Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo review

Overview
What is it?
So it’s a Taycan, but estate-ified?
Plus the bigger boot, obviously.
It must be heavier though, surely?
And what will I need to pay for the whole car?
Crikey. It must be quick…
What about the question of range?
What about rivals?
Our choice from the range
What's the verdict?
Audi RS6
Porsche Panamera
BMW M3 Touring
Driving
What is it like to drive?
Let’s start with comfort, then.
Does the weight act against it?
Does the lack of drama mean less reward?
Any issues to spoil the party?
What does that mean for range?
Interior
What is it like on the inside?
How’s the driving environment?
We need to talk about practicality.
Buying
What should I be paying?

Overview

What is it?

The next step in Porsche’s electric strategy. We’ve had the Taycan, this is its crossover cousin, the Cross Turismo. Think Audi Allroad and you’re spot on. There’s also the Sport Turismo which comes with the same estate-y features, but without the extra ground clearance and body cladding.

So it’s a Taycan, but estate-ified?

Mechanically, the Cross Turismo is largely identical to the Taycan. Same 93.4kWh battery slung underneath and powering the same motors with the same power outputs across a very similar range (4, 4S, Turbo & Turbo S – the Cross Turismo doesn’t get the sportier GTS model). Even the same suspension (double wishbone front, multilink rear) with adaptive air springs and four-wheel steering (not as standard on all models – Porsche knows how to upsell customers all too well). The raw changes are limited to new wheel mounts, strut supports and a revised self-levelling system.

Plus the bigger boot, obviously.

Yeah, just don’t get too fixated on carrying capacity. In terms of raw figures its 405-litre load bay is not in the same league as an E-Class wagon (640 litres), but it does give the Cross Turismo added versatility over the regular Taycan even though overall length is only up by 11mm. The rear seats get no more legroom, but the impression of space is boosted hugely by an extra 36mm of headroom.

It must be heavier though, surely?

Weight has only increased 25kg, but a 2,320kg estate is still very weighty, no matter how low slung it may look (at 1,409mm tall it’s lower than a BMW M3). The three-chamber air suspension fitted to the higher-ranking Cross Turismos lifts the body by up to 30mm, and Porsche has thoughtfully added a Gravel mode that also adapts the torque distribution, throttle response and, in their words, gives the Cross Turismo “increased Bad Road Capabilities”. The capitals are theirs, so they must mean it. You can also spec a £1,161 Off-Road Design Package which gives you those little flicks fore and aft of each wheel to protect from stone impacts and the like.

And what will I need to pay for the whole car?

Prices have risen near enough £10k since the Cross Turismo arrived in late 2021. The base version is now over £88,000 – which is also £10k more than the equivalent Taycan saloon. But from there on the price gaps narrow as the equipment levels align more closely. The 4S Cross Turismo is £95k, the Turbo £127k and the Turbo S £149k. The power figures read as follows: 470bhp, 563bhp, 671bhp and 751bhp – but note these are only available in Launch mode. In regular driving it develops around 80bhp less depending on model – in fact both Turbo and Turbo S develop the same 625bhp.

Crikey. It must be quick…

None of them are slow: 0-62mph times sit in a range between 2.9 and 5.1 seconds. The 4S is a sweet spot: you don’t need to hit 62mph faster than 4.1s or do more than 149mph. In fact, in our tests the 4S hit 60mph in 3.8s, and 100 in 8.3s. That’s genuine super saloon speed, ballpark with a BMW M3 Touring or Audi RS6. In our hands the Turbo S version was plain nuts, taking a second out of the 4S’s 0-60mph time and two out of the 0-100mph. That’s downright disconcerting speed.

What about the question of range?

The Turbo S is the least efficient at a claimed 266 miles from the 84kWh usable portion of its battery – but that’s up from 241 miles when the car was first launched. Battery, inverter, electrical system and software improvements are the reason you should now get 2.75mi/kWh rather than 2.5. In reality, expect 2mi/kWh, maybe 2.3-2.5 for the lower spec cars.

What about rivals?

Sporting electric estates are countable on one finger. It’s this or nothing. However, the Tesla Model S, despite being a saloon, is just as practical and has the speed element covered. However, it’s nowhere near as good to drive. Similarly you could line up the Mercedes EQE or EQS, and the Audi e-tron GT. The latter is the pick of those. It drives very well indeed, looks great and is versatile to just about make it as a family machine.

It’s fair to assume that given the e-tron GT is built on the same bespoke EV platform as the Taycan, it’ll be making similarly extensive use of it in due course. Until then, the Cross Turismo occupies a unique position in the market. And occupies it very convincingly indeed.

