Essai Porsche Taycan Turbo GT Pack Weissach : 2 seats, 1034 ch et 246 538 euro

Presentation

The Turbo GT is a very different version of the Taycan. The first electric Porsche changed our perception of the precision, balance and power an electric car can deliver when it arrived in 2019, but this 1,034 hp flagship designed to express itself on the track explores what this platform can do to the limit. . In some ways the results are interesting, but to know who this model belongs to is more difficult.

The Turbo GT that comes with a facelift of the Taycan range benefits from the latest Porsche technology in terms of battery, powertrain and chassis and its specs are amazing. Activate the launch control and the GT’s two electric motors will produce 1034 hp and 1300 Nm of torque (789 hp remaining time). 0 to 100 km/h takes place in just 2″3 seconds, but the most powerful Taycan can travel up to 555 km on a charge, 44 more than the 600 hp BMW i5 M60.

Le pack Weissach

By choosing the Weissach Package (which does not increase the price of the car), the advantage from 0 to 100 km/h is a tenth and the car gets air intakes under the body as well as a rear wing fixed in carbon, which allows. you will benefit from a support of 220 kg. This package also includes maximum weight reduction, including a reduced sound system, less insulation of the cabin and a loading compartment that opens manually. The rear seats are also removable, just like the Mégane RS Trophy-R. With what result? A five-meter-long two-seater sedan that still weighs 2,220 kilograms. And then we tell ourselves that this doesn’t make sense.

It is important to point out that the Turbo GT was not developed directly by Porsche’s GT department, despite its name and the Weissach Package. However, it has a special chassis, tires and brakes to support its smooth performance, as well as standard carbon-ceramic brakes and specially designed Pirelli P Zero R (or optional Trofeo RS). The suspension tuning is special and uses Porsche’s all-new Active Ride technology. This is a very intelligent system, which uses electro-hydraulic pumps to control the flow inside each shock absorber to precisely control the compliance of the suspension at each end of the vehicle. It’s strong enough that the Taycan does without conventional anti-roll bars.

Driving a car

How does it feel once you get behind the wheel? At first, it’s very bad and mind-boggling. We only tested the GT on the track, but no matter how perfectly you’re strapped into the carbon bucket seat, the brutal speed takes your breath away. If you pull the right paddle to activate the Attack Mode, you will get a power boost of 70 hp for 10 seconds. Thus, the Taycan reaches 280 km / h at the end of the straight hole of the Monteblanco circuit. That’s when you realize the insane speed you’ll have to break through to get through the first turn. The carbon-ceramic brakes are up to the task but we can regret that the soft initial pedal shock and the combination of regenerative and friction brakes make adjustment around the ABS difficult. This difficulty in braking too hard usually reduces engagement, but the Taycan starts to show its potential once it enters a corner.

Steering response is recognizable from the best Porsches, while the Active Ride system’s handling of pitch and roll is impressive. In such a heavy car, you generally have to make big and slow movements so that the mass doesn’t carry you, but that’s not the case in the GT. When braking, you feel that the car is leaning on its four tires instead of putting all its weight on the front axle, and the body remains almost completely flat during stalling and sudden acceleration.

If you push harder, the tires are connected. They start to squirm and complain under the heavy demands placed on them when cornering with the Taycan and then lose some of its precision. The optional Pirelli Trofeo RS really helps keep the GT on track when driving more aggressively. As you build confidence, relying on electronics, you begin to drive this Taycan like a traditional sports sedan. You can maintain neutral behavior by carefully measuring the accelerator, or let yourself go and overdrive for more fun. And finally, it seems to be more intuitive than you would expect from the features and complexity of the car.