The wraps are off and Porsche’s new electric sports car estate has now been officially unveiled – ideal for those who want to win a game of Top Trumps at the school gates or on a tip run.
The full reveal comes after This is Money and MailOnline was given an exclusive UK road-test of a lightly disguised pre-production version of the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo – indeed of the very same vehicle that made its debut on the world stage today – as part of an epic drive across the USA and Europe.
Porsche’s £80,000 low-slung battery-powered estate car is a more practical and slightly higher riding version of its Taycan electric car, which has won plaudits for combining zero tailpipe emmissions with startling performance and handling.
And for the price of a new budget car or a half-decent second hand vehicle, you can even specify one of two matching Porsche eBikes costing up to £9,500 that can be carried on the back.
Jack of all trades: This is the new Porsche family car, which also doubles as an estate, or an SUV, or even a carrier for your expensive bicycles
The new all-rounder Cross Turismo – equipped with four individual seats or 5 with a rear bench – adds a new shooting-brake body-style to the successful Taycan line-up, available up to now only as a svelte sports saloon.
The Performance Battery Plus with a total capacity of 93.4 kW is a standard feature across the Turismo range which, at launch, comprises four derivatives priced from just under £80,000 to a fraction under £140,000. However, added extras may soon bump that up.
On sale from today, first cars will arrive with customers in the summer.
The range-topping car we drove in the UK is the £139,910 Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo. In normal mode it develops 625 horse-power (460 kW) rising to 761 horsepower (560 kW) in launch-control over-boost which propels two electric motors – one per axle – with a two-speed gear-box on rear.
This enables it to accelerate from a standing start to 62mph on just 2.9 seconds, to 100 mph in 6.2 seconds, and 124mph in 9.7 seconds, up to top speed 155 mph.
Yet it still has a range of between 241 and 260 miles.
For the price of a new budget car or a half-decent second hand vehicle, you can even specify one of two matching Porsche eBikes costing up to £9,500 that can be carried on the back
The wraps are off and Porsche’s new electric zero-emissions estate is now officially unveiled after its spectacular online world premiere from Germany
Porsche’s all-new Taycan Cross Turismo is the German manufacturer’s first electric off-road estate car
Cross Turismo is an extended version of Porsche’s award-winning Taycan electric sport car with a slightly raised ride height
Entry point for the new crossover estate is the £79,340 Taycan 4 Cross Turismo which develops 380 horse-power (280 kW) up to 476 horse-power (350 kW) in launch-control over-boost giving 0 to 62 mph acceleration in 5.1 seconds up to a top speed of 137 mph and a range of between 242 and 283 miles.
The full Taycan model range – priced from £70,690 – now comprises eight models and two body-styles, saloon and estate, with more set to follow.
A full charge for a top-of-the-range Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo via a 11kW wall-charger takes 9 hours.
A 50kW DC rapid charger will give you a 62 miles boost in 31 minutes and an 80 per cent charge in 1 hour 33 minutes.
A maximum DC charge will do the 62 mile boost in just 5.5 minutes and an 80 per cent charge in 22.5 minutes.
Prices will range from £79,340 to £139,910 for the top-spec Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo
The range-topping car we drove in the UK is the £139,910 Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo. In normal mode it develops 625 horse-power (460 kW) rising to 761 horsepower (560 kW) in launch-control over-boost which propels two electric motors – one per axle – with a two-speed gear-box on rear
This enables the range-topping version to accelerate from a standing start to 62mph on just 2.9 seconds, to 100 mph in 6.2 seconds, and 124mph in 9.7 seconds, up to top speed 155 mph
Porsche said at launch: ‘In addition to the proven strengths of the award-winning, all-electric Taycan sports saloon such as superior performance and long range, the all-wheel drive, five-door Cross Turismo now offers even greater versatility that makes the car a true all-rounder.’
Porsche Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo: Will it fit in my garage?
Price of range: from £79,340 to £139,910
On sale: Today
First delivery: Summer 2021
Length: 4,965 mm
Width (with mirrors): 2,145 mm
Height: 1,400 mm
Unladen weight: 2,300kg
Seats: 4 individual seats, or 5 with a rear bench
Propulsion: Two electric motors – one per axle – with a two-speed gear-box on rear.
