Chris Harris’ Take on the Porsche Taycan
The iconic automotive journalist and Top Gear host explains why the Taycan is the car Tesla could never make.
Facing dwindling car sales and increasing emissions regulations, gasoline-powered sports cars may soon become a thing of the past. So, how does a company like Porsche, who built a legacy with sport coupes, adapt to changing times? First, they expand their model lineup. The Panamera, Macan, and Cayenne aren’t all-time Porsche performers, but they’re best-sellers.
Next, Porsche embraces technology and makes an all-electric vehicle. The Taycan is four-person practical, handles like a Porsche, and accelerates like a rollercoaster. And it does all of this without any tailpipe emissions. The reviews have been very positive thus far, but we were excited to hear that Top Gear host, racing driver, and automotive journalist Chris Harris recently weighed in on the Taycan over on the Top Gear YouTube channel.
The first question is probably one a lot of us have asked ourselves before, “do I even like electric cars?” Harris replies, “I’m a lot more open-minded than people give me credit for, even electric cars can be good.” Harris continues to explain that his initial issue with electric vehicles was not the fact they are electric. Rather, than electric vehicles were being “sold as the future” when you “had to fit into the car’s life” and not the other way around.
His comparison comes in the form of a Nissan Leaf which, according to Harris, never had the range to sustain anything other than short city drives. It wasn’t until Tesla came into the electric vehicle market and “changed the game completely.” However, Harris had another problem with this new competitor. That being that Teslas are “so obviously cars for people that don’t like cars.” Why? Because “the subtleties of a car that really excite you are missing.”
This is why when Porsche takes a shot at this distant platform for enthusiasts, people like us get interested. The brand seeks to bring in that magic ingredient that no other company has managed to do. That being to create a true driver’s car out of an electric vehicle. This is why Harris states that “there is an art to making a car drive as a homogeneous whole rather than just being a drag race king.”
By the end of this decade, the 911 could very well be the only remaining gasoline-powered Porsche. However, Harris says if the Taycan is indicative of anything, we have reason to be “excited for the future.”
Screengrabs: Top Gear / YouTube
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