2023 Porsche Taycan vs Tesla Model Y

What's the difference?

Is the GTS a worthy addition to the Taycan range or is it just adding complexity to an already comprehensive line-up? The answer is most definitely the former, with the GTS bringing something suitably different to add a new dimension to the Taycan range. 

It also adds something new to the electric car space - a true ‘driver’s car’ that’s engaging in the corners as it is running 0-100km/h times. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Porsche is the first brand to achieve this feat, and it’s also not meant to be a slight on the very impressive Taycan and other sporty EVs like the Polestar 2, BMW i4 M50 and Tesla Model 3 Performance.

But with the Taycan GTS Porsche provides hope that for driving enthusiasts the switch to electrification is the start of something new, and not the end of the road. 

One thing is for sure, it’s definitely a performance car, but not as we know it.

This version of the Tesla Model Y is the ultimate tech gadget on four wheels. It’s incredibly fast, has unbelievable, unnerving handling, and importantly what seems to be the best software in the business. Coming in significantly cheaper than its European performance EV rivals, it doesn’t even seem like bad value.

But. Enthusiasts be warned. There is an element of drama missing here, the Model Y is almost too good at attacking the road, there’s no roaring feedback or imperfections for you to correct, and for this reason alone, even if it’s the future, I don’t think it’s going to be for everyone.

Beyond the standard Taycan design elements, the GTS gets a raft of unique styling changes, inside and out, to make it stand out in the range.

The outside features black or dark touches to the front spoiler, the underside of the mirrors, the side window trims, side skirts and rear diffuser.

There’s also 20-inch Taycan Turbo S alloy wheels finished in satin black, as well as a ‘Porsche’ logo integrated (in black) into the rear light strip to complete the look.

Inside, there’s extensive use of Porsche’s 'Race-Tex' synthetic suede, which provides a sportier appearance, especially with the brushed aluminium trim, as well as ‘GTS’ logos on the front and rear seat headrests and a multifunction sports steering wheel trimmed in Race-Tex.

If you’ve seen one Tesla, you’ve pretty much seen them all, with the Model Y Performance doing little to set itself apart from the rest of the range.

It’s all part of Tesla’s minimalist Silicon Valley aesthetic. Like various models of iPhone, the changes between models are meant to be felt and not seen.

The Uberturbine wheels are of course a highlight, really filling the arches compared to the standard hub cab-wearing ones which ship on the standard Model Y, but they are also the only option on the Performance, too bad if you’re not a fan of matt black.

On the inside there are no surprises, either. The same minimalist aesthetic applies, as usual to a fault.

I feel like I’m sitting in the Apple Store, with just a big floating tablet being the main decoration.

Our car had the wood-look trim option, which is the most preferable option of the two. I found the white plastic fill alternative a bit cheap-feeling during my test of the standard Model Y.

I think the minimalism of the Model Y’s cabin will help it age well, but as I usually complain about these Tesla cabins. There’s no dash cluster or even a head-up display which feels like a bit of a usability blunder. Who wants to look at a centre display for critical information on the car?

The GTS doesn’t offer anything different from the rest of the Taycan range in a practical sense. It’s a mid-size sedan, filling a gap in the brand's line-up beneath the larger Panamera, which means the front seat occupants are well accommodated but the rear seats are a bit tight on space - specifically kneeroom and head clearance.

The boot measures only 366 litres in total capacity and the opening is relatively small, so fitting bulky items in can be challenging.

Fortunately, there’s an additional 84L of space underneath the bonnet, so the Taycan ends up being quite practical.

The biggest gripe is the lack of a specific storage area for the on-board charging cable. Instead it comes in a large rectangular box which can be secured via clips in the boot, but that means you’ve lost some of what was already a modest luggage space.

Porsche claims most owners won’t travel with a cable, instead they’ll do most charging at home. But it’s still an odd move given the Taycan was designed to be an electric car from scratch, so a cable storage space should have been included from the beginning.

The Model Y feels much bigger than the Model 3 so it will definitely hit the sweet spot for people who wanted a Tesla but found the Model 3 too cramped for a family.

Everywhere feels expanded, especially headroom, and the minimalist design leaves room for big door pockets and the flat floor leaves room for extra large stowage areas under the centre console.

