Gold is so in proper now. It’s develop into a well-liked new automotive coloration for the stylish luxurious set, and I’m not simply saying that as a result of I purchased myself a surprising gold automotive earlier this 12 months. Within the style and structure industries, gold is having a renewed second. Hell, precise gold simply hit an all-time excessive. I’m additionally pondering of gold as a result of it’s awards season, my private favourite season, and we’re coming off of a implausible Olympics. If there have been an automotive Olympics, or an automotive Oscar to offer out, the 2025 Porsche Taycan GTS would take dwelling the gold — and never simply due to this one’s paint-to-sample Nordic Gold paint.
There are electrical vehicles on the market with extra outrageous efficiency and pace, there are fashions which are sillier and extra hoonable, there are definitely ones which are cheaper. But when what you’re in search of is the very best general 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 (effectively, 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 might drive the 2025 Taycan GTS and 2025 911 Carrera T. They even took us to a restaurant with German-style pretzels.
From the skin, you’d be forgiven for not pondering 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 believe it’s rising on me, although that might simply be due to this glorious 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 aspect 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 effectively.
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 12 months’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 supplied with the larger 105-kWh pack that’s non-compulsory 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, nearly a full second faster than earlier than — and each of these figures really feel conservative in the true world. The way in which the Taycan GTS accelerates is intense, not simply when utilizing launch management, and I 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 true world. You actually don’t want the 871 horsepower of the Turbo, although that automotive’s 2.5-second 0-to-60 time positively is entertaining.
As a part of the usual Sport Chrono package deal, 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 you must go a slow-moving car or need to actually blast out of a nook, plus the accompanying sounds and animated countdown timer within the gauge cluster are enjoyable. For those who spec the non-compulsory GT Sport steering wheel it comes with a pair of paddles, one in all which prompts the push-to-pass operate and is certainly simpler than reaching for the button.
Porsche nonetheless doesn’t do regenerative braking within the vein of different EVs, the place you the automotive will start to decelerate while you let off the accelerator, and I nonetheless assume that’s a disgrace, nevertheless it’s not as disappointing when your brakes are as rattling good as Porsche’s are. This explicit Taycan GTS has the non-compulsory $9,070 carbon-ceramic brakes (add on an additional $910 for the black calipers) and they’re a number of the finest available on the market. 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 won’t have the regen you’re used to, nevertheless it’s now in a position to recuperate as much as 400 kW of vitality below braking, and I can really feel that recuperation working to assist gradual me down after I stomp on the left pedal.
The Taycan GTS’ steering is solely wonderful, with nice suggestions and a pleasant quantity of heft whereas nonetheless feeling gentle and darty. It’s straightforward to make fast corrections, and the non-compulsory $1,340 rear-axle steering helps the Taycan really feel smaller than it’s. It steers identical to every other Porsche sports activities automotive, and the tall fenders and low hood offer you the same view out to that of a 911, making the Taycan straightforward 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 ability earlier when cornering. The Pirelli P Zero summer season tires on this GTS’ 21-inch wheels provide tons of grip, too.
As normal the Taycan GTS has Porsche’s Lively Suspension Administration, an adaptive air setup, however when you shell out $7,150 you will get the brand new Lively Journey 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 alter compression, rebound and journey peak in milliseconds. This offers the Taycan implausible journey high quality regardless of the highway situations, and there’s primarily zero physique roll. Within the Regular drive mode you’ll be able to have the Taycan lean into corners like a motorbike, which is fantastic on extremely banked mountain roads, and it may additionally hold the automotive completely flat below onerous acceleration or braking — each are stuff you won’t discover till it’s identified to you or till the programs are turned off and again on once more, however when you expertise them, you received’t need to return. These capabilities are unavailable in Sport and Sport Plus as Porsche desires the automotive to carry out in a conventional method, which I get, nevertheless it’s nonetheless a little bit of a disgrace. Lively Journey’s finest social gathering trick is its means to immediately elevate the journey 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, nevertheless it’s straightforward 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 slightly below 300. With a 98-percent cost, this automotive confirmed a spread of 274 miles, and at 74 % 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, because of a brand new warmth pump and software program tweaks, with Porsche saying it should take simply 18 minutes to go from 10 to 80 % 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 start out together with $1,995 for vacation spot, the Taycan GTS sits completely between the $120,495 Taycan 4S and the $175,595 Taycan Turbo. Possibility a 4S as much as the GTS’ normal gear stage and the GTS appears to be like much more like a cut price, particularly when you issue within the further energy and GTS-specific chassis tweaks. After all, it’s straightforward 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 elements.
I might have gone with a Goldilocks metaphor for my intro, which does have “gold” in it, and I nearly used the phrase “candy spot” within the hed, in a understanding foolish manner, in fact. I dare you to discover a single evaluate of any fashionable Porsche GTS mannequin the place the writer 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 won’t be essentially the most highly effective Taycan, or essentially the most environment friendly Taycan, or essentially the most inexpensive Taycan, nevertheless it‘s essentially 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 supplied in Cross Turismo guise, which all have a barely greater journey 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 best take price for the wagon out of all the Taycan lineup, with 19 % of pre-facelift GTS clients selecting the Sport Turismo. (The wagon made up 12 % of the bottom trim gross sales, 7 % of the 4S, 4 % of the Turbo and 10 % of Turbo S.) It solely prices $1,900 further to get the GTS Sport Turismo over the sedan. Do it.
