When Tesla revealed the 1,000+ horsepower Mannequin S Plaid’s efficiency numbers, our collective jaws hit the ground. It may out-accelerate a Components 1 automobile, and it was solely defeated by the various instances dearer and almost twice as highly effective Rimac Nevera electrical hypercar.
The truth that a sensible, snug household sedan had a claimed two-second dash time to sixty miles per hour was laborious to course of at first, however because the drag racing movies of the Plaid simply strolling away from some very severe efficiency vehicles began pouring in, we acquired used to it. One of many automobiles it had no bother defeating for outright acceleration was the Porsche Taycan, which even in its high Turbo S guise merely didn’t have sufficient energy to maintain up with the bonkers Plaid, particularly earlier than its facelift.
Get Absolutely Charged
The Porsche Taycan was all the time good across the bends
With the introduction of the Taycan Turbo GT, Porsche now lastly has a model of its improbable electrical sedan that may maintain its personal in opposition to the Tesla Mannequin S Plaid and Lucid Air Sapphire in a straight line.
Nonetheless, Porsche was having none of that, so it went again to the drafting board to create a model of the Taycan able to defeating the Plaid. That’s why the Taycan Turbo GT was created, with specs that clearly present it was designed to outperform a Mannequin S Plaid. It does arrive virtually three years after the Plaid was launched, nevertheless it seems to be prefer it has the firepower to dethrone it.
And let’s not neglect that there’s an much more highly effective and faster electrical sedan than the Mannequin S Plaid within the type of the Lucid Air Sapphire. It outaccelerates the Plaid and is quicker on the high finish too, regardless of its additional weight, so the Taycan Turbo GT has some very stiff competitors, at the least with regards to on-paper efficiency figures.
Spec Wars
We all know Porsche benchmarked the Taycan Turbo GT in opposition to the Mannequin S Plaid as a result of it has virtually the identical peak energy. The Turbo GT’s two motors can produce 1,019 horsepower when launch management is enabled, or as much as 1,092 horsepower for a number of seconds due to a short lived overboost perform (calculated by Porsche in line with its personal peak energy measurement methodology).
That’s 100 extra peak horsepower than the facelifted 2025 Porsche Taycan Turbo S, and it’s sufficient to catapult the automobile from a standstill to sixty in 2.3 seconds. Torque rises from the Turbo S’ already sturdy 818 pound-feet to 988 pound-feet, which supplies the Turbo GT neck-snapping pickup from any pace.
The bottom energy determine for the Turbo GT is 777 horsepower or simply 13 extra horsepower than the Turbo S.
Additionally, you will have the ability to specify an non-compulsory Weissach bundle that shaves two tenths off dash time, which drops to 2.1 seconds. The pack makes the Turbo GT 157 kilos lighter than a Turbo S primarily by eradicating the rear seats, and it additionally provides aerodynamic aids together with an enormous fastened carbon fiber rear wing together with different components, which add 485 kilos of additional downforce and assist the automobile ship higher lap instances.
With the Weissach pack, the Turbo GT due to this fact weighs somewhat over 4,900 kilos, which nonetheless makes it heavier than the Tesla Mannequin S Plaid, whose complete mass is reported at 4,766 kilos. Its three motors make a mixed 1,020 horsepower—340 horsepower going to the entrance wheels and 680 horsepower going to the rears.
Most torque can be larger within the Tesla, with a peak ranking of 1,050 pound-feet, so between this and its decrease weight, it’ll put an excellent greater pressure in your neck muscle mass as you attempt to maintain your head straight beneath laborious acceleration.
Because of its decrease weight and higher torque, the Plaid is a few tenths faster to speed up to 60 mph than the Taycan Turbo GT Weissach, attaining the benchmark dash in a claimed sub-2 seconds. If you happen to get the Tesla with the non-compulsory monitor pack, not solely does it get higher brakes, lighter wheels, and a few further aero, however its high pace is raised from 175 mph to 200 mph. This makes the Plaid significantly sooner on the high finish than the Taycan, even with the Weissach pack, which ups its high pace to 190 mph.
The Lucid Air Sapphire is each faster and sooner. Its three motors produce 1,234 horsepower and a mountain-moving 1,430 pound-feet of torque. Weighing in at a claimed 5,336 kilos, the Sapphire is 570 kilos heavier than the Mannequin S Plaid and 436 kilos heavier than the Taycan Turbo GT Weissach. Even so, it launches itself from a standstill to 60 mph in simply 1.89 seconds, and it doesn’t cease accelerating till it hits its 205 mph limiter.
