I won’t be the first person to admit that I was pretty skeptical about electric cars — that is, until I drove the 2021 Porsche Taycan Turbo S. Growing up with big-block internal combustion engines meant that gasoline-powered cars were the only thing I had ever known, and for many car enthusiasts, and just drivers in general, that’s pretty true.

Electric cars aren’t a totally new thing on the market, but it is only in recent years that they have become more available and versatile enough in style and price for the desire to own them to grow. So, when I sat down behind the wheel of the 2021 Porsche Taycan Turbo S, I wasn’t expecting to be leaving the dealership feeling quite as conflicted as I did.

Is the Porsche Taycan Turbo S available for purchase?

The Porsche Taycan is already available for sale and even lease from many Porsche dealerships. There may be some confusion over whether or not the Porsche Taycan is available for sale, perhaps because it is more expensive than other models and not as common. Of course, for a vehicle this well-rounded, it doesn’t come cheap. The 2021 Porsche Taycan starts at a base model price of $79,990, but if you want to upgrade to the true performance model, the highest-trim level Turbo S, you can expect to see prices beginning at around a rather painful $185,000.

Performance you can’t quite describe

Behind the wheel of our 8.3-liter V10 Dodge Viper, you couldn’t deny the amount of power and performance the car had. With a cam and tuning, it pushed over 680 hp — but getting traction from a stop was a rather sketchy experience, which inevitably ended up being the car’s demise one Christmas Eve. A quick glance at the Viper or other cars like Hellcats and Lamborghinis, and you expect nothing less than performance. Looking at the Porsche Taycan Turbo S, however, you might not.

You can read all of the Porsche-provided statistics about the 2021 Porsche Taycan Turbo S, like how the car offers 616 hp and overboost power with launch control at an astonishing 750 hp. But what that number doesn’t tell you is just how impressive the 0 – 60 mph time of 2.6 seconds feels behind the wheel.

Pure luxury meets raw performance

Driving a used Porsche Cayenne meant I wasn’t unfamiliar to the exquisite and luxurious interiors of Porsche. In fact, while Porsche may have plenty of racing heritage and offers impressive performance in many of their cars, we often think of the company as a luxury brand. The interior of the Taycan wasn’t as boisterous as the Cayenne, but instead offers modern styling that tied in luxury perfectly — I could understand why someone would pay such a high price tag for the seemingly simple sedan.

The interior alone was impressive, but launching the car for the first time left me feeling confused — it was the fastest I had ever launched a car before, and it was totally electric. If I hadn’t been instructed to rest my head back against the headrest before I let off the break pedal, I would have been headed to the chiropractor after leaving the dealership. In fact, I enjoyed it so much I had to do it a second time — you know, just to make sure.

The Porsche Taycan Turbo S feels like you’re driving a rollercoaster, and if you’ve been too timid or stubborn to acknowledge the potential of electric cars, this spunky four-door might be the thing that changes your mind about EVs.