Porsche Taycan 4S Cross Turismo review

Does Porsche’s take on the electric estate have the style, performance and practicality to breath new life into the sector?

It’s fair to say that estate cars have fallen out of favour in recent years.

SUVs have become the go-to mode of transport at almost every price point and that’s as true of the electric car market as it is of old-fashioned ICE vehicles.

We’re seeing an increasing number of battery-powered hatchbacks cropping up but, by my reckoning, there are still only two electric estate cars on the market. On one hand you’ve got the MG5 from the budget British/Chinese outfit MG. On the other you’ve got the Porsche Taycan Turismo. Separated by about 350bhp and £57,000 they’re quite the odd couple.

We’ll get round to testing the MG soon but today we’re concerned with the most practical variant of the Taycan, the Cross Turismo. Not only is it an estate but it’s one with (very mild) off-road pretensions, some body cladding and the ability to jack up its suspension to cope with terrain more rugged than your average B-road.

Design and interior

Visually, you might expect a crossover-tinged estate version of a sports saloon to look ridiculous but the Cross Turismo doesn’t. The Taycan’s low front end with its quad-LED headlights is largely unchanged, and raising and stretching the rear roof has done nothing to dent its visual appeal. A sliver of plastic body cladding and a mild suspension raise compared with the Sport Turismo complete the “Cross” look and add an air of purpose without overdoing things.

Inside, the differences to other Taycans are minimal. That’s a good thing since the Taycan’s interior is a spacious, comfortable and high-tech environment with a sharp simple design. Three big digital screens dominate the low-set dash, with a 16.8-inch instrument display partnered with a 10.9-inch media touchscreen. Beneath that there’s an 8.4-inch portrait screen that controls functions such as climate control and drive modes. Some physical heater switches would be preferable but the screen is at least big, responsive and helps reduce cabin clutter.

The big differences are behind the driver. Here, the flatter roofline of the Cross Turismo brings improved headroom and even those well over six feet tall have plenty of space beneath the giant panoramic roof. They also won’t struggle for legroom unless the driver is a similar size. The Taycan is a five-seater as standard but the huge transmission tunnel renders the middle seat useless, so you might as well tick the 2+1 seating option. This gives the outer two pews semi-buckets at the expense of a tiny hump for a middle seat.

Behind the seats, the Cross Turismo’s powered tailgate gives access to a long, wide boot offering up to 446 litres of luggage space. That can be expanded to 1,212 litres with the seats down and complemented by an 84-litre ‘frunk’. And to prove your lifestyle credentials, you can accessorise your car with everything from a rear-mounted bike rack to a ski carrier or roof tent.

Battery, motor and performance

So far, so practical. But the joy of the Taycan is that it does all the comfortable, practical stuff while still feeling like a Porsche.

Beneath the skin of our 4S Turismo Cross is a two-motor, all-wheel-drive system with a 83.7kWh usable battery good for up to 296 miles. Total power is 483bhp, boosted to 563bhp with launch control activated. That’s good enough to get the Taycan from 0-62mph in 4.1 seconds in the most extreme drive mode.

Even in less sporty drive modes, the Cross Turismo’s response is immediate and rapid. The all-wheel-drive system marshals the power brilliantly, allowing for stable, secure and swift progress. And no matter how quickly or slowly you’re travelling, a brush of the throttle brings an additional surge. Dial through the drive modes and the surge becomes a tidal wave.

Thankfully the throttle response is matched by quick, direct steering that has all the accuracy and nuance of any Porsche. There’s a level of communication that many EVs lack and that gives you utter confidence in the car, backed up by prodigious levels of grip.

But there’s no penalty to pay in comfort. The active air suspension works remarkably well to absorb the worst bumps while keeping the car completely controlled and flat. In Sport+ there’s a slight jitteriness but you can dial the dampers back to comfort without losing much at all in the way of poise. There’s even a ‘high’ mode to venture (slightly) off-road.

Adding to the sense of drama is Porsche’s Electric Sport Sound, which matches your throttle inputs with a synthesised ‘engine’ note. It’s not for everyone and can be turned off, but the spaceship-like whizzes and whirrs that rise and fall in pitch as you accelerate and brake are brilliantly different and fitting. Only the brakes let the package down. There’s too much pedal travel and not enough bite – something that could be fixed with a more aggressive regen setting.

Price and specification

It’s practical and every bit the performance Porsche. So what’s the catch?

That would be the price and Porsche’s relatively miserly approach to equipment. The £95,200 starting price for the 4S Cross Turismo does bring adaptive air suspension, active aero, auto-dipping LED lights, a decent assistance package and luxuries like heated front seats. But chassis upgrades such as rear-wheel steering and torque vectoring ‘plus’ are options, as are touches such as a heated steering wheel, panoramic roof and 360-degree parking camera, which you’ll find on cars half the price. All-in, our test car with options totalled £116,149.

Verdict

That’s a lot of money. But in fairness, the Porsche Taycan 4S Cross Turismo is a lot of car. As an all-electric all-rounder, it’s hard to think of anything that beats it. Nothing else quite matches the blend of space, usability, style and downright fun on offer here.