The highly anticipated Porsche Taycan made its global debut ahead of the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show. Essentially a competitor for the popular Tesla Model S, the Taycan signals the beginning of a fierce battle in the high-performance electric car segment. And needless to say, the Taycan looks like it has what it takes to give the Model S a run for its money. On the other hand, Porsche's EV isn't as quick as the American sedan, which is a letdown for performance enthusiasts.

The 2020 Porsche Taycan is impressively powerful and fast

Powered by a couple of electric motors, one for each axle, the Taycan is available in two guises at launch. The first version wears a Turbo badge and generates 670 horsepower. The range-topping Taycan goes by the name Turbo S. It features an overboost system and launch control and hits the pavement with a whopping 750 horsepower.Both vehicles have a top speed rating of 161 mph. Again, this is impressive for an EV since most of them top out below the 140-mph mark. It's also higher than the standard for performance gasoline cars, usually rated at 155 mph.



But the 2020 Porsche Taycan falls short of the Tesla Model S

Rated at 670 horsepower, the Taycan Turbo is notably more powerful than the Tesla Model S 100D Long Range, which comes with 417 horsepower on tap. Naturally, the Taycan Turbo is quicker than this version of the Model S. The latter hits 60 mph in 3.7 seconds, while the Taycan reaches the same benchmark in three clicks. The German sedan wins the top speed battle as well with a rating set at 161 mph. That's six mph more than the Model S 100D Long Range.

Well, the 100D Performance, which also comes with the Ludicrous mode, generates 762 horsepower. That 12 extra horses compared to the Taycan Turbo S. While it's not a massive improvement output-wise, the Model S 100D Performance is notably quicker. With Ludicrous mode engaged, it hits 60 mph in 2.4 seconds, two tenths quicker than the Taycan Turbo S. It also reaches a higher top speed at 163 mph, two mph more than the German EV. Granted, two mph isn't much, but numbers are numbers and the Model S wins.

Is this comparison hugely relevant?

Not really. While the Model S 100D Performance trumps the Porsche Taycan Turbo S, it's not such a big deal. Also, it shouldn't be a reason for performance EV fans to choose the Model S over the Taycan.

What's more, an EV shouldn't be judged only by how powerful and quick it is. Range and recharging times are equally important. In this department, we already know that the Model S is a solid car. Sadly, we don't have much information on the Taycan. We do know that charging times from five to 80 percent are of only 22.5 minutes with a 270-kW charger, but EPA estimates for North America are missing as of this writing.

Once all the figures are out, we'll know whether the fact that it's two tenths and two mph slower than the Model S is the Taycan's only (mostly irrelevant) problem.

Further Reading

Porsche Revealed The Taycan And It Is An Electric Game Changer

Read our full review on the 2020 Porsche Taycan.

Read our full review on the 2019 Tesla Model S.