hydraulic motor pump that may modify compression, rebound and experience peak in milliseconds. This provides the Taycan improbable experience high quality irrespective of the highway situations, and there’s basically zero physique roll. Within the Regular drive mode you’ll be able to have the Taycan lean into corners like a bike, which is fantastic on extremely banked mountain roads, and it might additionally preserve the automotive completely flat underneath arduous acceleration or braking — each are belongings you may not discover till it’s identified to you or till the techniques are turned off and again on once more, however when you expertise them, you gained’t wish to return. These features are unavailable in Sport and Sport Plus as Porsche desires the automotive to carry out in a standard method, which I get, but it surely’s nonetheless a little bit of a disgrace. Energetic Trip’s greatest social gathering trick is its capacity to immediately increase the experience peak by over two inches when one of many doorways is opened.
The one factor we don’t but know in regards to the 2025 Taycan GTS is its vary, but it surely’s simple to make a guess. The Taycan 4S has an estimated vary of 295 miles whereas the Turbo will do 292 miles, so the GTS needs to be rated at just below 300. With a 98-percent cost, this automotive confirmed a variety of 274 miles, and at 74 p.c after 58 miles of driving (a few of that driving being very quick) it displayed a 173-mile vary. Each 2025 Taycan is ready to cost sooner regardless of having bigger batteries, due to a brand new warmth pump and software program tweaks, with Porsche saying it’s going to take simply 18 minutes to go from 10 to 80 p.c when charging on the Taycan’s new peak of 320 kW, or a still-brisk 33 minutes at a 150-kW charger.
At $149,895 to begin together with $1,995 for vacation spot, the Taycan GTS sits completely between the $120,495 Taycan 4S and the $175,595 Taycan Turbo. Choice a 4S as much as the GTS’ commonplace gear stage and the GTS appears much more like a discount, particularly when you issue within the further energy and GTS-specific chassis tweaks. In fact, it’s simple to ship any Taycan’s pricetag into the stratosphere — this Nordic Gold one has an MSRP of $211,055, which is $100 greater than a Taycan Turbo S’ beginning worth, and it doesn’t even have all of the fanciest inside leather-based choices or exterior carbon-fiber components.
I may have gone with a Goldilocks metaphor for my intro, which does have “gold” in it, and I virtually used the phrase “candy spot” within the hed, in a realizing foolish means, after all. I dare you to discover a single assessment of any trendy Porsche GTS mannequin the place the creator doesn’t describe the automotive as “the candy spot” of the lineup. Hell, even in Porsche’s pre-drive product briefing for the up to date 2025 Taycan GTS, that phrase was used a number of instances. It’s correct, although. The GTS may not be probably the most highly effective Taycan, or probably the most environment friendly Taycan, or probably the most inexpensive Taycan, but it surely‘s probably the most well-rounded, particularly when you care about driving.
And if wagons are your factor, the Taycan GTS is even simpler to resolve on. Whereas different Taycan trims are provided in Cross Turismo guise, which all have a barely greater experience peak and extra physique cladding and fender flares, the GTS is the one Taycan out there as a Sport Turismo wagon sans cladding. The GTS has had the very best take price for the wagon out of your complete Taycan lineup, with 19 p.c of pre-facelift GTS clients selecting the Sport Turismo. (The wagon made up 12 p.c of the bottom trim gross sales, 7 p.c of the 4S, 4 p.c of the Turbo and 10 p.c of Turbo S.) It solely prices $1,900 further to get the GTS Sport Turismo over the sedan. Do it.
