"That whole thing about batteries going bad, kind of a myth."
"I could buy a decent used car for that."
"I love the driving position of this car."
"Pretty much everything that I talked about... applies to any used electric vehicle."
Tom Voelk provides a thorough and engaging review of his experience with the Porsche Taycan 4S, combining personal anecdotes with practical advice. The video serves as a valuable resource for anyone considering purchasing a used electric vehicle, particularly in the luxury segment.
Sometimes in life, you just have to treat yourself. And being a car guy, I am lucky enough to have been able to splurge on this. A certified pre-owned 2021 Porsche TYON 4S. Certified pre-owned or CPO means of course used. And used EVs are terrific values. I've owned this for about 6 months now. And in this video, I'm going to tell you all about the EV lifestyle, what it's like to own a Porsche, and frankly whether or not this was a good purchase on my part, because yeah, it's a great value, but it's still kind of expensive. If you missed my first videos, check out the one where I walk you through the CPO buying process. My car originally MSRPd for around 164 grand and I drove it off a lot for around 73, well under half price, and with over 2 years left on the Porsche warranty. Used EVs are screaming deals, folks. You're going to hear that a lot. I also documented my trip to Seattle from Ontario, not Canada, California, which is east of Los Angeles where the old Ontario Motor Speedway used to be. My car has the optional Porsche intelligent range manager, and I used it exclusively to find juice. Nearly everyone was a high-speed 350 kW terminal, and I never ran into an issue. Plus, plug-and charge technology means no apps. It's very easy. Tesla owners, you know this. I've also done a video on accessories that I bought. Uh, mostly a few things were given to me, but I flagged those items. But let's get to what I experienced over the past 6 months. Starting with range. My car, a 2021 4S dual motor all-wheel drive with the larger battery pack, is EPA rated at 227 miles of range. A lot of people aren't going to be impressed by that. But here's the thing, that figure is very conservative. I did a number of tests since I'm always looking to drive my car as much as possible. In the city where EVs are most efficient, I was able to get nearly 290 miles on a full 100% charge, but generally people take their vehicles out on the highway at least half the time. One test was a combined route where I drove around a third in the city, 2/3 on the open road. Ryan Douet lives near me, and so I decided to stop by and see his dedicated off-road course that he built. Apparently, he makes a lot more money than I do. Uh, that's because he has a great channel, Driving Sports TV. And if you're not watching that, you're cheating yourself. Uh, but I digress. So, that's 180 m at highway speed, where EVs are less efficient, the opposite of ICE vehicles. And as it turns out, some 75 mi in the city until I had around 5 mi of range left. So that's 255 mi in temperatures at 65 to 70°. A reminder that electric vehicles lose range in cold conditions if you live in Frostbite Falls. Don't forget this car is used. It had 32,000 m on it when I picked it up. more than I wanted, but the spec was lovely and the price was right, so I went with it. It's still beating its EPA rated range estimates. That whole thing about batteries going bad, kind of a myth. I also did a full-on highway test where I tried to drive realistic speeds between 70 and 80 mph. While I didn't drive the pack down to zero, my estimate when driving aggressively is closer to 235 mi of range. Considering that the charging network is very wellbuilt out these days and getting better all the time, I have no issues about road tripping this. And the new TYON is much more efficient. And yeah, I knew this, but used is definitely the way to go if you're trying to save a little bit of cash. I mentioned the charging infrastructure. I am totally comfortable about traveling long distances with the TYON because Porsche now has access to the Tesla Supercharger network. Finally, and really most EVs do these days. All it takes is a knack to CCS adapter. Here I'm using the newest one from Electron, the Vortex Plus, that has a new interlock mechanism. Uh, one thing to keep in mind, if you want to charge at level two Tesla chargers, which are called destination chargers, a second adapter is needed. Here I'm at Alderbrook Lodge out on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State when I was at Mudfest. Another great video that you