The Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo is one of a kind

Introduced as the second body style of the Porsche Taycan in 2021, the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo is aimed at customers with an active lifestyle and a liking for wagon-like models. It beats the electric sedan in versatility, ruggedness, and cargo space.

At the 2024 Bangkok International Motor Show in March, I saw a red Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo Turbo variant (pre-facelift) on display, exploring its design and features in detail.

Design

The Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo is a more practical alternative to its sedan sibling. Notably, it has a longer and flatter roofline that improves headroom at the rear. It also gets fender extensions, distinctive rocker panels, bespoke wheels, and unique lower aprons that provide the necessary character. The Off-Road Design package enhances style and protection with special flaps on the bumpers and sills, guarding against stone impacts. Notably, the car has a higher ground clearance which gives it all-road ability.

The Taycan Cross Turismo features four-point Matrix LED lights which turn off select beams to reduce glare on oncoming traffic. The EV also has air curtains that improve aerodynamics by guiding air over the wheels. 19-inch aero wheels are standard and look premium in their own right, but customers can head to the Porsche configurator and choose 20-inch or 21-inch wheels by paying extra.

The rear section appears upright, but designers have done a great job making the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo appear proportionate. The roof slopes gently into the subtle gloss-black spoiler, and the full-width LED light bar, standard on all modern Porsches, makes the Taycan appear wide. The rear bumper design is pretty simple, and there’s also a metal skid plate at the bottom, which makes the rear look muscular and SUV-like.

Customers who love to personalize can go bonkers with the optional upgrades on the Taycan Cross Turismo. Tens of options are available for various aspects of the EV, with prices reaching up to USD 30,020!

In my opinion, the sportier tail section of the Taycan Cross Turismo is visibly more appealing than the Taycan from the sides and the rear three-quarter angle. However, if you were to ask me, the Taycan Cross Turismo would appeal more in a dark shade of green, like British Racing Green, for instance, compared to this red paint. Manufactured at Porsche’s main plant in Stuttgart-Zuffenhausen, Germany, the Taycan Cross Turismo doesn’t disappoint in quality. I didn’t find any manufacturing defects or areas reflecting poor quality on this red sample.

Interior & Features

The interior of the Taycan Cross Turismo is the same as the sedan, but the Off-Road Design package adds a compass on the dashboard. The optional compass shows the vehicle’s direction in analog form and shows altitude and time on a digital display. The Porsche Exclusive Manufaktur, the brand’s customization service, lets you select optional features for an additional cost.

Although it is highly digital, I think the interior of the Taycan Cross Turismo doesn’t look excessively minimalist like some of its rivals. That said, I would’ve liked more physical controls like in the Macan Electric for greater convenience. I noticed that the quality of parts, upholstery, and trim materials was top-notch, not to say I’d expect anything less at this price point.

The Cross Turismo Advantage

Thanks to this body style, the Taycan Cross Turismo’s cabin is roomier. I’m 5’7″ tall, and I didn’t feel a lack of space in the front or rear of the EV. Front-seat occupants get 0.35 inches, and rear-seat passengers get 3.62 inches of additional headroom compared to the sedan. The cargo space is better, with up to 15.7 cu ft for the 4 and 4S, and 14.3 cu ft for the Turbo and Turbo S variants (not sold in the U.S.). The rear seats can fold flat, taking the total cargo volume to 42.8 cu ft. Additionally, there’s also the 2.9 cu ft frunk for small items like the charging cable or a laptop bag.

Porsche Communication Management 

Except for the steering wheel, there are no physical buttons in the cabin of the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo; everything is controlled through the touchscreens, of which there are three. Touch control panels also surround a 16.8-inch curved driver’s cockpit on the flanks to adjust lighting and chassis functions. Then there’s the optional head-up display costing USD 1,850 extra. The screens also show driving status, range, and charging data, among other information. 

PCM

The Porsche Communication Management system features two 10.9-inch displays for audio, navigation, and communication, centrally located and visible to the co-driver. An additional 8.4-inch touchscreen on the center console for access to media, navigation, telephone, and more. The charging port and the boot lid can also be opened using this screen.

Optional extras

Customers can go crazy with optional features by coughing up a few thousand dollars. For instance, front massage seats with ventilation cost USD 2,000 extra on the Taycan Cross Turismo. For USD 3,060, owners can select custom illuminated door sill guards made of matte carbon fiber. Tons of other options are available.

Porsche Connect

What’s more, the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo comes with three years of Porsche Connect subscription that includes wireless Apple CarPlay, OTA updates, and Function on Demand which lets owners purchase select convenience and assist functions without going to the workshop. Additional options include Bose or Burmester sound systems, ADAS features, and various interior trims and upholstery choices.

Specifications

Based on the J1 platform co-developed with Audi (used by the e-tron GT), the Taycan Turbo Cross Turismo is an AWD model with two motors that produce 616 hp (Overboost Power with Launch Control: 670 hp) and up to 626 lb.-ft. of torque (with Launch Control). It takes just 3.1 seconds for a 0-60 mph sprint and it has a top speed of 155 mph.

Chassis

The Taycan Turbo Cross Turismo gets adaptive air suspension with a smart lift, which raises or lowers the ride height depending on the road conditions. It also has 20 mm higher ground clearance than the sedan. Optional on the 4 and the 4S and standard on the Turbo models is rear-axle steering allowing a turning circle of 37.4 ft (11.3 meters) only. 

Porsche says lateral body inclinations are almost eliminated on the Porsche Taycan Turbo Cross Turismo thanks to dynamic chassis control. Moreover, the suspension also irons out lateral instability while driving over rough patches of road. Also standard on the Turbo versions is torque vectoring, which adjusts torque to individual wheels depending on available grip levels. Lastly, the optional Off-road Package can increase ground clearance by 30 mm (1.18 in.)

Charging & range

An 83.7 kWh battery pack that can be charged at up to 270 kW supplies energy to the electric motors. Charging it from 0 to 100% using a 9.6 kW AC charger takes 10.5 hours. A 5-80% DC fast-charging session is a matter of just 22.5 minutes. After 80%, though, charging speeds are significantly lower to preserve the battery life and avoid overheating. On a full charge, the Taycan Turbo Cross Turismo can travel up to 233 miles, as per EPA. In other variants, the Taycan Cross Turismo can deliver an EPA-estimated range of up to 235 miles.

Price

TopElectricSUV says

The Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo is a great all-rounder as an urban EV, offering superb performance, comfort, and style, ultra-fast charging, high-end technologies, and some ruggedness for light off-road adventures. Its primary downside is the modest range, which restricts long-distance travel.

Also Read: 2024 Porsche Taycan 4S is a head-turner in Neptune Blue

I got my Master’s in Business Management & Administration and have been an International Automotive News Editor since 2014. I’ve traveled to global motor shows and automotive events, driven various types of vehicles, and focused on hybrid and electric cars in the last 4 years.