The Porsche Taycan has only been around for a couple of years but the portfolio has already grown tremendously, approaching the number of derivatives offered by the 911. Case in point, the peeps from Zuffenhausen are adding a new member to the portfolio – the GTS. It gives electric sports sedan buyers the opportunity to pick a more potent alternative to the 4S without paying the premium commanded by the Turbo.
At $131,400, it’s nearly $27,600 more expensive than the Taycan 4S and makes the BMW i4 M50 somewhat of a barging since it’s nearly half the price, at around $67,000. Both have dual motors and all-wheel drive, but while the GTS packs 590 horsepower, the electric Gran Coupe has to make do with 536 hp. The power advantage enables the Porsche to hit 60 mph in three and a half seconds whereas the top-spec i4 needs an extra 0.2s.
As far as their batteries are concerned, the GTS once again has the edge, with a 93.4-kWh pack compared to the i4 M50’s 83.9-kWh setup. Details regarding range will be disclosed closer to the Taycan’s market launch set to take place in the second quarter of next year. However, it shouldn’t be significantly different from the 227 miles offered by the Taycan 4S with the same battery. That’s slightly less than the 245-mile range estimated by BMW for its performance EV.
Given the massive price gap between the two, it’s unlikely a buyer will cross-shop the electric sedans, especially since even the base single-motor, rear-wheel-drive Taycan is already nearly $16,000 more expensive than the i4 M50. That being said, reviews will show whether the GTS is really worth the nearly 100% premium over the zero-emissions Bimmer.
Of course, no one was expecting a Porsche to be cheap, let alone a midrange trim level of an electric car. Should a full-fat M version of the i4 arrive at a later date, it will get closer in terms of performance (and pricing) to the GTS while still remaining significantly more affordable.
What BMW really needs to genuinely go up against Porsche is a dedicated electric M car, but the former boss of the company’s go-faster division has hinted it won’t happen before 2025. It’s too soon to say whether it will ride on the Neue Klasse platform or not, but we’re hoping for a full-blown dedicated electric performance car rather than an amped-up version of a regular EV.
[Source: Porsche]
