We have had simulated ratios in electric cars before, but the Porsche system feels convincing if you roll with it. Internal sentiment at Porsche was decidedly against creating a virtual gear shift system for the brand’s EVs. Simulating manual shifting in a vehicle directly driven by electric motors is, at the very least, a distraction from the pursuit of purity and raw speed. Back in 2022, Porsche development engineer and test driver Lars Kern said the brand had no use for such foolish engineering.
But things change rapidly in this fast-moving part of the market, and for 2027 the Porsche Taycan will indeed feature a simulated gearbox with paddle shifters to swap between its imaginary ratios. Porsche has given the system the predictable, if unimaginative name of E-Shift, and the execution is pretty much as you would expect, with eight simulated gears and a rendered rev counter which appears when E-Shift mode is selected. For extra confusion, the system even has an automatic mode, which will shift through the gears independently while modeling the changes and differing torque characteristics of the synthesized engine at different points in its rev range.
View Price on AmazonIf you're thinking this sounds very much like the system Hyundai pioneered in the Ioniq 5 N, then you’re right. But from the driver’s seat of the Taycan, it also feels very similar to driving any Porsche equipped with the PDK dual-clutch transmission. The simulated shift points were conservative, keeping the imitation engine revolutions-per-minute under 3000, and piped-in EV sounds were minimal. It was so normal that it was wholeheartedly unremarkable.
However, that is not the goal of the E-Shift system, which is intended to increase the Taycan’s enthusiast appeal. Swapping to manual mode and engaging the Sport Plus mode turned it into a brain-fooling simulacrum of a gas-powered Porsche being worked through the gears. My test car in Germany was a 2027 Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo, the wagon-esque version that will no longer be sold in the U.S. But the driveline is the same as the one we will get in the regular Taycan, with the same brutally efficient launch control system, but now requiring manual selection of second “gear” for the best times.
The manual mode includes a hard redline at the virtual engine’s 7500 rpm redline, and an unpleasant interruption of power if this is encountered - like hitting the limiter in a gasoline-powered car, bounding exhaust note included. With manual mode engaged, shifting through the simulated set of eight gears felt natural. The shift points are engaged to match those of a traditional PDK, according to the vice president of Porsche's Taycan line, Kevin Giek. Shifts in Sport Plus are super fast, finishing the job before you even realize it has started. But Sport mode offers a discernible pause to delineate the different modes.
Did it feel convincing? In large part, yes. Asking for a downshift that would take the pretend engine over its rev limit got categorically denied. Attempting to upshift to eighth gear at 25 mph? Denied again. And I can confirm that putting my foot flat to the floor in seventh gear at 40 mph produced no more acceleration than it would have in a true combustion version, while a low gear and high revs simulated drivetrain lash. Operating in the middle of the fake powerband delivered mid-range torque and responses, while seeking the upper end unlocked a stronger kick.
Source: roadandtrack.com
