Operating Porsche's first electric vehicle, the Taycan

 I felt and heard something similar when I slammed the accelerator in the Taycan's "launch control" mode—Porsche's first electric vehicle. After three seconds, I accelerated past sixty miles per hour, causing my neck to strain and my skull to bounce back from the headrest. The car automatically moved into second gear to maintain its 670 horsepower, which was being sent to the wheels beneath me.

A few dozen miles east of downtown Los Angeles, on a thankfully empty stretch of winding mountain road in the Angeles National Forest, I was piloting the $150,900 version, the Taycan Turbo. Porsche set up a five-hour course for journalists to drive outside the city and made a few pre-production Taycans available for test drives as part of the car's post-reveal roadshow.

It was sufficient to gain an initial impression of the Taycan that was reasonably positive. The Taycan was first unveiled as the Mission E concept car in 2015, a few days after Porsche was implicated in the Volkswagen Dieselgate scandal. That jolt from launch control, though, is the aspect of the experience that is still ringing in my ears two weeks later. AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY AZXY

Many high-performance vehicles, such as Teslas, have launch modes. However, I've never driven anything that felt as abrupt and aggressive as a Porsche. It felt like being trapped in a rubber band the size of a human that had been released after being stretched to its breaking point. It was an incredible joy for someone who loves adrenaline. Furthermore, adding to the Taycan's dream car status is the fact that Porsche built it with the ability to replicate this experience up to twelve times, something that is undoubtedly not possible with other EVs.

Hence, it was unfortunate to learn that the Taycan's braking is so mushy. As automotive journalists get their first ride with the Taycan, one of the more contentious aspects of the driving experience thus far has been Porsche's somewhat controversial choice regarding the car's braking.

This is the situation. When the throttle is released, the electric motors in the majority of electric cars spin backward. This facilitates recharging the battery pack, extending the vehicle's range. In addition, this functions as a brake (thus the term "regen" or regenerative braking). This technique is used in different ways by electric cars; some even allow the driver to adjust how aggressively the car applies regenerative braking.

Yet, Porsche intended the Taycan to provide a more "pure" driving experience—that is, the ability to coast and lift off the accelerator—just like in any other Porsche. Although there is a button on the steering wheel that allows you to activate partial regenerative braking, the Taycan performs the majority of its regenerative braking when you apply pressure to the brake pedal. The mushiness entered the picture at this point. It felt more like I was stepping on the brake pedal of a Prius than the rock-solid mechanical braking I had expected from a car this class — not exactly what you want from a car that can accelerate so quickly or that costs so much.

The Taycan weighs more than 5,000 pounds, which makes braking difficult. Even though the car's weight helps it feel solid in turns—no matter how hard I drove, it never felt like the rear end was going to slip—trying to stop the Taycan at high speeds gives the wrong kind of thrill.

Add the steering, which is also a little... mushy, to all of this. Though I haven't figured out exactly why, I wasn't a fan of the Taycan's steering on the mountain roads. I would best characterize it as a discrepancy between the feedback I was receiving from the steering wheel and the way the tires were gripping the road. Though the heavy car always felt like it was headed exactly where I wanted it to go, the steering wheel fought me more than I expected it to every time I tucked the Taycan into one of the many twists and turns.

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