I especially like the way the dual wireless chargers integrate with the design here.

There are a few hidden hard plastics, but Tesla has put soft-touch and padded surfaces in all the right areas.

The seats are reasonably comfortable, but I’m not sure how the synthetic leather trim will age in the Australian sun particularly as there’s no way to cover the big panoramic sunroof.

Not everyone has a garage. Interestingly though the car does have a cabin overheat protection function, which automatically starts the air conditioning should the cabin exceed a certain temperature.

Still, there are a lot of months in the year our brutal sun will be cooking the interior.

If you’ve read any of my Tesla reviews before, you’ll know I’m not a huge fan of the need to control pretty much all of the car's key functions through the central touchscreen.

It feels like a shame to complain about this, because the software is truly beautiful, and Tesla backs it with powerful computer hardware to keep the screen fast and responsive.

But having no dash cluster feels like a bit of a design-over-usability trait, especially when you go to adjust some of this car’s settings on the fly.

This is a far cry from an affordable EV. Forget your MG ZS EVs, BYD Atto 3s and even base Teslas, because the Model Y Performance is in a different league when it comes to price and ability.

To give you an idea, the entry-point Model Y tends to float around $70,000 once you add on-road costs, sometimes slightly more. This Performance version takes a massive hike to nearly $100,000, before on-road costs, and the example we drove for this test totalled $108,031.

The trouble with the Performance version is it’s so expensive it doesn’t qualify for electric car rebates, and in fact attracts luxury car tax instead, pushing the price ever higher.

To add insult to injury, there’s not even a whole lot on the outside of this car to tip you off it costs nearly $40,000 more than the entry-level version, with the main hint being the 21-inch 'Uberturbine' wheels.

If you look even more closely you might notice it rides a little lower than the standard car, has bigger brakes, and a little carbon-fibre lip spoiler attached to the tailgate.

Most of the changes are under the skin, including an alternate suspension tune, second motor on the front axle, and a lot of additional power.

Tesla, famously shy about sharing specifics, only gives a 0-100km/h sprint time, which improves from 6.9 to 3.7 seconds for the Performance.

The battery is larger, too, boosting range from 455km on the base Model Y to 514km.

On the inside expect the standard Tesla stuff, like synthetic leather interior trim, the huge 15-inch centre tablet screen with integrated nav and always online connectivity, dual wireless chargers, and a panoramic sunroof.

The whole look and feel is super slick, as always, but is notably missing Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. Tesla is hoping you’ll use built-in versions of all your favourite apps. Too bad if you use one which isn’t offered.

LED headlights, performance tyres, and a power tailgate add to the gear list, but interestingly there’s no V2L - one key feature still missing from the Tesla brand, and something which adds a slight advantage to its rivals from Kia and Hyundai.

Of course, the software is the biggest sell. As though to prove Tesla is a software company first and a car brand second, the software in this car is by far the best on the market.

It’s super slick, and offers the most feature packed and functional app. It’s stuff like this which is hard to go back from, and is still keeping Teslas feeling more futuristic than most electric rivals.

It’s worth noting: even at this inflated price, the Model Y Performance still seems like decent value given how quick it is.

The only comparisons, cars like the Porsche Taycan, Audi e-tron GT, and BMW iX cost more, with the exception of the Kia EV6 GT which is similarly priced and offers similar specs and features.

The GTS is motivated by the same permanently excited synchronous electric motors as the Taycan Turbo but they have been tweaked for this new model.

I use plural because there are two motors, one on each axle, which means the GTS is all-wheel drive - just like the Turbo and 4S.

In the GTS the motors are tuned to make 380kW of power and 850Nm of torque. However, there’s an 'Overboost' function as part of the launch control system that allows for up to 440kW released for short bursts.

That fits the GTS between the 4S, which makes 390kW/640Nm, and the Turbo, rated for 460kW/850Nm.

In order to extend driving range Porsche is able to effectively disconnect the front motor when in ‘Normal’ or ‘Range’ driving modes to reduce drag on the powertrain and conserve energy.

Like most EVs the Taycan uses a single-speed transmission, at least on the front motor. At the rear Porsche has opted for a two-speed unit, which is the key to the Taycan’s rapid acceleration (0-100km/h takes just 3.7 seconds) and repeatability.

