Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo Review

Porsche launched its first production electric car, the Taycan, in 2019. It didn’t take long for further derivatives to arrive, but it’s perhaps surprising that the Sport Turismo estate was beaten to showrooms by a more niche option, the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo. 

Using the same wagon body as the Sport Turismo, which would arrive later, the Cross Turismo features lifted suspension and tough plastic body protection to make it better suited to driving off the beaten track. Granted, it doesn’t have anything like the off-piste capability of the Cayenne SUV, but if your destination is down the end of an unpaved road, you aren’t going to be as precious in the CT as you might be in the ST. 

You don’t get as much choice between models as you do with the Sport Turismo. Whereas that car is available in seven derivatives, the Cross Turismo limits you to only three – the 4S, Turbo and Turbo S. 

With no base version available, the starting point of the range is some £10,000 higher than the cheapest Sport Turismo at about £100,000. Of course, for many, the cash price won’t be all that relevant, because they’ll be getting one of these as a company car and making the most of its low BiK tax rate. You can also save a lot of money by going used. 

Whichever version you go for, you won’t be wanting for performance. Even the entry-level 4S will do 0-62mph in under four seconds, while the range-topping Turbo S will rocket to the benchmark in a mere 2.5 seconds. 

So long as you’re not trying to replicate those figures all too often, the range figures for the three versions are all pretty similar, all hovering around 370 miles. This is a big improvement on earlier versions of the car, the longest-legged of which could manage a more modest 300 miles. 

Although you’re now much less likely to need to stop for a charge, if it’s unavoidable, you shouldn’t be waiting for long. 320kW charging capability means you can take the battery from 10-80% in under 20 minutes. 

Do just bear in mind that, despite the estate body style, the Taycan might not be quite as practical as you’re expecting. Boot space is fairly modest, and the car’s low roof means that loading bulkier items might be tricky. You do get a front storage compartment under the bonnet, though.

There’s no choice in terms of battery, with all using the same 97kWh pack. The motor output of each version is different, however, and we’d recommend sticking with the cheapest, least powerful version – the Taycan 4S Cross Turismo.

It’s still very powerful and very fast. Yes, the Turbo and Turbo S come with extra equipment, but the price increase associated with each is hefty. Simply go for the 4S and add the equipment you want, and save some money. You really won’t be left wanting for performance.

It’s £99,200 for the Taycan 4S Cross Turismo, £138,200 for the Taycan Turbo Cross Turismo and £165,200 for the Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo. Each of those prices represents a £2,000 premium over the equivalent Sport Turismo model, and a £3,000 premium compared to the equivalent Taycan saloon.

Those prices won’t mean much for anyone taking advantage of the Taycan Cross Turismo’s low Benefit in Kind (BiK) company car tax rate, which will give low monthly salary sacrifice payments. It’s also possible to pay a lot less if opting for a used example. 

There aren’t really any obvious rivals to the Taycan Cross Turismo, which occupies something of a niche. Really, the main alternative is the lower Sport Turismo – it’s worth considering both before making a choice. 

Without looking at high-performance petrol and hybrid estate cars, the main rivals are electric SUVs like the BMW iX, but that’s quite a different proposition to the Taycan CT.

You get a 446-litre boot in the Taycan Cross Turismo, as is the case for the Sport Turismo. That’s an improvement of 80 litres on the Taycan saloon, but less than what we generally expect for an estate car. 

Folding the rear seats, meanwhile, opens up 1,212 litres of cargo volume. Again, this is a fairly modest figure, not helped by the car’s low roofline. It’s worth bearing in mind before you commit to picking up anything especially bulky. 

You do, however, get 84 litres of storage space under the bonnet, sometimes referred to informally as a ‘frunk’. It’ll be handy for keeping charging cables out of the way. 

Despite the low-ish roof, rear headroom is decent, as is rear legroom. On the subject of the rear seating, the Turbo S model switches the three-abreast rear bench for two individual, hip-hugging sports seats.

The Taycan Cross Turismo is 4,974mm long, 2,144mm wide (including the door mirrors) and 1,409mm high. It’s 20mm taller than the Sport Turismo due to its higher suspension, and in its off-road mode, the height increases to 1,439mm.

All versions of the Taycan Cross Turismo have the same 10.9-inch touchscreen infotainment system. Although this is small by current standards, it’s easy to figure out and responds quickly to touch.

It’s also not the only screen in the middle of the dash, with an 8.4-inch display underneath used for things like the climate controls and sound settings. Although our preference would be for physical buttons for such things, it’s good that they’re kept separate from the main infotainment system.

The interior’s main party piece is the 16.8-inch curved display forming the digital instrument cluster. It looks great and features a good level of customisation, so you can prioritise the information that’s most important to you.

Although the standard navigation system works just fine, many will prefer to use something like Google Maps or Waze. It’s easy enough to display these systems in the infotainment screen thanks to the inclusion of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Only the former was included from the off, with the latter joining some time later.

As standard, the Taycan features a part-leather interior. This can be upgraded to a leather-free interior with microfibre-like 'Race-Tex' fabric, or two different levels of full leather. There are seven standard leather interior colours to choose from, four of which are two-tone, and three upgraded 'Club' leather options. 

There are also myriad options to change stitching colours, the seatbelt colours and much more besides. Turbo S models come with carbon fibre interior trim.