But the competition isn’t so much other electric cars as other fast estates. In terms of handling, reward, versatility, comfort, price and ethos the Cross Turismo is much more aligned to the BMW M3 Touring, Audi RS6 and Mercedes-AMG E63 than to anything electrically powered at the moment. The new M3 Touring is a very convincing all-rounder. We’d now have it over either of the bigger estates. You could argue – and we would – that the Cross Turismo’s closest rival comes from within: the Panamera Sport Turismo. It’s bigger and more expensive, but the Taycan beats it.

The Cross Turismo is arguably the most complete fast estate available today. Not the biggest or most practical by a long chalk, maybe not the most engaging alongside a petrol M3 Touring, but in terms of its breadth of ability and fulfilling the role it sets out for itself, it is brilliant. We’d have it over an Audi RS6 or any Panamera. Only the rowdier M3 and E63 could possibly tempt us to the petrol side.

More than that, it’s a better car than a regular Taycan – marginally blunter to drive, but moving away from a purer sporting focus serves the Cross Turismo well. Similar underneath they may be, but this is a different car in terms of outlook, ability and ethos and further distanced from the four-door than we expected. Its comfort and dynamic range is dazzling, it comes across as even more thoroughly developed and capable. Porsche has moved the game on. Not cheap, but quite possibly the best sporting electric car on sale today.

Driving

What is it like to drive?

It’s the Cross Turismo’s fitness for purpose that defines it. The standard Taycan is a fraction crisper and sharper around corners, but because Porsche wanted that car to show it could behave like a ‘real’ sports car, it also reminds you of what you miss from a conventional sports car – the noise and thrashing mechanicals. This, with a more family-oriented, outdoorsy remit, treads more gently, has a broader horizon and so works even better at the job it sets out to do.

Let’s start with comfort, then.

It rides beautifully. Beyond beautifully. Like a Rolls-Royce or Bentley, in its softer modes the Cross Turismo is unafraid of its weight. The springs sigh with the roads, you get float, sag and cushioning over crests, unruffled movement from the suspension, very little kickback and noise. This is the most important and – in many ways – impressive aspect of the car. The standard Taycan always feels taut. This one knows how to relax. Silence comes not only from the motors, but from everywhere. Noise, vibration and harshness has been banished. With the single exception of tyre noise, the Cross Turismo is remarkable for its comfort.

Occasionally, if the road starts to buck and churn, the axles can lever against each other in a similar way to older 911s, but you can cure that by ramping up to a stiffer suspension setting (there’s really not much comfort penalty) and even if you don’t, the way the body maintains or recovers control is so smooth you never lose confidence in it. It’s one of those cars that sweeps along effortlessly, carrying speed easily, lightly and deftly; the sort of speed that leaves passengers clueless as to how quickly they’re travelling.

Does the weight act against it?

There’s no heave around corners and, most remarkably of all, no tension in it. We literally can’t think of another car that blends speed and comfort as well as this, another car that you could load four people into and drive so rapidly yet serenely. It’s a world away from the stomping Mercedes-AMG E63, way ahead of even an Audi RS6 or Porsche’s own Panamera.

Does it matter that it lacks their rousing V8s? Less and less. Porsche’s propulsion sound is no replacement, but it’s engaging enough, while the real highlight the petrol has no answer to is the prompt, precise, perfectly proportionate throttle response. Drama, that’s what’s lacking. But do you really want that from a car with the Cross Turismo’s remit?

Does the lack of drama mean less reward?

Relax, there is something beguilingly engaging about this car’s steering and the way it goes down a road. Firm up the suspension and that float disappears. In its place you get quicker control but still no tension or harshness. Having used its considerable weight in its favour, now it seems to have performed the trick of making it disappear.

Push the Taycan four-door hard and eventually grip will give out and you’ll get a sudden lurch that, although instantly controlled, reminds you of the weight involved and how hard the car is working. Here that boundary is blurred more successfully. In short it’s a wonderfully fluent car on any road for any type of driving.

Any issues to spoil the party?

Two flies in the soup, one easily managed, the other less so. The acceleration in the Turbo S can be distressing. The kind that has passengers gulping and gurning while making sudden uncontrolled grabs for handles. Better, more in keeping, to ease into that powerband. You do not need your Cross Turismo with 751bhp and a 2.9-second 0-62mph. The sweet spot is lower down the range – the 483bhp (563bhp with Launch overboost) 4S Cross Turismo, capable of 0-62mph in 4.1s is a very happy balance. Still ridiculously quick for a nice family oriented car, but manageably so.

