Which million-Ringgit Porsche is better to buy, the Taycan Turbo or Panamera?
The 50% SST discount on CBU cars and exemption on CKD cars is nearly at an end. While a lot of us are still tightening our belts, there are many out there who have been minting money during the pandemic. Now, SST exemption on most mass-market cars doesn’t amount to much. But the more expensive the car, the more you save. What might have been one or two thousand Ringgit saved on a Proton could be tens of thousands on a Porsche.
And it just so happens that Porsche Malaysia, represented by Sime Darby Auto Performance (SDAP), have TWO cars that are relatively new and comparable – the Porsche Panamera facelift and the Porsche Taycan Turbo. Both have four doors. Both were launched within the last year. Both are Porsches that cost RM1,000,000. Of course, one of these is an electric car, so we have to factor that into consideration. Another thing we have to factor in is customisation. SDAP are happy to take custom orders from their discerning customer base, but this will cost extra and will add to delivery time. Given the SST discount expires in about a month, we’re going to focus on the cars as specced.
Dimensions
The Panamera’s dimensions are as follows:
- 5,049mm – length
- 1,937mm – width
- 1,423mm – height
- 2,950mm – wheelbase
- 495L – bootspace
The Taycan Turbo’s dimensions are as follows:
- 4,954mm – length
- 1,966mm – width
- 1,378mm – height
- 2,900mm – wheelbase
- 366L + 81L – bootspace + frunk
The Panamera is slightly longer with a better wheelbase. It’ll probably serve rear passengers better than the Taycan Turbo will. Despite having an additional front storage compartment, the Taycan’s luggage space is much smaller than the Panameras. Overall, the Panamera wins big on practicality.
Performance
The Porsche Panamera facelift comes with a 2.9L biturbo V6 petrol engine. This motor sends power to the rear wheels via an 8-speed dual-clutch PDK transmission.
The Porsche Taycan Turbo comes with two electric motors – one on each axle. A 2-speed transmission is on the rear axle, while a single-speed transmission is found at the front.
The Panamera outputs 330PS and 450Nm of torque. It does the century sprint in 5.4 seconds and has a top speed of 270km/h. The Taycan Turbo outputs 625PS (overboost to 680PS) and 850Nm of torque. 0-100km/h is dispatched in just 3.2 seconds but top speed is 260km/h.
Range is always a concern on electric vehicles and definitely worth mentioning. On the petrol-powered Panamera, a 5-minute visit stop at ANY petrol station will get you a full tank of 80-litres. Combined WLTP range is around 11.4L/100km, which should get you 700+km if you’re light on the throttle.
It’s not quite as straight forward with the Taycan Turbo. A fully charged Taycan Turbo will return 452km. Charging on the most basic AC charger will take 9 hours to go from 0 to 100% state of charge. Most electric car owners will probably be more concerned with 50kW or 270kW DC fast charging and going from 5% to 80% battery charge. This will take 93 minutes on a 50kW charger, or just 22.5 minutes on a 270kW charger. 5 minutes on a 270kW charger will recover 100km of range. However, things are really complicated right now. The Porsche Centres in Malaysia have 175kW chargers (the JB branch will get its charger by Q3 2021). Shell and Porsche Asia Pacific are working on adding 180kW DC chargers throughout the country by the first half of 2022. There’s also a network AC chargers (ranging from 3.7kW to 22kW) available through chargEV.
In short – this is the Taycan’s biggest weakness versus the Panamera. You’re getting a car that you’ll need to really plan your trips with.
Equipment
Both cars come with 20” wheels.
The Panamera gets 6 piston aluminium monobloc calipers in front and 4 piston units at the rear.
The Taycan Turbo, on the other hand, gets Porsche Surface Coated Brake (PSCB) with tungsten carbide-coated iron discs. 10 piston callipers in front, 4 at the rear. These brakes also serve as part of the car’s energy recuperation system.
The Taycan Turbo comes with a huge set of digital displays… 16.8” curved digital instrument cluster, 10.9” infotainment unit, 10.9” passenger display and another 8.4” display for climate control and handwriting input.
In the Panamera, you get ONE 12.3” touchscreen for infotainment at the front and 7” display for passengers at the rear.
Thoughts
It’s pretty clear to me that if you have a million Ringgit to spend, neither one of these cars is going to be the only car in your garage. Chances are, you’ll have something more practical on hand.
And if that’s the case, the Taycan Turbo is a no-brainer. The Panamera facelift does pamper rear passengers well and has more luggage space. But if you’re spending this kind of money, you’ll want something that will really impress. The Taycan Turbo is an electric Porsche with a full manufacturer warranty. That alone should scream a million Ringgit. Then, you take a look at the performance figures and the equipment list, which seals the deal.
One thing to note is that the Taycan Turbo is about RM25,000 cheaper overall than the Panamera, but its road tax is RM10,474 a year, so that price advantage disappears quickly.
The only reason one would have to pick the Panamera over the Taycan is if you only have a one car garage or the other cars are even less practical to daily. In which case, yes, the Panamera will tick every box and you’re still getting a very quick, very luxurious Porsche.
