The 2022 Porsche Taycan GTS first drive

Enlarge / This is Porsche's $131,400 Taycan GTS electric sedan, which goes on sale in the US in Q2 2022. (credit: Jonathan Gitlin)

Porsche provided flights to Los Angeles and two nights in a hotel so we could drive the Taycan GTS and another variant you'll be able to read about in two weeks. Ars does not accept paid editorial content.

LOS ANGELES-A few weeks ago, we sampled Porsche's newest 911 variant, the Carrera GTS. Automakers' naming conventions can be impenetrable to the casual observer, so in Porsche-speak, GTS stands for "Gran Turismo Sport." It's basically the "have your cake and eat it" model in the range, as it has more power and sharper handling than the standard car, but it's less powerful (and cheaper) than the Turbo or the more specialized GT-plus-a-number 911s.

But today, we'll be talking about Porche's Taycan, as the company has now applied the GTS treatment to the battery-electric vehicle. Anyone who has made the mistake of asking me what my favorite car is will know just how deep my feelings for the electric Porsche run, so when Porsche asked if we wanted to test a $131,400 2022 Taycan GTS on track at Willow Springs in California, it was an easy decision.

A GTS-badged Porsche is not a track car, but it needs to be able to perform on track if necessary. And it's probably less challenging to get an electric Taycan to cope with the track than a Macan or Cayenne SUV. (credit: Porsche)

Truth be told, Porsche hasn't done a ton of re-engineering work to create the Taycan GTS. The car uses the same front and rear drive units as the Taycan Turbo, but they're calibrated to produce less power. Launch control allows for bursts of 440 kW (590 hp) and a zero-to-60 time of 3.5 seconds. The rest of the time, the Taycan GTS has a nominal output of 380 kW (509 hp). Maximum torque, however, is identical to the Taycan Turbo at 849 Nm (626 lb-ft).

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