While the Taycan and Taycan Sport Turismo are available in a single motor, rear-wheel drive configuration, you can only have a Cross Turismo with a twin-motor, all-wheel drive layout. This makes sense, given that this is supposed to be a version of the car you can take off the beaten track. All versions also use the same 97kWh battery pack.

One thing worth noting before we go any further is that the figures quoted here only apply when the Taycan Cross Turismo’s launch control system is used, enabling an ‘overboost’ function to temporarily increase the power and torque. Each version of the car still feels brutally quick the rest of the time, though.

The range kicks off with the Taycan 4S, which isn’t what you’d call ‘entry level’, going by its performance stats. It produces 598PS and 710Nm of torque for a 0-62mph time of just 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 149mph. 

You really don’t need any more than that, but if you must, the Turbo ups the ante considerably with 884PS and 890Nm of torque. Use launch control, and it’ll take just 2.8 seconds to go from 0-62mph, a process which pins you back in your seat firmly. It’ll keep going until 155mph.

Still not enough? The Turbo S delivers 952PS and a whopping 1,110Nm. 0-62mph is done and dusted in a mere 2.5 seconds. The top speed is unchanged from the Turbo at 155mph.

The Taycan 4S will go furthest on a full charge, with an official combined range figure of 379 miles. The other two models aren’t far behind, though, with the Turbo managing 369 miles and the Turbo S 370 miles.

Like all other versions of the Porsche Taycan, the Taycan Cross Turismo uses air suspension. There’s a special setup here that puts the body 20mm higher than most other kinds of Taycan, giving a ground clearance of 146mm. 

There is also an ‘off-road’ setting, which raises the body further, giving 176mm of clearance. This is still much lower than a typical SUV (a Cayenne with air suspension has nearly 100mm more clearance, for example), but it’s enough that you can drive on a rough gravel road or car park without worrying about anything catching the underside of the car.

A consequence of the Cross Turismo’s suspension setup is a slight increase in ride comfort, with the lifted version of the Taycan doing a better job of soaking up lumps and bumps in the road surface. The trade-off is slightly more body lean in the corners, but it’s still a car that handles very tidily, and you have to be driving in a particularly spirited manner to notice the difference. 

On the whole, it’s a very satisfying car to drive, with natural-feeling, well-weighted steering and an ability to change direction with a sense of effortlessness. This is a car weighing about 2.3 tonnes, but you really wouldn’t know it.

There’s also plenty of traction. Even the higher-powered Turbo and Turbo S models are able to put down their incredible outputs with minimal fuss. 

The lack of engine noise in an EV can be a double-edged sword in terms of refinement. Removing one noise source might seem great, but this means there’s nothing for wind and road noise to hide behind. Thankfully, the Taycan Cross Turismo keeps you well insulated from wind noise, while road noise is perfectly acceptable considering the size of wheels and tyres this car uses. 

There is also a feedback noise reacting to your accelerator inputs, but it’s easy to turn off if you’re not keen.

Euro NCAP hasn’t specifically crash-tested the Taycan Cross Turismo, but it’s structurally identical to the standard Taycan, which achieved the full five stars when it was tested in 2019. These ratings only last for six years, though, so that result is now considered ‘expired’ by the safety body.

There’s no shortage of safety equipment, with all versions of the Cross Turismo coming with lane keeping assistance, automatic emergency braking and a driver attention monitor.

Thanks to a 320kW rapid charging capability, it’s possible to charge the Taycan Cross Turismo’s battery from 10 to 80% in as little as 18 minutes. You’ll only get a charge that quickly in optimal conditions, though, and not all rapid charging points in the UK can deliver that high a figure.

Public rapid charging points in the UK are also expensive, so it’s worth avoiding them if possible and relying on top-ups at home. From a home wallbox, it’ll take about 13 hours to fully replenish the Taycan CT’s battery from empty. Charging using a three-pin plug will take three or four times as long, and isn’t something that’s recommended – your home electricity supply isn’t designed for that kind of usage. 

Either way, it’ll be a little under £25 for a full charge of the Taycan on a typical electricity tariff. It’s worth getting yourself on a variable tariff with cheaper off-peak periods, because if you can time your charging sessions accordingly, it’ll be a fraction of the cost.

Like all new Porsche models, the Taycan Cross Turismo comes with a warranty lasting three years with unlimited mileage. As is mandated for electric vehicles, the high-voltage battery has a separate warranty lasting 100,000 miles or eight years, guaranteeing 70% state of charge.

The Porsche Approved warranty can be purchased on models up to 15 years old. There’s a choice of 12, 24 or 36-month terms, all with unlimited mileage. 

It’ll cost you less to service than a lot of other Porsche models, because there’s less physical work and consumables involved. The intervals are further apart, too. The Taycan Cross Turismo only needs to go to your dealer every two years or 20,000 miles, whichever comes first.

All current versions of the Taycan Cross Turismo are in group 50, the highest insurance group. This doesn’t come as a surprise given the car’s price and performance. We’d recommend shopping around and trying a few specialists to get the most competitive price possible.

Electric cars no longer get out of paying Vehicle Excise Duty (VED), better known as car tax. That means the Taycan Cross Turismo is liable for the same £200 annual charge from year two onwards as any other type of car, and there’s an extra sting in the tail from years two to six with the government’s Expensive Car Tax supplement. Although the threshold for EVs is higher at £50,000 (compared to £40,000), the cheapest Taycan CT is nearly double that number.