Test Drive Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo: I’ve got the Pow(d)er!

Porsche introduces its new model as the "third version" of the Taycan: The Sport Turismo shares all body parts with the Cross Turismo, but hunkers down as low as the sedan and differentiates itself mainly as a GTS subtly at the front and rear from its siblings. The Sport Turismo appears more elegant than its rugged brother with the plastic cladding on the wheel arches. According to Porsche, the new model is aimed at those who want to combine the everyday practicality of the Taycan Cross Turismo with the "on-road" dynamics of the Taycan sports sedan. Or as Kevin Giek, Head of the Taycan series, explains:

"With the introduction of the Sport Turismo as the third body variant, we are enriching the model range of our electric sports car with a sporty all-rounder."

Compact even on snowy tracks

There is quite a lot of snow in the Salzburg region. The test tracks stretched through the Austrian and Bavarian borderlands, mainly on country and mountain roads. The snow-covered roads usually didn't allow for very high speeds, but still, driving the Porsche was swift and confident on the slippery surfaces. Especially on the winding roads, the agility of the Taycan impresses once again, after all, the electric Porsche weighs between 2,080 kilograms (Taycan Sport Turismo) and 2,330 kilograms (Taycan Turbo Sport Turismo). And then a short stretch of highway, just to test if the acceleration is really as brutal as the numbers on paper promise. The 625 horsepower pushes, in about two seconds from 80 km/h to the permitted 130.

On the Rossfeldhöhenringstrasse: The rear-wheel drives were put aside as a precaution

Alongside long stages on country roads, we also drove the Taycan Sport Turismo on the Rossfeldstraße, which is closed to public traffic. In hairpin bends, the road, which was used in the 60s and 70s as a race track for the European Hill Climb Championship, leads up to just under 1,600 meters in altitude. Slopes of up to 13 percent and a continuous snow cover resulted in a slippery surface. Due to the heavy snowfall, the Swabians only provided the all-wheel-drive variants for the outing.

And the Porsche shows what it can do here too! Thanks to the successful coordination between the excellent winter tires (Pirelli P Zero Winter) and the control electronics, one always had the projectile under control on the slippery surface and could still feel very precisely when the grip limit was reached. The different driving modes allow for a driving style ranging from rather docile with constant intervention by the control electronics to wild – but then you have to know what you're doing. In Sport mode, the otherwise silent driving is accompanied by an artificial engine sound, and we drift through the hairpin bends on the closed race track.

Particularly Efficient Drive Strategy

All versions always have enough power available. The most powerful model is the Taycan Turbo S Sport Turismo. It accelerates from zero to 100 km/h in 2.8 seconds from a standstill. Its top speed is 260 km/h. The longest-range version is the Taycan 4S Sport Turismo with a range of up to 498 kilometers according to WLTP. As representatives of the latest Taycan generation, the Sport Turismo models with all-wheel drive feature a particularly efficient drive strategy. Thermal management and charging functions have also been improved.

“We have improved the drivetrain in many areas for the latest Taycan generation,” explains Klaus Rechberger, Head of Powertrain Project at Porsche, “the changes in operating strategy, thermal management, and charging function lead to more efficiency and longer ranges in practice.”

Functional Format and Many Practical Details

The Taycan Sport Turismo shares the sporty silhouette with a sloping roofline and functional format of the Taycan Cross Turismo. Unlike its model sibling, the Taycan Sport Turismo forgoes off-road design elements. It is also available with rear-wheel drive. Headroom in the rear is more than 45 millimeters above that of the sports sedan. The driver's seat also offers an additional nine millimeters of headroom. The large rear hatch makes the luggage compartment more convenient to load than the sedan's. The opening is significantly longer at 801 millimeters and considerably higher at 543 millimeters (compared to 434 and 330 millimeters, respectively). For those who still need more space, Porsche has developed a bike rack with special mounts for up to three bikes and a roof box, which according to Porsche PR Manager Mayk Wienkötter, “has been tested on German autobahns.”

Panoramic Roof with Sunshine Control

The new panoramic roof with Sunshine Control features an electric sunshade. The large glass area is divided into a total of nine segments, which can be individually controlled. This way, either partial areas or the entire roof can be made transparent or opaque. When the roof is set to “matte,” the interior remains flooded with light. A dynamic “roller blind” effect is even possible when the Taycan driver slides their finger over the roof representation on the display.

Remote Park Assist and Android Auto Integration

The Taycan Sport Turismo has also been updated with the latest comfort, safety features, and infotainment. With the optional Remote Park Assist, parking and unparking can be remotely controlled via smartphone without the driver needing to sit behind the wheel. Automatic control is possible in both parallel and perpendicular parking spaces as well as in garages. The system automatically detects parking spaces and measures them using ultrasonic sensors and camera systems.

In addition to Apple CarPlay, Android Auto has also been integrated into the Porsche Communication Management system since the last model year update. This means that smartphones with the Google Android operating system are also supported in addition to the iPhone.

Due to Porsche’s typical cockpit design, space for the infotainment center’s screens is limited. It was unclear why the navigation system sometimes gave instructions and then went silent. The near-total omission of buttons in favor of a touchscreen between the seats does not make operating many functions easier. The seat heaters often had to be tapped multiple times before responding, and a rotary knob would still be the best solution for volume control. Here, too, one must tap and swipe... which detracts from the driving pleasure on winding roads.