Test Drive Presentation Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo

Even as we get in, we are surprised: Three centimeters more seat height can make a world of difference in the case of the Taycan. Clearly, you sit very close to the ground in the sedan, even lower than in the 911! And, this was also clear, there is now 47 millimeters more headroom in the rear, or even 49 millimeters with the glass roof – tall passengers will especially notice this. Behind that, there is 39 liters more trunk space than in the sedan, but more importantly, a large tailgate that, when the rear seats are folded down, provides up to 1,212 liters of load volume. This comes with naturally slightly worse driving performance and consumption values and noticeably higher prices, which, when adjusted for equipment, shrink to an extremely favorable 1,500 euros difference gross compared to the sedan for Porsche.

You quickly forget the larger rear end

After testing the rear seats, it's time to switch to the driver's seat and get started: This time, Porsche has chosen a roughly 150-kilometer, joyfully winding back road route from Zuffenhausen to Künzelsau, passing through the Hohenlohe region. Here, the differences to the sedan quickly blur: the Cross Turismo is equally firm in the curves and dissipates too fast entry speeds by understeering through the front wheels. Thanks to all-wheel drive (always standard), it exits corners quickly and with strong grip – only professionals will sense the differences here. Clearly, on the circuit, according to Christian Wolfsried, the chassis manager of the Taycan, it loses a few tenths to the sedan and if you frequently go offroad, you should opt for the smaller 20-inch wheels: They spring better than the 21-inch wheels, offer more grip, and visually suit the car better with the larger tire sidewalls. Nonetheless, attention was also paid to rolling resistance, which at worst carries a "B" rating.

The "Cross" will also be among the efficient electric vehicles

Why, then, the "Cross" also belongs to the efficient electric vehicles: On our joyfully driven round, we ended up with about 24 kWh/100 km – in practice, this would be roughly 0.5 to one kilowatt-hour more than the sedan. The difference is enormous, however, off paved roads: where these often hit bottom quickly, requiring more frequent use of the "Lift" button than anticipated, the Cross Turismo navigates deep ruts with ease, can even flex a bit and grips strongly in gravel mode: The rear axle differential is then pre-tensioned or locked, and the air springs are continuously tightened by the compressor, so the Taycan strides somewhat stiffly but surprisingly competently over rugged terrain that would be impossible for the sedan. Accordingly, you can also raise it another centimeter using the lift function, providing up to three centimeters more ground clearance than the sedan. These differences are significant for off-road capability – though still worlds apart from true off-roaders like the Macan or Cayenne. Since height harms aerodynamics, the Cross also lowers itself on the highway.

Accessories have also been considered!

To complement this, Porsche has designed a roof box tested and approved up to 200 km/h in the Weissach wind tunnel, as well as two not quite inexpensive e-bikes for the tow bar at the rear. Here too, multiple considerations have been made: The carrier can be tilted away to open the tailgate with bikes mounted on the back. Previously, the tailgate was locked to prevent it from being scratched by accidental opening.

Less logical, on the other hand, is the coupling of the optional roof rail to the panoramic roof, which can also be ordered without the rail and which, in addition to more airiness, also brings another two millimeters of interior height. Which brings us back in and drives us back. And we are pleased to see how much more everyday-friendly the Cross is compared to the sedan. This is why Porsche expects it to account for 40 percent of the market share in typical "wagon markets" such as Germany, the UK, Scandinavia, and Russia, while expecting 25 percent worldwide. Either way, Porsche has done well to position the Cross Turismo away from the sedan. Porsche fans with enough money will take both... although Tesla's Model S and X definitely remain a big step ahead in terms of space utilization for less money - but no longer in terms of performance and efficiency!

What does this mean?

Porsche has wisely expanded its Taycan program and, with manageable but not insignificant effort, has created two very different variants. Now, of course, one could imagine a low Cross and a high-riding Mad-Max sedan with a big spare tire in the back..? The Porsche guys certainly have many more ideas on the subject, and one can be curious about what is yet to come.