Tesla, always mysterious when it comes to hard specs, does not offer official power and torque figures for any of its models. Just the ever-impressive 0-100km/h sprint times.

However, looking at documentation the brand has officially filed in China (where the Model Y for our market is built) reveals specs of 220kW/440Nm for the rear motor, and 137kW/219Nm for the front motor, placing it pretty far up there in the EV performance charts.

It’s not just raw power, either. The Model Y performance also scores a lowered ride, bigger brakes, impressive torque vectoring software to keep everything under control, and interestingly, what Tesla tells us is a new suspension tune (even newer than the set-up we tested when the Model Y first arrived in Australia in late 2022.)

It’s all very impressive-sounding, but does it work? Read on to find out.

The GTS is fitted with the 'Performance Battery Plus' as standard, which is a 93.4kWh battery pack that is an upgrade from the 79.2kWh battery that’s standard in the Taycan 4S.

Porsche claims the GTS has a greater driving range than the models around it, befitting its title as the ‘sweet spot’ in the line-up. The company claims the GTS can go up to 485km between charges, compared to 414km for the 4S and 420km for the Turbo.

Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get an accurate real-world figure on energy consumption because our test drive included a significant amount of track driving. However, the fact the Taycan GTS was able to do both an extended road drive and track running on a single charge suggests the 485km claim is realistic.

In terms of recharging times, Porsche quotes nine hours using an AC 11kW outlet, while a DC 50kW charger can take it from five per cent battery to 80 per cent in 93 minutes.

If you get access to the 350kW ultra-rapid charger it can top up 5-80 per cent in just over 22 minutes.

The Model Y Performance has an official, WLTP-rated consumption number of 15.4kWh/100km, which grants the car a 514km driving range.

Few EVs manage to get over the 500km range mark, so this fact alone is pretty impressive.

In our testing the car returned a higher figure of 18.7kWh/100km, reducing range to the mid-400s on a full charge.

We only had the car for three days, so I expect, like the standard Model Y, it would be possible to get close to the official number with a longer-term test.

When it comes to charging, the Model Y can hit an impressive 250kW on a fast DC charger, allowing a charge time of around half an hour on a compatible unit. Expect more like an hour and a half on a more common 50kW unit.

Meanwhile the slow AC charger will hit a peak of 11kW, allowing the Model Y to charge from 10 per cent in more like seven hours. Still, adding roughly 75km of range an hour is worth it for longer stays at shopping centres or the like.

Interestingly, the Model Y doesn’t offer V2L, that is - the ability to power devices from its charging port. It seems to be one key piece of EV equipment missing from its spec list.

This is where the true test of the GTS lies because of its positioning as the ‘driver’s car’ in the Taycan line-up. We already know electric cars are quick in a straight line thanks to the instant torque offered by the motors, but there hasn’t been one that has matched conventional sports sedans in the corners yet.

The GTS comes as close as any EV to providing the same driving experience as its petrol-powered equivalent, which are the highly-rated BMW M5 and Mercedes-AMG E63 S.

Porsche allowed us to experience the Taycan GTS on the roads of south-east Queensland, as well as the Norwell Motorplex circuit near the Gold Coast.

In either environment the sheer size of the Taycan is hard to disguise, with the GTS tipping the scales at a hefty 2295kg, more than 200kg heavier than its petrol rivals.

To compensate for the extra weight the Taycan feels more stiffly sprung, which helps to control the chassis better, but does make for a less forgiving ride. 

Even though the GTS uses a uniquely tuned version of Porsche’s three-chamber adaptive air suspension it can still feel too sharply sprung on sharp edged bumps and across patchy road surfaces.

However, the GTS is also equipped with Porsche’s adaptive dampers - officially known as the Porsche Active Suspension Management or PASM - which helps the car really come alive when you push the handling to its limits.

In typical Porsche fashion the steering is well sorted, providing direct feedback and ideal weighting, and the chassis responds quickly to your inputs.

On the track, when pushed to its limits, the GTS car occasionally feels a bit slow to react because of its weight, but it never feels dull or lazy. This might be the best handling electric car yet.

