Design driven: Porsche Taycan 4S Cross Turismo

A blissful week with the 911 Carrera set the bar extremely high for any car to follow, but an interior draped in Pepita fabric was a good way to bring this writer on side. Slumping into the driver’s seat of the Porsche Taycan to escape a thunderstorm, the focus on driver comfort becomes immediately apparent. Even the dog, clipped into the second row a few moments earlier, was practically snoring away by the time we got going. A good start indeed.

But driving the first electric Porsche directly after the cornerstone of the portfolio, the 911, was a curious experience. At first it all feels very familiar – a beautifully appointed cabin that treads the line between lavish and functional; performance that will send you to a chiropractor, and road presence that only a sportscar brand could offer. All tied together with that distinctive crest on the steering wheel. It’s a recipe for success, but the experience shifts when it comes to pulling away.

The theatre of a ‘flat six’ cold start is replaced by silence, an experience comparable to any other EV regardless of price. It is hard not to feel a little underwhelmed at first, but a few days behind the wheel sheds some clarity on its place in the portfolio: this is a daily-driving sports limousine with incredible boot space and supercar performance. Just as we classed the 911 as a "car that can do it all", the Taycan wagon is the same — and then some. 

The Cross Turismo variant made its debut in 2021 and has only one subtle facelift to its name since then. And like the 911 it has been treated sympathetically, a signal of the team’s confidence in its fundamental design. There has been no rush to prune and tweak, allowing the car to settle into the market and build familiarity. We applaud that. 

While the standard Taycan carries a more conventional coupé silhouette, the Cross Turismo feels like a modern interpretation of the shooting brake. Heavily muscled arches front and rear add ballast to what could be quite a delicate exterior, defined by a fast roofline that sweeps backwards from the deep-set cowl ahead of the windscreen. The dainty front end is Boxster-esque, while the rear feels close to that of a Macan. A super long 2.9-metre wheelbase connects those two sections. Huge 21-inch wheels are bolstered by almost equally big brakes, with dinner plate 360mm rotors and six-pot callipers.

Inside, a monolithic centre console flows directly into the IP, which is split into two distinct sections. The steering wheel is immediately familiar having just spent time in the 911, but the push to pass 'boost' button feels a little overkill when there is already enough torque on tap to realign one’s spine.

Broadly speaking, this writer has been lobbying for more of a bassy undertone to EVs during spirited driving. The idea is that this would bring a little theatre for those who miss the rumble of an ICE. The Taycan has that, but somewhat awkwardly, it did not get much use. That is no knock on the work of the sound design team behind it – the ‘acouisticians’ – as the solution is well produced, and thought has clearly gone into creating something that feels genuine. 

“Nothing is generated artificially," they say. "The sound has to fit the vehicle and be authentic. We incorporate the components that sound really good. Then we filter out less attractive sounds. Anything that sounds like a dentist’s drill or streetcar has to go.” On paper it sounds ideal. In practice, I found it clashed with the calmness of the cabin even when pushing a little harder on twisty roads. This is a car to waft in, burble free. 

Ambient lighting can be as plentiful or restrained as the driver wishes, with a full spectrum on offer at the scroll of a digital colour wheel. Pink naturally matched the 'Provence' exterior, and it raised an important takeaway: bold colours are more fun. Lavender would not usually be my choice of spec, but there I was showing pictures of that incredible paintwork to anyone who would listen. I later mentioned this to Citroen's Pierre Leclercq, who was of a similar opinion: colour is an easy way to make a car feel more playful. 

Clearly, this Provence colourway has been linked to Porsche's electric variants, showcased in press shots of the Taycan but also in the more recent Macan electric too. Think of it as a darker, glossy alternative to the pink 'Frozen Berry' that, anecdotally, appears popular among ICE Porschists. 

To the driving experience. The Taycan is immensely fast off the line, and the surge doesn’t really taper off until you are well into naughty speeds. It also handles its significant bulk surprisingly well, zipping around twisty B roads with confidence.

A welcome addition is the air suspension, which aside from floating along the road like a magic carpet also came in useful (or at least felt that way) during a section of severely flooded country roads. Tap a couple of buttons on the menu and the suspension can be raised or lowered accordingly – hiking it up a couple of notches to wade through water felt pleasantly reassuring. Even if EVs are inherently better equipped for that than an ICE.

The Cross Turismo format is undoubtedly a pleasant place to spend time and it is a design that this writer has always viewed rather fondly. Does it feel like a conventional Porsche? No, not really. But it is a bold product that functions as intended, and I am glad this comfortable long-range tourer exists.

Porsche Taycan 4S Cross Turismo

Base price: £99,200

Price as tested: £125,797

Powertrain: 105kWh battery electric / Range: 358 miles (WLTP) 

Power: 440kW / 598PS (including launch control boost)

Performance: 0-62 – 3.8 seconds