Observe Time Tally
All three producers say these flagship efficiency fashions have been honed for monitor driving, however the two American producers’ expertise pales compared to Porsche’s a long time of racing expertise. That’s why it’s no shock that the Taycan Turbo GT (in pre-production type and with the Weissach pack) was capable of full a lap of the 12.9-mile Nurburgring Nordschleife in 7 minutes and 07.55 seconds, which is about 26 seconds sooner than the 2022 model-year Taycan Turbo S outfitted with the monitor pack.
It’s additionally faster by virtually 18 seconds than the Tesla Mannequin S Plaid Observe Pack, which briefly held the Nordschleife manufacturing EV lap file with a time of seven minutes, 25.231 seconds. Lucid hasn’t launched any official Ring lap instances for the Air Sapphire, however one was noticed lapping the fabled monitor in September 2023.
Porsche additionally launched the lap time for the Taycan Turbo GT round Laguna Seca, the place it managed to cease the clock after 1 minute, 27.87 seconds. Apparently, that’s faster than the 2021 lap time set by Randy Pobst within the Tesla Mannequin S Plaid, often known as “Darkish Helmet,” tuned by Unplugged Efficiency. It was closely modified and gained the Exhibition class at that yr’s Pikes Peak hillclimb, so it had a totally stripped-out inside and slick tires, which allowed it to drag as much as 2.5 lateral Gs by means of the corners; it accomplished its quickest lap in 1 minute and 28.213 seconds.
In keeping with Porsche improvement driver Lars Kern, the Taycan Turbo GT can do three flat-out laps of Laguna Seca earlier than the battery pack and motors get too scorching and thermal throttling intervenes to chop the facility. He famous that this may be prolonged to extra laps if you happen to do cooldown runs in between.
In inventory type, a Tesla Mannequin S Plaid is able to finishing a lap of Laguna Secan in somewhat over 1 minute and 30 seconds.
Lucid has not revealed any official lap instances for the manufacturing Air Sapphire, however when it was revealed, the producer emphatically famous that it was “considerably sooner than many famend hypercars.” In 2020, Lucid shared a video of a tri-motor Air prototype going across the monitor in 1 minute, 31.3 seconds, which implies it’s barely slower than the Plaid, however not by a lot.
Porsche No Longer Enjoying Catch-Up
Although the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT nonetheless isn’t a match for the Tesla Mannequin S Plaid or the Lucid Air Sapphire in a straight line, the efficiency distinction within the two American sedans’ favor isn’t big. Even with decrease energy and torque in addition to extra weight than the Plaid, it needs to be significantly faster round a monitor. If earlier variations are something to go by, it also needs to enthrall the eager driver in a method the Tesla merely can’t match.
Image these three 1,000+ horsepower electrical sedans on the beginning line at Laguna Seca. The Lucid will shoot off the road first, with the Tesla shut on its heels. The Porsche gained’t be far behind, however as the primary nook approaches, the extra highly effective vehicles’ additional oomph gained’t matter, and the Porsche’s superior braking and cornering skill (particularly in Weissach trim with the additional aero) ought to permit it to only cruise previous after which prolong its lead all through the lap.
The Taycan Turbo S was already fast sufficient for individuals who wished the efficiency electrical sedan with the very best monitor efficiency. The one purpose Porsche made the extra excessive Turbo GT variant and in addition went the additional mile with the Weissach pack was to have headline figures to match the Plaid. Nonetheless, its base energy is decrease than the Tesla’s and there are a few asterisks connected to the marketed peak energy determine.
Porsche wished to show that it too may make a 1,000+ horsepower electrical sedan, nevertheless it doesn’t want that a lot energy to be faster round a monitor than the Tesla. Outright acceleration and pace have been by no means specific priorities, and despite the fact that it had a number of years to review and attempt to beat the Plaid in all metrics, Porsche centered on what it is aware of greatest: making vehicles sooner than all people else round a monitor.
If bang for the buck is a major concern, then the Tesla Mannequin S Plaid, which begins at slightly below $115,000, stays unbeatable, since each the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT and the Lucid Air Sapphire are over double the worth. You will discover used Plaids for beneath $70,000 as of late, which feels like an incredible deal given the extent of efficiency you are getting from a automobile that is nonetheless solely a few years outdated.