The Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo is not the first electric car in the world, but it is certainly the most exciting. It combines all the qualities of the sedan and offers some extra practicality that you would expect from a car with a longer roof. It is 0.8 inches (20 millimeters) taller than the standard Taycan, or more 0.4 inches (10 millimeters), as long as the Off Road Design Package is included.
The optional kit comes with even more plastic body lining to mimic the SUV look, also made possible by the use of stronger fenders and model-specific balance panels. The front and rear fascias have been updated, with the most obvious changes in the rear to replace the trunk lid for a more practical hatch and the essential rear wiper.
Porsche is adding a Gravel mode dedicated to Taycan Cross Turismo, raising the suspension to its highest settings and making changes to the stability control and torque management system for better grip on difficult roads. Zuffenhausen’s people admitted that the van was not designed as a “rock-crawling off-road”, but the new Gravel mode makes it more capable on rougher surfaces compared to the sedan.
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As expected, the electric wagon comes exclusively with air suspension and a four-wheel drive layout thanks to a pair of electric motors. Interestingly, the basic trim level is the Taycan Cross Turismo 4, which currently cannot be achieved with the sedan, where the line jumps from the basic model with rear-wheel drive to the 4S. Speaking of wheels, there are custom 20- and 21-inch alloys available to further separate you from the sedan.
In its basic configuration, Porsche’s second station wagon after the Panamera Sport Turismo offers 375 horsepower (280 kilowatts) or 469 hp (350 kW) with launch control. The electric muscle is good for a sprint from 0 to 60 mph (96 km / h) in 4.8 seconds on the way to a top speed of 136 mph (219 km / h), which is not too bad for a level of basic finish.
The hottest 4S comes standard with the Performance Battery Plus (optional on the 4S sedan) and is followed by the Turbo and Turbo S, with all three offering the same level of power as the equivalent Taycan sedans. In its top-of-the-range finish, the electric wagon reaches 60 mph in 2.7 seconds, making it just 0.1s slower than its sedan counterpart. The top speed drops from 6 mph to 155 mph (250 km / h). This level of performance is remarkable when you consider that the Taycan Cross Turismo Turbo S weighs an astonishing 5,199 pounds (2,358 kg).
Offered as standard with a large glass roof, Taycan Cross Turismo benefits from an extra 0.35 inches of headroom, thanks to its flatter roof line. At the rear, passengers have an additional 3.62 inches of headroom after turning the sedan into a station wagon. The body style transformation is also paying dividends in terms of load capacity, now at 15.7 cubic feet or 42.8 cubic feet with the rear seats folded for the 4 and 4S models.
Adopt any of the Turbo versions and practicality will suffer a blow, with the luggage volume dropping to 14.3 cubic feet, equaling the Taycan non-Turbo sedans. Regardless of body style and finish level, they all share a front trunk with a capacity of 2.9 cubic feet. If you need to transport bulky items, an optional roof transport system is compatible with the roof rails that come as standard in Cross Turismo. A rear-mounted bike rack can be ordered at an additional cost.
The 2021 Taycan Cross Turismo 4 is available starting at $ 92,250 including the destination and you can add extra items like adaptive cruise control, active range, 14-position massage seats, head-up display and Bose or Burmester sound systems. To be worth it, Porsche offers three years of free charging from Electrify America.
The 2021 Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo will arrive at dealerships in the United States this summer, with details about the EPA line to be announced near its launch.