√Porsche Taycan wins 2022 Drive Car of the Year Best Electric Vehicle Over $100,000

Power, passion, performance, poise… the Taycan is the electric vehicle only Porsche could create.

Tom Cruise’s line in Risky Business continues to ring true. Porsche, accept no substitute.

With an eight-variant range spanning the regular four-door sedan and high-riding ‘Cross Turismo’ wagon, the Taycan offers a futuristic and future-proof EV with soul and engagement you expect from the Porsche badge.

Quality in construction, and of materials used, is top-shelf with the Taycan able to do everything you can imagine from an electric car, each and every time you drive it.

Performance is hugely impressive, even with our mid-specification Taycan 4S. Here the standard 79.2kWh battery can deliver 390kW and 640Nm through a pair of motors, or upgrade to the longer-range Performance Battery Plus with a 93.4kWh battery and 420kW/650Nm outputs and, unique in this set, a two-speed transmission.

It’s this which makes the difference to the Taycan’s real-world use, as while other EVs are fast off the mark but then tend to taper response at speed, the Taycan’s transmission allows it to step between off-the-line performance as well as on-the-move acceleration.

Stepping up to the flagship Taycan Turbo S gives you rollercoaster-like performance with 560kW and 1050Nm instantly available to crush your organs against the seat, time after time after time.

Energy use is higher than others in this category, though, especially if you enjoy that ballistic acceleration a bit too much, and the smaller-battery cars are rated to 365km range.

Charging is impressively fast if using the right hardware, though, with the Taycan’s 800-volt system capable of running up to 270kW DC ultra-fast recharging.

Interior quality is excellent, with plenty of personalisation options available to make your cabin stand out from the rest. In typical Porsche fashion, though, these will cost you and enthusiastic box-ticking can crank your drive-away price up considerably.

The neat twin-screen set-up on the dashboard is a cool inclusion (with the option to add a third in front of the passenger), but all the haptic touchpoints tend to attract plenty of fingerprints.

Worth noting, too, that taller drivers will find the B-pillar is right where your seat back will naturally position, and it can be tricky to get in and out around it.

The format of the Taycan, as a four-seat sedan (sure, there are five seatbelts, but that middle spot is a smidge tight) doesn’t suit everyone, as rear room is a bit cramped for adults, and the liftback, while convenient, only offers a moderate 366L boot (plus 84L up front).

You can step to the Cross Turismo wagon (we would) that addresses both these concerns, sort of. There’s a bit more headspace and height in the boot, which expands to 405L in the rear and the same 84L up front.

Whichever shape or power output you choose, though, the Taycan will give you the best of what is possible today, every time you drive it.

It offers not only an excellent electric-car experience, but also a proper Porsche one.

Read about the Best Electric Vehicle Over $100K

Read about all the other 2022 Drive Car of the Year categories and winners