should look up. And it turns out they have both J1772 terminals and Knack plugs. So, not only did I have a lovely drive out there, I had no fueling costs since these chargers were free. Uh, can I point out that it's really important not to just take up a spot and block a charging terminal? Uh, yeah, this is an electric vehicle, but it's not charging. If you're not charging, get out of the way so somebody can use the plug. It's just common courtesy. For so many reasons, it's best to charge where you sleep. Commercial DC fast charging is expensive. I use it exclusively for travel. In this case, I was going to be short getting home by 10 miles, so I popped into an Electrify America terminal and picked up some Electrons. Check out that speed. Over 250 kW. EA has become so much better. The bar was set kind of low though. There is a lot to love when it comes to the TYON. But there is no perfect car and there are some things that bug me. Starting with this, the console lid. It could be the most wonky design in the automotive industry. It's really difficult to fish something out of here when you're driving. Uh borderline dangerous. The phone charge pad is in here. It works great, but kind of tough to use if there's a lot of stuff in the console. As long as I'm on storage, this section is oddly tough to access. You have to kind of your wrist to grab sunglasses or snacks. I love the big panoramic glass roof. Considering this vehicle is well north of $150,000, it should have some sort of shade. This is a Porsche. It's low to the ground. A few older people find it challenging to get in and out. And the back seat is certainly usable for two people, but the rake of the roof line makes ingress and egress kind of tough. Tyon is not a small car uh considering the size. The boot is not all that big. And this lid is the most sensitive I have ever experienced. If you breathe on it, it won't close. There is storage up front. Uh, good enough for a pack of TP, you know, if you're into that kind of thing. As far as the user interface goes, I've been in this car for 6 months now, so I'm pretty used to it. I'll give it a good solid B. It's not as good as Tesla's software, which is the gold standard, but this drives a lot better. Um, there are some sniggly details. I would be happy to adjust the airflow manually, but no. No. Porsche makes you go into the menu and do it this way. Every once in a while, Apple CarPlay doesn't want to connect. And one thing that I'm disappointed about, I subscribe to Porsche Connect. It's $26 a month and it's supposed to give me native Apple Music and Spotify on the screen, but every time I try to sign in, I get this. Yeah. So, Porsche has not been able to figure it out why I'm not getting it. And it's disappointing because that's the reason why I signed up for Porsche Connect. It's supposed to make the audio sound better. And with the Burmeister system, I I really want the best audio possible. Over six months of ownership, I had exactly one issue crop up and got to admit at the time it was pretty concerning. After spending a beautiful evening at the University of Washington looking at the cherry blossoms, I returned to the vehicle, which was parked in somewhat of a questionable parking spot to find it wouldn't fire up. I believe TYON owners call this the red ring of death. I called the Porsche version of OnStar, which was very responsive. the emergency call was initiated >> and they told me to leave the car, lock it, walk away for 10 minutes, and then give it a try. >> Sure enough, that solved everything. But they did suggest bringing it to a service center to have it gone over thoroughly. 3 days later, I picked it up with updated software and firmware. The service center effectively said they couldn't find any issues, but the latest update should clear up any ghosts in the machine. And sure enough, over 4 months, I have not had a single hiccup. This is a Porsche, so guaranteed of it is going to cost more than most vehicles, but it's also an EV, which means no oil changes, no tune-ups, and those are very expensive in the Porsche world. Um, it will need a battery coolant flush every few years. That's $800 to $1,000 from what I understand. And then there are the brakes. I really wanted Mission E wheels. And the only way to get those are with Porsche surfacecoated brakes. And from what I understand, and yes, I knew this going in, servicing them costs like 10 to 12,000. I could buy a decent used car for that. Uh, but fortunately, most of my stopping power is done through regeneration, so fingers crossed they're going to last a long time. Which brings me