ELECTRIC DREAMS: PORSCHE TAYCAN TURBO CROSS TURISMO
The Porsche Taycan Turbo Cross Turismo is the answer to every petrolhead’s fantasy.
Imagine owning a Porsche that mixes concept car looks with estate car practicality. A Porsche that, thanks to 625bhp’s worth of electric motors, can accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h in 3.3 seconds on the road while having genuine off-road capabilities.
It sounds like a fantasy, but the Porsche Taycan Turbo Cross Turismo is very much real, and Altitudes spent three days with the electric all-rounder to see how it fares with everyday life.
Add to the mix the 21-inch wheels in Vesuvius Grey and the eye catching Neptune Blue bodywork and you have a Porsche with 911 GT3 levels of interest.
LOOKS
It’s no exaggeration to say the 2023 Taycan Turbo Cross Turismo looks like a concept design. In fact, it’s arguably better looking than its original concept model, the Mission E Cross Turismo that was unveiled at the 2018 Geneva auto show.
Today’s production Taycan is low, sleek and with its black wheel arch and body trims, it’s certainly rugged. Add to the mix the 21-inch wheels in Vesuvius Grey and the eye catching Neptune Blue bodywork and you have a Porsche with 911 GT3 levels of interest. It’s fair to say, everyone loves the Taycan Turbo Cross Turismo.
PERFORMANCE
Performance-wise, the Taycan lives up to its Porsche Turbo heritage, boasting blistering performance courtesy of its twin Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motors. These electric engines produce 625 PS, and a maximum of 850 Nms of torque with Launch Control and on the road, using Launch Control is brutal. Accelerating from a standstill to 100 km/h in only 3.3 seconds is an unforgettable experience and in the Taycan, the magic happens when you select Sport+ on the DSDM steering wheel dial. Activating launch control is a matter of planting one foot on the brake pedal and the other on the accelerator, then quickly releasing the brake and then it’s all about holding on to the steering wheel and focusing on the road ahead. The accelerative force that pushes you back into the seat is relentless and you experience it mainly in your stomach. It’s a feeling similar to coming off the bottom of a dip in a rollercoaster, with the same, exhilaration.
An off-road history: Porsches have always played in the dirt. In fact, the 911’s first venture in the mud and snow can be traced back to the 1965 Monte Carlo Rally. And then there’s the Safari Rally Porsches of the late 1970s that raced over gravel, sand and rock for 6,000kms.
Limited by rubber: The Cross Turismo’s soft road capabilities are made the more impressive when you realise it runs on ultra low profile 265/35×21 and 305/30×21 tyres.
What makes the Cross Turismo even more impressive is that it has genuine soft road capabilities. Engage gravel in the drive mode and the suspension raises to its highest setting while the stability control and torque management systems are enhanced to further enable traction.
The result is a low, sleek Porsche that can take on easygoing desert tracks. In fact, the Taycan is only limited by its ultra low profile tyres, as obviously, it’s not possible to deflate them. It makes you wonder what it could do with some 17 inch wheels with a set of hybrid on / off road tyres?
It’s a feeling similar to coming off the bottom of a dip in a rollercoaster, with the same, exhilaration.
CONCLUSION
So, is the Cross Turismo the answer to every petrolhead’s electric dream? The answer is a resounding “yes!” and then some. It looks like a Porsche; goes like a Porsche and can comfortably accommodate four adults and their luggage. What’s more, drive it gently and the Taycan can act as a luxury car, whisking its occupants along in near silence; then at the touch of the gravel button, the Taycan can head off the beaten track for a bit of soft roading. The Porsche Taycan Turbo Cross Turismo could well be the best all-round car ever made.
