When Porsche launched the Taycan in 2019, it proved to the world that an electric vehicle (EV) could be a joy to drive.
And while Porsche devotees generally push back against change, skeptics were quick to change their tunes after climbing behind the wheel. Indeed, the Taycan drives like a true Porsche, showing within the first few metres of humming away from a stop the marque’s intrinsic dynamic harmony, tactile steering, and driver engagement. It also happens to be a stunningly beautiful car.
But the EV world moves fast, and the refreshed 2025 Porsche Taycan is already here with more range, faster charging, more power, a sharpened design, updated tech, and more standard features. There’s also a new active suspension that, as an $8,100 option, keeps the car perfectly level at all times while creating a wider separation between sport and comfort.
Subtle Tweaks
Both body styles — sedan and wagon-ish models — see visual tweaks that include new wheel designs, refreshed front and rear ends, and new slim matrix LED headlights with 11 controlled segments. Optional is a HD matrix light system that, with over 32,000 individually controlled pixels, can illuminate up to 600 metres down the road while also eliminating the blinding of oncoming drivers by tracking said vehicle and essentially keeping it in its own “shade” as it travels through the Taycan’s lights. (The same is true when following a car.) While not yet legal in the United States, we get this full matrix functionality in Canada.
With this refresh, all Taycan models get a new standard air suspension with two-chamber dampers (compression and rebound) along with standard Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM). This replaces the steel-spring suspension of the previous entry-level Taycans. The standard chassis features automatic self-levelling, which keeps the vehicle height constant regardless of the load condition. Depending on the driving mode, the body is lowered by as much as 22 mm (0.9 in) when travelling above certain speeds.
Range Increase
If there was any criticism to be levelled against the Taycan, it was its fairly modest electric range. Granted, Porsche errs on the conservative side; but it’s claiming as much as 35 per cent more range gain for the Taycan 4S sedan with its 105-kWh Performance Battery Plus. That would hypothetically bump the range from 365 km to 492 km. The Turbo S, meanwhile, sees a 34 per cent gain.
Most of this comes from new battery cell chemistry that nets 13 per cent more energy density, but other efficiencies are found in higher recuperation power, weight reduction, and aerodynamic tweaks. There are also new 21-inch aero design wheels on lower rolling resistance tires that, according to Porsche, increase range by 40 km over the 21-inch Mission-E wheels on standard tires. Porsche also improved the all-wheel drive strategy so that the front electric motor can be decoupled more frequently to improve efficiency.
Faster Charging
With a charging capacity of up to 320 kW (up from 270 kW), the new Taycan can go from 10 to 80 per cent charge in as little as 18 minutes on a DC fast-charger. Porsche also claims the battery has significantly reduced charging times in lower temperatures.
More Power
There’s a new rear-axle motor that makes up to 109 hp more than the old unit, and it weighs 10 kg (22 lb) less. Coupled with a modified pulse inverter, this new motor sees all 2025 Taycan models showing their taillights to the outgoing cars.
The entry-level Taycan 4S makes up to 536 hp and 512 lb-ft of instant torque. Go for the optional Performance Battery Plus ($6,360) and those figures jump to 590 hp and 523 l.-ft. Next up is the Taycan Turbo with 871 hp and 693 lb-ft of torque. Still not enough? The Turbo S delivers 938 hp and 818 lb-ft of torque — 188 hp more than before with launch control. Porsche conservatively pegs this car’s zero-to-100 km/h time at 2.4 seconds, although the previous Taycan Turbo S achieved that in independent testing.
Push-to-Pass Function
The new push-to-pass function that comes with the Sport Chrono package (standard with the Turbo S) provides a 10-second boost of up to 94 hp for those times when the Taycan’s shocking acceleration just isn’t quite enough. You’ll find the push-to-pass button in the centre of the drive mode dial (now standard on all models) found on the steering wheel.
Other new standard features for 2025 include ambient lighting, electrically folding exterior mirrors with mirror surround lighting, intelligent range management, a heat pump with a new cooling system, a smartphone tray for wireless charging, charging ports on both the driver and front passenger sides, and Power Steering Plus.
What hasn’t changed is the feel of Porsche’s exceptional electric sport sedan on the road. You sit low in an ideal driving position, with the sport seats hugging in all the right places. It’s an intimate and exquisitely crafted cabin featuring a more streamlined interface for 2025. It’s simple and elegant, but lacking in physical controls for most functions — although with familiarity it’s pretty easy to negotiate. However, the digital-only vent controls buried in the screen are still a bit much.
Optional Active Suspension
Porsche Active Ride (PAR) utilizes the same dual-piston dampers found in the base Taycan but uses powerful electric hydraulic pumps at each corner to control compression and rebound in real time, thus eliminating the need for anti-roll bars. It does a spectacular job of keeping the car level, be that while cornering or under braking and accelerating. It also magically absorbs most larger road imperfections while still providing the detailed road information you’d want from a Porsche. So the Taycan still provides a sporting experience, but with a wider bandwidth. Another cool feature of PAR is so-called comfort access — open a door and the car instantly raises on its tippy-toes to make for easier entry and exit.
The Drive
With its peak 871 hp and 693 lb-ft of torque, the 2025 Taycan Turbo is smooth and devastatingly quick, but even more impressive is the way this 2,200-kg (4,850-lb) sedan manages to feel almost half that weight in the way it slices along backroads with scalpel-sharp accuracy.
With the battery positioned central and under the floor, the Taycan has a low centre of gravity and a neutral disposition; there’s nary a hint of understeer when diving into bends. Looking at the Taycan from a technical standpoint, there’s an astounding amount of computing power and trick mechanical systems toiling away that are all but transparent, combining seamlessly to deliver an organic driving experience. On the highway, the Taycan is spectacular, lasering forth in calm serenity.
The Turbo S Cross Turismo — a body style that accounts for about a third of Canadian Taycan sales — delivers much of the same experience, just with more intensity when dipping into its ridiculous reserves of power which peaks at 938 hp.
Final Thoughts
After experiencing the Turbo S, I uncrossed my eyes and landed back in the relative sanity of a Taycan 4S sedan with its optional Performance Battery Plus, making only 590 hp and 523 lb-ft of torque. This is all the Taycan any right-thinking human needs, considering it will be the range champ, is the least expensive, and is still quicker than just about anything else on the road.
The 2025 Porsche Taycan will begin arriving at Canadian dealers this summer with a starting price of $135,600 for the Taycan 4S, $196,800 for the Taycan Turbo, and $236,100 for the Taycan Turbo S.
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