Scared to ask... anyone tempted by Model S Plaid?

[andrewh3]

I was never tempted by the Tesla. I sat in a Model S (admittedly a few years ago now) and the interior was really cheap - like an old taxi with Vinyl seats. Never drove the car so cannot comment on handling and performance.

 

[ilsaair]

Difference is very simple. Tesla is a tech company that decided to build a car. Taycan is a car company who decided to build an electric version of a car. Philosophically from two different worlds.

 

[kmcdonal]

I have had my Taycan for almost a year to the day. Have loved the car, particularly the driving dynamics. It has had some minor software glitches but honestly I forget about them as soon as I start driving.

I never seriously considered Tesla because I was focused on the overall driving experience.

This all said, I do hope that Porsche responds sooner than later with a Taycan with even better acceleration.

 

[Jhenson29]

I’m re-posting an answer I wrote on Quora back in April.

Original Link:
https://www.quora.com/Which-car-wou...emy-Henson-12?ch=99&share=9d97b023&srid=i0Tpf

Which car would you choose, a Porsche Taycan 4S or a Tesla Model S Plaid?

Taycan 4S

By a mile.

To put it plainly, the Model S is boring.

I briefly looked at one a few years ago before the Mission E was announced as a production car. I was considering trading in a Panamera for a Model S. But upon seeing the car in person and sitting inside, I really wasn’t sure that’s what I wanted to do. The Model S is nowhere near the same class as a Panamera. It felt like such a downgrade. I didn’t even bother test driving the Model S.

I was interested in electric cars, but didn’t feel like there were any great options.

Within a few weeks of that visit, Porsche announced that the Mission E would become a production vehicle. That pretty much sealed it. No Tesla for me.

I put a deposit down as soon as the dealership would take it. Sometime around summer 2018. And then I waited.

The Turbo and Turbo S were announced with the 4S following shortly after. Unfortunatly, what I was really interested in was a Taycan 4 to replace our Panamera 4. I didn’t want to spend the premium on the S. It was for my wife’s DD. She doesn’t even know where the sport mode button is…

So, time goes by and it doesn’t look like there are any plans for Porsche to release a Taycan 4. It’s mid 2020 and my deposit is just sitting out there while my wife’s Panamera is getting older every year. I call the dealer and let them know that I want to cancel my deposit. The 4S just isn’t at the price/value point for our needs. Plus the Taycan loses the hatchback that we love with the Panamera, so it just doesn’t seem like the right car for us.

The dealer says he’s happy to send the refund, but encourages us to come in for a test drive first. Of course he does…

Well, we didn’t need the money and I did want to see the car in person, so I agreed.

But my work schedule wasn’t kind. I was constantly traveling and when I was home I was backed up with too much work to take a day off (I only took 6 regular vacation hours in 2020). So, it wasn’t until January of 2021 that I finally made it to the dealer with my wife. We scheduled it at the same time her Panamera needed service so it wasn’t a special trip.

At this point, my wife and I had already made other plans to replace her Panamera with just another Panamera. We were only doing the test drive to check it off the list and politely decline the car. It had been two and a half years. Neither of us were interested anymore.

But all of that started to change as soon as we saw the car. It was beautiful. And even more surprising was the way the interior felt. The curved dash is just amazing. This car was a proper replacement for her Panamera.

Everything about the car evoked a positive emotion. We took it for a test drive, but honestly, it was unnecessary. We were both sold as soon as we sat inside.

So, I sold my Audi A3 and bought a Macan S as a solution to losing the hatchback and then we increased our budget to afford the 4S instead of the mythical 4.

And I have no doubt we made the right decision.

—————

Postscript: That was written before I took delivery. I’ve had the car a few weeks now.

Still made the right decision.

By a mile.

 

[Artman]

I was never tempted by the Tesla. I sat in a Model S (admittedly a few years ago now) and the interior was really cheap - like an old taxi with Vinyl seats. Never drove the car so cannot comment on handling and performance.

I test drove an S prior to committing to a Taycan. It felt like a very fast Lincoln Towncar. LOL

 

[CT4Taycan]

I’m re-posting an answer I wrote on Quora back in April.

Original Link:
https://www.quora.com/Which-car-wou...emy-Henson-12?ch=99&share=9d97b023&srid=i0Tpf

Which car would you choose, a Porsche Taycan 4S or a Tesla Model S Plaid?

Taycan 4S

By a mile.

To put it plainly, the Model S is boring.

