It’s called the California Double: surf and snowboard in the same day. But what if we could make it the California Trifecta and throw in a great drive, too? Let’s make it a challenge, even, and do it in a California-approved electric sports car, the 2020 Porsche Taycan Turbo S.
The Double is every Silicon Beach early retiree’s dream: Surf at dawn at El Porto then swing by the house in the ritzy suburb of Manhattan Beach and exchange the surfboard and wetsuit for the snowboard and beanie. Dried and ready, zip up the interstate to the bottom of Angeles Crest Highway. From there, it’s 33 miles of glorious mountain road to the base of the lifts. Total distance from the beach: 66 miles.
From beach house to surf break, It’s 5.5 miles, so by the time I make it back home to swap boards, my estimated range has dropped from 239 to 226 miles, and my battery is down to 94 percent.
Cruising up the interstate at L.A.’s standard pace of 80 mph with the A/C on, my range is down to 193 miles and the battery to 80 percent when I reach the foothills and begin my ascent toward the Crest. No matter, it’s only 64 miles each way from the house to the lifts at Mount Waterman, well within the Taycan’s EPA range, which says this car will go 192 miles on a full charge. If you drive like the EPA.
I don’t. The Taycan is fitted with Continental all-season tires, not the ultra-sticky Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2s, so it (probably) won’t get stuck in the snow. The Contis don’t grip as hard, and they complain a lot, but I’m still able to race up the mountain like I’m driving a Porsche.
It comes at a price. By the time I’m done snowboarding, my battery is down to 24 percent and my range just 42 miles. No matter, it’s all downhill from here.
Letting the car coast as much as possible, which is still enough to break the speed limit without trying, my battery stabilizes at 21 percent, and my range actually goes up to 64 miles once I’m back to the interstate. Halfway home, I’m out of the foothills, my range up to 70 miles, and I’ve had the heat and then the A/C going the whole time.
Pulling into the driveway, my battery is down to just 13 percent, but I’ve still got 51 miles of range left. I’ve driven 154 miles from sea level to the top of a 7,000-foot mountain and back, I’ve driven it hard, and the car still thinks it’ll beat its EPA-estimated range. Trifecta complete.
Read Our Instrumented Range Test Review of the 2020 Porsche Taycan Turbo S HERE
The post Porsche Taycan Real-World Range Test: Can it Handle the California Double? appeared first on MotorTrend.
Source: WORLD NEWS
