I know what you’re thinking: we’ve really lost the plot this time. A Hyundai taking the fight to a Porsche?
A Kia SUV versus a full-fat Range Rover? A 572 bhp V10 up against a PHEV? Surely not.
On the surface this lineup almost seems like a fever dream. But dig a little deeper and dare we say, they almost make sense.
Do you pick the sensible brand-new car or the more alluring yet risky used one for the same price? It’s a quandary no pub argument has ever solved, but we think we some answers.
Porsche Taycan vs Hyundai Ioniq 5 N
One of the cars you see here is built by a manufacturer steeped in high-performance tradition and bears a badge that sits at the top of most brand analysts’ ‘most wanted’ lists.
The other has been engineered by a firm that not that long ago was best known for its sensible model line-up, affordable pricing and lengthy warranties. Worthy? Yes. Desirable? Erm, nope. Simply put, never the twain shall meet.
But dig a little deeper and you’ll find a mixture of depreciation and bold ambition that means the two protagonists here have more in common than you might think, making them perfect sparring partners for a new versus used encounter.
You see, so volatile are the current markets for pre-owned motors and factory-fresh machines that buyers are having their heads turned in all sorts of directions towards cars they may never have previously considered opening their wallets for.
Let’s take Porsche Taycan as an example. Porsche’s pioneering EV set the standard for battery-powered driver’s cars when it burst onto the scene four years ago and it still represents a high-water mark today.
Yet despite the flurry of excitement and consumer interest around its launch, sales of the Taycan soon took a hit. Initially, buyers’ interest in the car was piqued, but then it quickly peaked.
The result is that used values have slumped as original owners load up the used market with their cast-offs. So you can now pick up an early and well-used Taycan (but still only four years old, remember) for as little as £40,000. That’s a slump in value of more than 50%. Ouch!
As for the specific car you see here, it’s from our long-term test fleet and was plucked from the price lists of Porsche’s Approved Pre-Owned scheme. It’s an entry-level, 23-plate Sport Turismo with around 10,000 miles on the clock.
When new – less than a year ago – it would have set its first owner back £80,255. And that’s before the inevitable options. Today? You could probably secure the keys to it for about £65,000. Double ouch!
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You'd need to have rocks in your head to buy any Hyundai over any Porsche. You refer to the Taycan's depreciation... the only way that the Hyundai will ever fare better is if scarcity due to no one buying the thing in the first place results in curiosity value.
Yes. Literally no one has, or will ever, cross-shop these two vehicles.