The Turbo S is fitted with unnecessarily bonkers brakes too. Giant 420mm ceramic composite discs grabbed by 10-piston calipers. It bucks the trend for electric cars having oil tanker stopping distances that’s for sure, and when they get warm they can bite instantly and hard which is slightly at odds with the rest of the driving experience. But to do that you have to actually use them, and for 90 per cent of the time you won’t be – up to 0.39g the braking is all done through the electric motors.

You do have to use the pedal though, as Porsche doesn’t believe in heavy regen when you lift off and there are no paddles such as you get in many other electric cars. You can choose to switch on heavier regen, but it’s not strong, never a substitute for actual braking.

What does that mean for range?

Don’t hold out a hope of matching Porsche’s range claims. The rule of thumb with electric cars is to knock a third off the claimed range – especially when they’re so much fun to drive fast. All your EV eco driving instincts go right out of the window. Porsche claims up to 270 or 280 miles? Read that as 200 miles, and probably less in the winter when it’s freezing outside.

Interior

What is it like on the inside?

We simply cannot fault the driving position, seats, quality or layout up front. It’s beautiful. Ideally you need an extra elbow joint to access things in the centre bin while driving, as that’s too far back, but aside from that bit of nit-picking (and the compact dimensions throughout the cabin) the Cross Turismo’s cabin is attractive, well constructed and easy to use – yes, even the screens and menus – and that seems to be an increasingly rare commodity these days. The images here show a car with some options. You might have spotted the screen in front of the passenger. That’s a £725 option. You probably won’t have spotted that it has a leather-free cabin. All the rage right now.

How’s the driving environment?

The steering wheel is smaller and thinner rimmed than you might have expected (and clad here in Alcantara-like Race-tex), and although you sit low the view out is decent. Not as commanding as an SUV’s obviously, because as mentioned the Cross Turismo is a low slung car, no taller than a conventional estate. The rear view is a bit more pinched, too.

We need to talk about practicality.

If you want this car you’ll make it cope. The 405-litre boot is deep, but lipped and narrow when you look at the width of the arches that border it either side, and the tailgate’s slope and load height means it’s not actually that dog friendly. Don’t forget there’s another 84 litres of storage space under the nose that can handle much more than just your charge cables, but if you do trek off with kids, pets and many bags you’re going to need a roof box. And that’s not good for range. Max volume with the seats folded is 1,171 litres.

Here’s another tip. You can’t have the Taycan with a towbar: it wasn’t possible with the design and packaging at the back of the car. Tough luck if you want to tow a trailer, but if you’re more concerned about lifestyle, Porsche has a solution. For £380 you can spec special mounting points in the rear chassis rails that allows a bespoke bike carrier (another £1,822…) to be carried behind the car, just like a towbar mounted rack. There’s a few pictures above.

There’s 36mm of extra headroom over the Taycan for passengers and that makes a world of difference, doubling the sense of space even though there’s no more legroom. You can choose between 4+1 and five-seat layouts. The former has more shapely outer chairs for £336. Give that option a miss on the ticksheet if you’ve got three kids.

Buying

What should I be paying?

There are two distinct levels to the Taycan Cross Turismo price structure – the 4 starts the range at £88,200 and the 4S is £95,200, but the Turbo Cross Turismo kicks things up into the troposphere at £126,800 and the Turbo S is £149,300.

Let’s be honest, though – you don’t need the Turbo S. You might want it, and its ridiculous shove is admittedly hilarious, but once you’ve got past that stage, the lesser models, specced right, make more sense financially. Just be prepared to spend that bit extra getting the spec as you want it. Optioning up a 4S with the bits you want – Bose surround sound, matrix LED lights, upgraded seats, PTV torque vectoring, PDCC chassis control etc – takes the price to over six figures.

When it comes to monthly leasing, the 4 is the cheapest Cross Turismo to go for, at around £1,300 a month. A Turbo model would set you back £1,850. Opt for the full fat Turbo S and you can expect to pay around £2,500 a month, but as ever there are deals to be had if you’ve got a healthy deposit on hand, a spare kidney, that sort of thing. The Taycan sells well in the UK because of Benefit-in-Kind tax breaks for business users. An RS6 (37 per cent tax) will cost you £17,000 in tax per year, a 4S Taycan (a mere two per cent tax) will be just £728. It’s a no brainer.

And do yourself a favour and watch the recharging costs away from home – they’ll be at least double, 70p per kWh rather than 35p. Suddenly a fully top-up of that 83.7kWh battery (remember that’s the useable figure) will be pushing sixty quid, as opposed to the £30 ish it’ll add to your smart meter at home.