Why the Porsche Taycan gives driving purists hope for the electric era


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"Nettes auto," said the small child who was barely old enough to ride a bicycle, as we stopped in a village between Berlin and Dresden. Roughly translated, it means "nice car"; even the little girl's family came to inspect the dramatic lines of the new electric Porsche Taycan after we had silently stopped outside their house to switch drivers and stretch legs en route to our overnight stay, 300 kilometres down the road in Hof.

Moments earlier I'd been hustling the 751 brake horsepower, Turbo S model down back roads and lamenting the lack of sound you normally get from a Porsche, whether from the flat-six turbocharged engine of the 911 or the twin-turbo V8 in the Cayenne and Panamera. But I'm not this car's target market – that little girl is.

By the time she's old enough to drive, electric vehicles will be the norm and the Taycan may now be her new poster car. So, if she thought it was "nette", who am I to argue? A few weeks earlier I had covered its extravagant reveal and detailed its lengthy specifications, but the time had come to finally get behind the wheel – not just for a few laps of a track or a half-day's drive, but for a solid 700km tour through cities, villages and as fast as we dared on motorways.

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The Jaguar SVR makes an SUV seem positively sophisticated:

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It rained most of the way, forcing us to frequently use battery-sapping devices like window de-misters, wipers and lights. Despite this, our Taycan required only three charges in total. A 25-minute fast charge at both lunch stops took it from 9 and 5 per cent respectively to 80 per cent, and this was done before we had finished our burgers.

Germany's limit-free autobahns allowed the electric Taycan to maintain Porsche's performance credentials, cruising at 200 kilometres per hour-plus for much of the way, with the occasional spurt to 270kmh – that's 10kmh above its quoted top speed.

Its grip and handling on back roads was phenomenal, thanks to its low centre of gravity and power driving all four wheels via a motor in each axle. Bodyroll was nonexistent and its traction out of corners reset the benchmark for even the brawniest supercar.

A 25-minute fast charge took it from 9 to 80 per cent battery. Courtesy Porsche
A 25-minute fast charge took it from 9 to 80 per cent battery. Courtesy Porsche

As for Taycan's acceleration, especially from 80 to 200kmh, it's incomparable, as it pushes you hard into the seat, while its launch control needs to come with a caution as it smacks your skull into the headrest, rocketing from zero to 100kmh in 2.8 seconds. The model names might be confusing – Turbo and Turbo S (the Taycan obviously doesn't have turbochargers, but Porsche keeps the names for marketing purposes) – but they represent the future of motoring better than any other vehicle I've driven to date.

How, you might ask? The Taycan drives and reacts like a regular car – more so than the Jaguar I-Pace and Tesla, the only EV alternatives in the prestige segment. While it has regenerative braking like the Jaguar, it doesn't feel like it, meaning that when you lift off the accelerator it coasts without feeling like someone has applied the brakes. Energy is still being recovered, but without the car slowing when you lift off the gas.

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Chevrolet’s quiet EV is a Bolt from the blue:

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The other big reason is the two-speed transmission in the rear motor, which, at 120kmh, shifts up and then back down as it passes back through 80kmh. That feeling is like changing from fourth to fifth gear on the motorway or from third back to second as you dive into a corner and lift off the throttle. Both happened at the same time as my fingers instinctively looked for the paddle shifters behind the wheel.

With models not due in the region until the end of next year, prices are still not available from Porsche Middle East, but you can expect it to be in the high six-figures. It might be worth it, though, as driving the Taycan is genuinely enjoyable in a way that I didn't think could be possible for electric vehicles. Dare I say, it's even given purists a ray of hope for fun driving days ahead in the EV era.

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PSL FINAL

Multan Sultans v Peshawar Zalmi
8pm, Thursday
Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi

Cricket World Cup League 2 Fixtures

Saturday March 5, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy (all matches start at 9.30am)

Sunday March 6, Oman v Namibia, ICC Academy

Tuesday March 8, UAE v Namibia, ICC Academy

Wednesday March 9, UAE v Oman, ICC Academy

Friday March 11, Oman v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium

Saturday March 12, UAE v Namibia, Sharjah Cricket Stadium

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Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri, Muhammad Waseem, CP Rizwan, Vriitya Aravind, Asif Khan, Basil Hameed, Rohan Mustafa, Kashif Daud, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Karthik Meiyappan, Akif Raja, Rahul Bhatia

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The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


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Rooney's club record

At Everton Appearances: 77; Goals: 17

At Manchester United Appearances: 559; Goals: 253

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COMPANY PROFILE

Company name: Letstango.com

Started: June 2013

Founder: Alex Tchablakian

Based: Dubai

Industry: e-commerce

Initial investment: Dh10 million

Investors: Self-funded

Total customers: 300,000 unique customers every month

UAE SQUAD

Ahmed Raza (Captain), Rohan Mustafa, Jonathan Figy, CP Rizwan, Junaid Siddique, Mohammad Usman, Basil Hameed, Zawar Farid, Vriitya Aravind (WK), Waheed Ahmed, Karthik Meiyappan, Zahoor Khan, Darius D'Silva, Chirag Suri

Moon Music

Artist: Coldplay

Label: Parlophone/Atlantic

Number of tracks: 10

Rating: 3/5

In numbers: China in Dubai

The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000

Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000

Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000

Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent

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Uefa Champions League semi-final, second leg
Real Madrid (2) v Bayern Munich (1)

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Flavour: Similar to goat’s milk, although less pungent. Vaguely sweet with a subtle, salty aftertaste.
Texture: Smooth and creamy, with a slightly thinner consistency than cow’s milk.
Use it: In your morning coffee, to add flavour to homemade ice cream and milk-heavy desserts, smoothies, spiced camel-milk hot chocolate.
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Nancy 9 (Hassa Beek)

Nancy Ajram

(In2Musica)

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ELIO

Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett

Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina

Rating: 4/5

The specs

Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo

Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm

Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh117,059

Electric scooters: some rules to remember
  • Riders must be 14-years-old or over
  • Wear a protective helmet
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  • Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
  • Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
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Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:

1. Reynaldothewizard
2. North America
3. Raven’s Corner
4. Hawkesbury
5. New Maharajah
6. Secret Ambition

Lexus LX700h specs

Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor

Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm

Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm

Transmission: 10-speed auto

Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km

On sale: Now

Price: From Dh590,000

RESULTS

6pm: Mazrat Al Ruwayah – Group 2 (PA) $40,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
Winner: AF Alajaj, Tadhg O’Shea (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)

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7.45pm: Business Bay Challenge – Listed (TB) $100,000 (T) 1,400m
Winner: Storm Damage, Patrick Cosgrave, Saeed bin Suroor

20.20pm: Curlin Stakes – Listed (TB) $100,000 (D) 2,000m
Winner: Appreciated, Fernando Jara, Doug O’Neill

8.55pm: Singspiel Stakes – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner: Lord Glitters, Daniel Tudhope, David O'Meara

9.30pm: Al Shindagha Sprint – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Meraas, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi

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The biog

Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi

Age: 23

How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them

Inspiration: My father. He’s a hard working man who has been through a lot to provide us with everything we need

Favourite book: Attitude, emotions and the psychology of cats by Dr Nicholes Dodman

Favourit film: 101 Dalmatians - it remind me of my childhood and began my love of dogs 

Word of advice: By being patient, good things will come and by staying positive you’ll have the will to continue to love what you're doing