Suitably sporty and smart EV

The Porsche Taycan has become one of the most talked about EVs ever. Now, there is even more reason to get chatty about Porsche’s EV family as the Taycan has been given some additional real-world practicality. Enter the Taycan Cross Turismo.

The Taycan Cross Turismo is almost identical to the regular Taycan. It packs the same 93.4 kWh battery back underneath, and is available as four models, the 4, 4S (my test car), Turbo and Turbo S. The interior is identical and gives you one of the most comfortable driving positions of any car.

The difference is that wagon rear with 446L of boot space, 40L more than the standard car. Along with the same tech as the regular Taycan, the Cross Turismo comes with Gravel Mode which raises the car up by 30mm so those gravel roads are easily dealt with.

The 4S also comes with adaptive air suspension and when hooked up to a fast charger, will give you 80 percent charge from empty in less than 30 minutes. It’s fast too. Zero to 100km/h in 3.8 seconds is quick in anyone’s book.

Range mode is best suited to ensuring you get the absolute maximum of its 420km range. However, when you want to have some fun and don’t mind losing some range, change to Sport or Sport Plus. The latter of these even gives you a Blade Runner style hum as you give it stick.

Despite being almost five metres long and weighing 25kg more, the Cross Turismo sits planted and composed in the corners. It doesn’t matter how much oomph you apply; every bend is devoured with pin-sharp precision.

It’s not cheap and you do pay extra for a number of features, but the Cross Turismo has brought the best of the Taycan and made it work even better in the real world. It is well and truly a masterclass of a premium EV.

Fact file:

Price: $214,900 + ORC
Powerunit: 93.4kWh Battery Pack
Power: 420kW
0 to 100: 3.8 seconds in Boost Mode
Range: Up to 420km
Boot Space: 446L
Alloys: 18-inch
Weight: 2,320kg