to, would I buy this car again? It is the most expensive vehicle I've ever purchased and it's used, but yeah. Yes, I would. I have never owned a vehicle this rewarding to drive. Now, understandably, some Porsche purists will miss the sound of a flat 6 behind them, but there's a different appeal with TYON. Not better or worse, just different. There's massive and instant torque delivered in a stealth fighter kind of way. Loud exhausts call attention to themselves. I can go about my shenanigans with less worry that law enforcement will hear me coming. I love the driving position of this car. Cameras don't show how satisfying it is to look out over the fender bulges. The steering is direct, telepathic with loads of feel. My particular car has rear axle steering, but even without it, the TYON is a joy to throw into corners. Washington State has some great roads, anything through the mountains, like Highway 2. This is Chuckut Drive, a lovely stretch of twists and turns about 60 mi north of Seattle. I am here simply to drive it. Um, a lot of enthusiasts do that. Uh, there's a really nice Audi that just went by. I've seen two 911s, a TYON Cross Turismo, a gaggle of Toyota GR86s. I'm using the excuse that I'm here to do another range test, maybe test out this new photography gear, but really, I'm here to drive it because it's Porsche. And you know the slogan, Porsche, there is no substitute. Works for EVs, too. Since I bought my car, I've jumped on the Porsche CPO site to check pricing, and it looks like the screaming deals have dried up a bit. Pre-owned TYON are more expensive now. It's still a good value, though, far more reasonable than buying a new one, even though that car has been improved. Personally, I can easily do without the extra range found in the 2025 models. And I find the charging speed of mine super fast. I wish people understood. If you can charge where you sleep, 400 mi of range simply isn't needed for most owners. Comforting, yes, but expensive. Typically, most people drive what, 30, 40 m a day. So, you're dragging around a very heavy and pricey battery. I only charge to 80%. And I have no issues with range in any way. I'll leave you with this. Pretty much everything that I talked about, you know, other than driving dynamics applies to any used electric vehicle. It doesn't have to be a Porsche. They don't hold their resale value very well. You benefit. And that whole thing about the batteries going bad after a couple years, that's a myth. It's misinformation. If you buy a 3-year-old EV, chances are it'll still have 5 years worth of warranty left on it. So, go out there and find those bargains. Hey, normally I review other people's cars and so you should check out my channel. People seem to like those reviews. And if you like this one, hey, subscribe to the channel and if you have a question, leave it in the comments. I'm going to pay close attention to this particular story and I am happy to answer any questions you might have. Thanks for watching. That's driven. I'm Tom Bulk.
Automotive writers drive a lot of vehicles. I was so smitten with the Porsche Taycan, I saved up my pennies and bought a 4S (what I consider the sweet spot). Buying used meant it was affordable, as Porsche go. CPO Taycans can be over 50% off. So, how’s that high performance EV thing working out for me? Here’s what’s happened over the last 6 months.... TURN ON NOTIFICATIONS BY CLICKING THE “BELL” BUTTON AFTER SUBSCRIBING! FOLLOW TOM VOELK ON TWITTER / X ► https://twitter.com/TomVoelk The Lectron Vortex Plus adapter I use can be had here. I make a commission if you buy with these like. Maybe. Fingers crossed. Buy from Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FFSKH7BM Buy from Website: https://ev-lectron.com/Driven_Car_Reviews_VortexPlus CPO Porsche Taycan review, how reliable is Porsche Taycan 4S, Porsche Taycan 4S real world range, Porsche Taycan 4S real world charging speed. Buying a used Porsche Taycan, Buying a used Porsche EV, buying a used electric vehicle, problems with buying a used electric vehicle, problems with buying used EV, how long do EV batteries last, Tom Voelk, Tom Volk, car reviews, Driven Car Reviews, Driven, electric vehicle advice About Tom: Tom Voelk is an award-winning automotive contributor to The New York Times. His podcast was the first to win an Emmy Award (and he's won for photography, editing, producing and reporting). 00:00 Life With a Used Porsche Taycan 4S 00:47 Retrospective 2:00 Real World Range 4:20 Charging Speed and Infrastructure 6:35 Gripes, Issues and Problems 10:30 Maintenance 11:25 Would I Do It Again? 14:15 Summary