This issue of Open Road was originally published on Hypebeast Korea. It has been adapted accordingly.
Porsche’s GTS insignia can be found across the range, defining its cars that sit somewhere between its entry-level road cars and the machines that can take on the track. The previously unveiled 911 GTS, 718 Boxster GTS, Panamera GTS, and Macan GTS have satisfied the demanding tastes of Porsche enthusiasts. But, last July, Porsche unveiled its latest GTS model – the controversially electric Taycan GTS.
Taycan means “soul of a spirited young horse” in Turkish, and was inspired by the black horse running wild in the Porsche emblem. Today, Porsche’s only electric vehicle model, the Taycan, is available in a variety of lineups from the base model to the 4S, Turbo, and Turbo S with the GTS – you guessed it – sitting comfortably in the middle. But don’t think it’s just some mid-level offering, as the GTS is said to be the most “Porsche”-like model in the Taycan range. This is because no other brand is as serious about GTS as Porsche.
The first Porsche model to wear the GTS badge was the 904 Carrera GTS, unveiled in 1963. Ferdinand Alexander Porsche, the grandson of the founder of Porsche and the designer of today’s iconic 911, built the first GTS car to live up to the saying “Every Porsche is racing.” Simply put, any car bearing the GTS emblem is the best for driving fun.
The 2022 Taycan GTS, which Hypebeast [Korea] got its hands on for Open Road, is a new car that has just been released in Korea. As soon as we saw it coming up from the parking lot in the distance, we couldn’t help but get emotional.
Clashing with the ground in “Carmine Red,” and also with the gold crest-studded wheels that measure in as 21” RS Spider designs, you immediately know this Taycan stands for presence.
To feel the output of the Taycan GTS, which is around 600 BHP, we had to leave the city center of Seoul. After getting into the car, we searched for Yeongjongdo on the navigation and got on the open road. With a total of five driving modes, the car allows you to run further with range extenders, behave normally, or increase the fun with “Sport” and “Sport Plus” settings, the latter extracting the most from its two electric motors.
After entering Yeongjong Bridge, the driving mode and suspension were changed to “Sport” to increase the fun. From the accelerator pedal to the toes, the sensation changed drastically, and a much stronger sense of torque was emitted. Adding to the driving experience is the “Porsche Electric Sports Sound” – e-sounds, also called the “Spaceship Sound,” is an artificially-made virtual sound, emulating the noise of an engine if it were from the future. There is no popcorn pops that you’d enjoy in a 911, but every time you step on the pedal, you feel the excitement of being in the best electric four-door sportscar.
Electric motors are placed between the front and rear wheels for better balance (a key to Porsche’s driving success and superiority). To feel its power, we decided to turn on the launch control on an empty straight road. Simultaneously letting go of the brake and stamping hard on the accelerator pedals engaged launch control before it shot us back in our seat. Your head clings to the headrest as if snatched away. Zero to 62 MPH in the Taycan GTS is just 3.7 seconds – so you do the math.
The thing that impressed us the most while driving on the highway and in the city was the way it cornered and braked. The Taycan GTS, which already has a low center of gravity due to the characteristics of electric vehicles, shifts its axis of rotation every time it turns a corner. It stuck to the floor and showed off smooth cornering as if nothing could phase it.
Inside, the “GTS Interior Package” comes with the same “Carmine Red” hue as the exterior and sports “GTS” embroidery on the headrests, bright red seat belts, and a dashboard elaborately stitched with detailing. A huge infotainment screen extending to the passenger seat matches the futuristic exterior, but is contrasted with a Porsche Design analog clock, per Porsche standards.
If you have 200 million won ($140,000 USD) in your wallet, there are so many car options you can buy. But if you have an electric car in mind, and particularly if you want the best electric car among them, we are certain that the end of that worry will begin with the Taycan. A car built by Porsche, which has arguably built some of the finest performance cars since the dawn of the combustion engine, now comes in electric form. It’s simply the best of both worlds, alleviating your fears of electrification.
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