I briefly looked at one a few years ago before the Mission E was announced as a production car. I was considering trading in a Panamera for a Model S. But upon seeing the car in person and sitting inside, I really wasn’t sure that’s what I wanted to do. The Model S is nowhere near the same class as a Panamera. It felt like such a downgrade. I didn’t even bother test driving the Model S.

I was interested in electric cars, but didn’t feel like there were any great options.

Within a few weeks of that visit, Porsche announced that the Mission E would become a production vehicle. That pretty much sealed it. No Tesla for me.

I put a deposit down as soon as the dealership would take it. Sometime around summer 2018. And then I waited.

The Turbo and Turbo S were announced with the 4S following shortly after. Unfortunatly, what I was really interested in was a Taycan 4 to replace our Panamera 4. I didn’t want to spend the premium on the S. It was for my wife’s DD. She doesn’t even know where the sport mode button is…

So, time goes by and it doesn’t look like there are any plans for Porsche to release a Taycan 4. It’s mid 2020 and my deposit is just sitting out there while my wife’s Panamera is getting older every year. I call the dealer and let them know that I want to cancel my deposit. The 4S just isn’t at the price/value point for our needs. Plus the Taycan loses the hatchback that we love with the Panamera, so it just doesn’t seem like the right car for us.

The dealer says he’s happy to send the refund, but encourages us to come in for a test drive first. Of course he does…

Well, we didn’t need the money and I did want to see the car in person, so I agreed.

But my work schedule wasn’t kind. I was constantly traveling and when I was home I was backed up with too much work to take a day off (I only took 6 regular vacation hours in 2020). So, it wasn’t until January of 2021 that I finally made it to the dealer with my wife. We scheduled it at the same time her Panamera needed service so it wasn’t a special trip.

At this point, my wife and I had already made other plans to replace her Panamera with just another Panamera. We were only doing the test drive to check it off the list and politely decline the car. It had been two and a half years. Neither of us were interested anymore.

But all of that started to change as soon as we saw the car. It was beautiful. And even more surprising was the way the interior felt. The curved dash is just amazing. This car was a proper replacement for her Panamera.

Everything about the car evoked a positive emotion. We took it for a test drive, but honestly, it was unnecessary. We were both sold as soon as we sat inside.

So, I sold my Audi A3 and bought a Macan S as a solution to losing the hatchback and then we increased our budget to afford the 4S instead of the mythical 4.

And I have no doubt we made the right decision.

—————

Postscript: That was written before I took delivery. I’ve had the car a few weeks now.

Still made the right decision.

By a mile.

Great writeup! Ive gotten the Model S as loaners and they are quite bloated for no reason. Sure the new Plaid is fast and interior is all updated and new but I have a CT4S on order.

Love the Model X performance on the other hand, will probably keep that for awhile. Thinking about getting rid of the Model 3 when the Taycan comes in. Cant wait!!

 

[submatrix]

Great writeup! Ive gotten the Model S as loaners and they are quite bloated for no reason. Sure the new Plaid is fast and interior is all updated and new but I have a CT4S on order.

Love the Model X performance on the other hand, will probably keep that for awhile. Thinking about getting rid of the Model 3 when the Taycan comes in. Cant wait!!

You could probably sell the Model 3 for a ridiculous price right now, based on what I'm hearing. A coworker claims he sold his 2019 Model 3 with 20k miles to Carmax for the same price he bought it for. WTF?

 

[daveo4EV]

very knowledgable Performance shop owner today reported on his personal experience with Plaid - track driver - champsionship racer - his shop services/tracks every make/model of car you can imagine, and they have deep experience with most brands (including Tesla) - and he is not a Tesla fan even though he’s in silly-con valley - but sees the writing on the wall with EV

