Page 70 - Motor Trend (April 2020)
P. 70
FEATURE
Plus, which starts at $114,430 and has into wine and then sparkling wine. They
the bigger 93.4-kW-hr battery, a $6,580 introduced their first gin 2017. It incorpo-
option. The base model will follow in June rates the bilberry, a wild arctic blueberry.
with the 79.2-kW-hr Performance Battery. Suddenly, Napue had a viable competitor.
The early builds also have a standard Porsche’s history is synonymous with
panoramic roof. gorgeous driver’s cars, but always with a
Range was expected to be about 270 conventional combustion engine. Going
miles with the Performance Battery Plus, electric takes Porsche onto a whole new
and Porsche was expecting the actual EPA track. Like Arctic Blue, which is new to
ratings to be much smaller than what the gin but not the spirits industry, Porsche
car gets in real life. Although EPA ratings is taking its institutional knowledge and
are still not in for the 4S, the Taycan capability and taking a leap with a new
Turbo’s were even lower than expected, architecture designed exclusively for EVs;
at 201 miles. In short, the Taycan’s range the family will expand with the Cross
is substantially less than that of the aging Turismo crossover launching next year.
but still dominant Model S. It was crucial that the Taycan be worthy The Taycan can’t match a Tesla Model S
The Model S dates back to 2012, about of the brand in terms of both looks and for range, but this highly visible display
at least keeps drivers informed on
the same time five Finnish men were performance. We think the designers exactly how much juice they have left.
sitting in a sauna, drinking American rye nailed it with lines reminiscent of the
whiskey, and ruminating on why no one 911 in this true four-seater. Inside is an
had made rye whiskey in Finland—where impressive array of screens and a mix of
rye bread is the national food and rye is luxury and sportiness.
the No. 1 crop. With zero experience, they One area where EVs have fallen short:
founded the Kyrö distillery and tried to adverse winter conditions. My task was
figure out how to make whiskey. to see if the Taycan fulfills its implied
To make money during the years promise, the ability to flick the back end
whiskey needs to age, another sauna and drift. Hence, a day in Lapland, a frozen
summit yielded the idea of making swamp lined with snowbanks, and a
Finland’s first gin in the interim. Napue Taycan charged and ready to go.
gin is made of rye, cranberries, and other The day started with a 90-mile dash
botanicals that make it smell and taste from our hotel overlooking Finland’s
like a spruce grove or birch-lined forest. largest ski hill in Kittilä to the Porsche
It hit the market in 2014, as the Model S Performance Center. Most of the drive
was becoming the top-selling electric car was in the dark. At this time of year in the
in many countries. Both were on upward land of the midnight sun, the sun rises
trajectories with no real competition. at 11:05 a.m. and retires again two hours
But no one goes unopposed for long. later. The light was dim, but the world was
Arctic Blue is a Finnish winery estab- white, the roads, snowbanks, trees, and
lished in 1989 by a trio of Finns who sky all sharing the same pale palette.
were skilled berry growers and expanded The car handled the rough road with
aplomb. Ice and packed snow had created
a foundation, akin to a rumble strip, with
layers of softer snow on top. It was the
perfect surface to test the three-chamber
air suspension. Slick surfaces elicited the
occasional full-body shimmy, but overall,
the stability inspired confidence. It was
easy to speed down roads with precious
few tire tracks for guidance. The pitfalls of
such conditions are real, as evidenced by
a couple other vehicles (no Taycans) that
slid off the road.