I’ll just cut to the chase here: Sorry Musk haters, the Model Y Performance is truly, deeply impressive.

I didn’t stopwatch test its 0-100km/h sprint time, but 3.7 seconds certainly feels possible, and totally visceral.

Yes, the Model Y Performance will turn your groceries into a fine paste on the back of the boot if you stick your foot in, but the sprint time is far from the most impressive part of the drive experience.

I’d hand this honour over to the handling. The Model Y is simply incredible at holding onto the road.

Try as I might on one of Sydney’s best and curviest roads, the Model Y simply wouldn’t misbehave.

It’s almost surreal feeling the computers work their magic in the corners, taming the physics of a 2.0-tonne SUV, constantly fighting understeer or oversteer on the fly to keep it all tidy.

It does all of this in silence, with just the tyre roar to indicate your velocity. I must admit. I didn’t expect such ferocious ability from this car.

I certainly expected speed, but not this level of tidiness for something heavier and taller than a Model 3.

The trouble for a traditional car enthusiast, then, is the fact the Model Y is almost too good. It’s clinical in the way it attacks the road, and feels almost unfair, artificial, as though a computer is doing the work for you (it might as well be).

It feels risk-free, drama-free, feedback-free. While the experience of driving such a machine is nothing short of incredible, I somehow think it’s not the kind of thrills combustion enthusiasts are looking for.

Even the steering is artificial, with three heavily computer-assisted modes. I must say, 'Sport' and 'Standard' are a bit too heavy, with my preferred steering mode being the 'Chill' setting, which is the lightest and makes the car feel a bit easier to wrangle in the corners.

The three regen modes will actually appeal to a variety of tastes, allowing the car to behave either like a single-pedal EV (my preferred mode) or more like a combustion car, with a creep mode and a roll mode which will be more familiar to those who haven’t experienced an EV before, or are not fans of regenerative braking.

The new suspension has improved the ride significantly, with the Model Y Performance lacking the brittle edge which I experienced when the Model Y first arrived a few months ago.

It feels like it deals with sudden jolts a bit better, but make no mistake, this is still a firm ride, and the Y still has a firm frame.

While the ride has improved, it is still susceptible to significant amounts of jiggle, with the ride being notably busy over poor road surfaces. Still, it’s good to see this common issue with Teslas starting to move in the right direction.

Teslas are very impressive when it comes to safety, with an almost unprecedented number of sensors, and, importantly, great software to process what the car sees.

This is best seen through the radar screen which the car displays alongside the map, which is constantly collecting data on what the car sees around it.

It gives you confidence the car has seen and categorised a potential threat, usually before you have, and if ANCAP’s testing is anything to go by, it works, too.

The Model Y, including this Performance variant, wears a maximum five ANCAP stars, performing extremely well across all categories, with a particularly high score in ‘adult occupant protection’, and ‘Safety Assist’ which considers the abilities of its automatic safety systems.

While the Model Y’s suite is broader than individual standard active safety items offered by other brands, equivalents of most systems like auto emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, lane keep assist, and things like traffic sign recognition are on-board.

Even the adaptive cruise control is one of the best on the market, remarkably good at lane keeping and steering assist, but I’d question whether it’s worth splashing for the controversial 'Full Self Driving' option.

Coming in at more than $10,000, it’s questionable if any of the included software features are even legal to use.

Thanks to the more simplistic nature of electric cars, or at least less oily bits that need maintenance, servicing intervals for the Taycan GTS are a lengthy two-years or 30,000km, whichever comes first.

Porsche doesn’t list pricing for the servicing because labour charges vary in each state.

The Taycan GTS is covered by Porsche’s regular three-year/unlimited warranty for the majority of the car, but the battery pack gets an extended eight-year/160,000km of coverage.

It’s a good question: What’s it like to own a Tesla. Some of the numbers aren’t promising, like, for example, the four-year and 80,000km warranty promise which is one of the shortest new car warranties on the market right now.

However, Tesla does cover the high voltage battery and drive components for a much longer eight years and 192,000km, guaranteeing 70 per cent of the car’s original battery capacity at that time.

Teslas have condition-based servicing (because, of course they do), meaning the car will tell you when it wants to visit a Tesla workshop based on various inputs. Seems logical, but not very transparent.