Asking the Earth

Supercar speed, usability, and clean power; the Porsche Taycan and Tesla Model S promise it all. Which is best? And might a V8 BMW M5 or hybrid Polestar 1 be a better bet?

- Georg Kacher

We’re unleashing the taycan on a stretch of lightly trafficked and unrestricted autobahn — a sure-fire formula for a broad smile accompanied by a big, fat inner conflict. While the devil inside begs you to succumb to the electric Porsche’s dynamic persuasions, the voice of reason urges you to back off. Because even at a relatively modest 200 km/h, the distance-to-empty display is in freefall. In the new automotive world order, if you want the pleasures of rapid progress, you must also come to terms with range anxiety and charge anxiety — the fear of running out and the fear of a long wait to recharge.

Or do you? Is it too soon to consider electrification an essential part of the mix? The BMW M5 represents the best of the old school. It (arguably irrelevantly) has a higher top speed than the Taycan and a superior range. Driven like you’d drive a petrol-fed turbo, Porsche’s EV runs out of juice after about 210 km. In the hands of an equally ambitious driver, the BMW will do nearly double that distance. (Auto Zeitung measured energy consumption across a range of driving conditions to calculate ranges of 595 km for the M5 Comp, 417 for the Model S Performance, and 319 for the Taycan Turbo S.) Bunkering 60-plus litres of Shell’s finest is a fiveminute routine, not a thumb-twiddling 20 minutes (the best you can hope for from the Porsche’s many charging options).