1. fastest car he’s ever driven - mind blowing (his words) - he’s driven everything (including dragster, La Ferarri, Tesla Model S, Taycan, Cup Cars…)
2. plaid changes things no doubt based on his 45 min test drive - this is a benchmark vehicle for the entire industry
3. acceleration is unlike any car on the market
4. steering/suspension ALL new - all better - really really good in his opinion
   1. steering feel excellent (Porsche quality - his words)
   2. suspension - tight, but compliant - excellent ride quality with great balance for stiffness for performance
   3. handling as good as it gets for a car this big - equal to Taycan if not better
   4. because of the dual motors and software in the rear end acceleration through corners is best on the market right now - grip, feel, and split of power given the dual independent motors on the rear end allow this vehicle to handle like nothing else on the market, both at low speeds and high speed cornering - it’s an infinitely variable limited slip differential virtualized in software - this car can do things no other vehicle can do for handling at any speed.
5. handling light years better than anything on the market (including Taycan which he’s personally a lot of seat time)
6. software - order of magnitude fast/better/more control and easy to use than previous Tesla software - will once again set a benchmark for the industry to attempt to catch
7. did I tell you it was quick - mind blowing quick
8. he spent an hour going over the car exterior and interior - build quality dramtically improved vs. the 100’s of Model 3 and S’s he has inspected/upgraded/experience over the years
9. brakes - utter crap - and not up the task of a vehicle that can easily accomplish more than 180 mph - OMG they are sooooo bad
   1. he said if they fix the brakes they wil have the BEST 4 door lux sports sedan on the market
   2. you can soo easily drive this car too fast for the brakes to meet you expectations - he predicts people will die because of this - the car is sooooo fast, but you can’t stop it.
10. Still not a track car, but able to hang with _ANY_ sports sedan on the market and embarass it greatly
11. The plaid inspected on a mechanical lift shows a complete redesigned suspension and other components…

His Bottom Line: Best 4 door sports sedan on the market - if they fix the brakes there is nothing to complete with it.

Did I tell you he hate’s Tesla and Elon?

lesson here is: the Plaid is not the model S, and bears little if any resemblance to the pit-falls we are all so familiar with the Model S. The exterior may have not changed that much, but the drive train, suspension are all new and better/best across the board…interior fit/finish and materials are also substaintially better in his assessments (his customer base include bentles, aston martins, porsche’s ferrari’s, lambos, audi’s, jags, land rovers etc - he is in good position to recognize build quality and materials)

My impression in the postings on this thread are from people who have no first hand experience with a Plaid…just my $0.02

One should take a wait and see approach and actually evaluate the Plaid product, rather than just assuming it’s a souped up Model S.

 

[daveo4EV]

I’m re-posting an answer I wrote on Quora back in April.

Original Link:
https://www.quora.com/Which-car-wou...emy-Henson-12?ch=99&share=9d97b023&srid=i0Tpf

Which car would you choose, a Porsche Taycan 4S or a Tesla Model S Plaid?

Taycan 4S

By a mile.

To put it plainly, the Model S is boring.

I briefly looked at one a few years ago before the Mission E was announced as a production car. I was considering trading in a Panamera for a Model S. But upon seeing the car in person and sitting inside, I really wasn’t sure that’s what I wanted to do. The Model S is nowhere near the same class as a Panamera. It felt like such a downgrade. I didn’t even bother test driving the Model S.

I was interested in electric cars, but didn’t feel like there were any great options.

Within a few weeks of that visit, Porsche announced that the Mission E would become a production vehicle. That pretty much sealed it. No Tesla for me.

I put a deposit down as soon as the dealership would take it. Sometime around summer 2018. And then I waited.

The Turbo and Turbo S were announced with the 4S following shortly after. Unfortunatly, what I was really interested in was a Taycan 4 to replace our Panamera 4. I didn’t want to spend the premium on the S. It was for my wife’s DD. She doesn’t even know where the sport mode button is…

So, time goes by and it doesn’t look like there are any plans for Porsche to release a Taycan 4. It’s mid 2020 and my deposit is just sitting out there while my wife’s Panamera is getting older every year. I call the dealer and let them know that I want to cancel my deposit. The 4S just isn’t at the price/value point for our needs. Plus the Taycan loses the hatchback that we love with the Panamera, so it just doesn’t seem like the right car for us.

The dealer says he’s happy to send the refund, but encourages us to come in for a test drive first. Of course he does…

Well, we didn’t need the money and I did want to see the car in person, so I agreed.

But my work schedule wasn’t kind. I was constantly traveling and when I was home I was backed up with too much work to take a day off (I only took 6 regular vacation hours in 2020). So, it wasn’t until January of 2021 that I finally made it to the dealer with my wife. We scheduled it at the same time her Panamera needed service so it wasn’t a special trip.

At this point, my wife and I had already made other plans to replace her Panamera with just another Panamera. We were only doing the test drive to check it off the list and politely decline the car. It had been two and a half years. Neither of us were interested anymore.

But all of that started to change as soon as we saw the car. It was beautiful. And even more surprising was the way the interior felt. The curved dash is just amazing. This car was a proper replacement for her Panamera.

Everything about the car evoked a positive emotion. We took it for a test drive, but honestly, it was unnecessary. We were both sold as soon as we sat inside.

So, I sold my Audi A3 and bought a Macan S as a solution to losing the hatchback and then we increased our budget to afford the 4S instead of the mythical 4.

And I have no doubt we made the right decision.

—————

Postscript: That was written before I took delivery. I’ve had the car a few weeks now.

Still made the right decision.

By a mile.

the plaid is not a model S - see my previoius posting - it may look like a model S - but that’s about it - this from someone who knows cars really really well…

previous experienc with a Model s does not qualify one to make comments on the new Plaid - it’s a completely overhauled drive train/suspension…and interior design and materials.

 

[Jhenson29]

the plaid is not a model S

Model S Plaid.
Looks like a Model S to me. ?‍

 

[submatrix]

very knowledgable Performance shop owner today reported on his personal experience with Plaid - track driver - champsionship racer - his shop services/tracks every make/model of car you can imagine, and they have deep experience with most brands (including Tesla) - and he is not a Tesla fan even though he’s in silly-con valley - but sees the writing on the wall with EV

1. fastest car he’s ever driven - mind blowing (his words) - he’s driven everything (including dragster, La Ferarri, Tesla Model X, Taycan, Cup Cars…)
2. plaid changes things no doubt based on his 45 min test drive - this is a benchmark vehicle for the entire industry
3. acceleration is unlike any car on the market
4. steering/suspension ALL new - all better - really really good in his opinion
   1. steering feel excellent (Porsche quality - his words)
   2. suspension - tight, but compliant - excellent ride quality with great balance for stiffness for performance
   3. handling as good as it gets for a car this big - equal to Taycan if not better
   4. because of the dual motors and software in the rear end acceleration through corners is best on the market right now - grip, feel, and split of power given the dual independent motors on the rear end allow this vehicle to handle like nothing else on the market, both at low speeds and high speed cornering - it’s an infinitely variable limited slip differential virtualized in software - this car can do things no other vehicle can do for handling at any speed.
5. handling light years better than anything on the market (including Taycan which he’s personally a lot of seat time)
6. software - order of magnitude fast/better/more control and easy to use than previous Tesla software - will once again set a benchmark for the industry to attempt to catch
7. did I tell you it was quick - mind blowing quick
8. he spent an hour going over the car exterior and interior - build quality dramtically improved vs. the 100’s of Model 3 and S’s he has inspected/upgraded/experience over the years
9. brakes - utter crap - and not up the task of a vehicle that can easily accomplish more than 180 mph - OMG they are sooooo bad
   1. he said if they fix the brakes they wil have the BEST 4 door lux sports sedan on the market
   2. you can soo easily drive this car too fast for the brakes to meet you expectations - he predicts people will die because of this - the car is sooooo fast, but you can’t stop it.
10. Still not a track car, but able to hang with _ANY_ sports sedan on the market and embarass it greatly
11. The plaid inspected on a mechanical lift shows a complete redesigned suspension and other components…

His Bottom Line: Best 4 door sports sedan on the market - if they fix the brakes there is nothing to complete with it.

Did I tell you he hate’s Tesla and Elon?

lesson here is: the Plaid is not the model S, and bears little if any resemblance to the pit-falls we are all so familiar with the Model S. The exterior may have not changed that much, but the drive train, suspension are all new and better/best across the board…interior fit/finish and materials are also substaintially better in his assessments (his customer base include bentles, aston martins, porsche’s ferrari’s, lambos, audi’s, jags, land rovers etc - he is in good position to recognize build quality and materials)

My impression in the postings on this thread are from people who have no first hand experience with a Plaid…just my $0.02

One should take a wait and see approach and actually evaluate the Plaid product, rather than just assuming it’s a souped up Model S.

Wow, if true, then I would be very impressed and surprised, and my earlier comment about it driving like my 2018 Model S would be way off.

My friend is waiting for delivery on his, now I can't wait to ride/drive it.

 

[daveo4EV]

yes the looks are the only thing that’s the same…everything else is new and industry leading.

 

[Artman]

Model S Plaid.
Looks like a Model S to me. ?‍

I do think if Tesla would have changed the body style along with the other updates, they'd have more takers.

 

[Jhenson29]

yes the looks are the only thing that’s the same…everything else is new and industry leading.

I’ll let Elon know he messed up his site. Maybe I can make a pull request.

 

[daveo4EV]

Wow, if true, then I would be very impressed and surprised, and my earlier comment about it driving like my 2018 Model S would be way off.

My friend is waiting for delivery on his, now I can't wait to ride/drive it.

have you driven a Plaid model S?