Battery: 93.4kWh Performance Battery Plus
Power: 761 horse-power (PS)
0-62 mph: 2.9 seconds
0-100 mph: 6.2 seconds
Top Speed: 155 mph
Driving modes: Range, Normal, Sport, Sport Plus and Gravel
Range: 242 to 258 miles
Charging time: 22.5 minutes to 80% on a fast charger
Rear luggage space: 1,200 litres
Front trunk or ‘frunk’: 84 litres
The Cross Turismo’s electrified high-tech chassis features all-wheel drive and adaptive air suspension to ensure ‘confident handling and control off the beaten track’.
There’s nearly an inch and a half of extra headroom (36 millimetres) for rear-seat passengers and more than 1,200 litres of rear luggage capacity accessed through the large tailgate, as well as space for a small bag in the front trunk or ‘frunk’.
To stay gripped to the road the all-wheel drive chassis features active suspension management, electronic damper control, plus three-chamber adaptive air suspension which is standard on every Cross Turismo.
This can be extended with an optional Off-Road package that increases ground clearance by a further 10mm – for a total of 30 mm higher than the saloon.
Off-road design elements include wheel arch trims as well as specific front and rear lower aprons and side sills, and special vanes at the corners of the front and rear bumpers and at the ends of the sills. Porsche said: ‘These make for a striking exterior appearance as well as providing protection from stone impacts.
Sporting accessories include a new rear carrier – which can carry up to three bicycles – and for which Porsche has also launched two new electric powered eBikes. Porsche said: ‘One of its convenient features is the tailgate can still be opened, even when the rear carrier is loaded.’
The matching eBike Cross costs £7,500 and the eBike Sport £9,500.
Porsche said: ‘With their timeless design by Studio F.A. Porsche as well as their powerful drive technology from Shimano, they are perfectly matched to the Taycan Cross Turismo. ‘
Speaking at the online world premiere of the new Taycan derivative Porsche executive board chairman Oliver Blume said: ‘We see ourselves as pioneers of sustainable mobility.
‘In 2019, we sent out a key signal with the debut of our first all-electric sports car. With the Taycan Cross Turismo, we’re taking another major step in this direction.’
Mr Blume added: ‘By 2025, half of all the new vehicles we will deliver will have an electrified drive – either fully electric or plug-in hybrid.
‘In 2020, one in three of all vehicles we delivered in Europe had an electric powertrain. The future belongs to electric mobility.’
The world premiere of the new Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo took place in the Hyperbowl Studio at the Munich Trade Fair Centre – designed to bring together the worlds of film and reality. It features a 40m long and 5.5 m tall 270-degree curved LED wall and ceiling that provides a 478 square-metre screen surface with 70 million pixels.
To stay gripped to the road the all-wheel drive chassis features active suspension management, electronic damper control, plus three-chamber adaptive air suspension which is standard on every Cross Turismo
Off-road design elements include wheel arch trims as well as specific front and rear lower aprons and side sills, and special vanes at the corners of the front and rear bumpers and at the ends of the sills. Porsche said: ‘These make for a striking exterior appearance as well as providing protection from stone impacts
The world premiere of the new Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo took place in the Hyperbowl Studio at the Munich Trade Fair Centre – designed to bring together the worlds of film and reality
A behind-the-scenes Turismo: We drove Porsche’s Taycan Cross Turismo weeks before the all-electric estate car was unveiled
There’s nothing quite like the buzz and intrigue when road testing a car that’s yet to be officially unveiled, never mind hit the road or appear in showrooms.
Especially if the lightening-fast car you are driving undercover is the very same one that will be revealed live to the world at the beginning of March in a global online launch from Germany.
So what better way to put a pre-production and lightly disguised version of the sizzling new all-electric Porsche Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo, priced at £140,000, through its paces than to allow a select few motoring journalists to tag-team on a 2,000 mile – and completely Covid-compliant – intercontinental road trip taking in legs across deserts in the USA, snow, ice and autobahns of Continental Europe and, for my UK leg, the leafy lanes of Surrey.
A behind-the-scenes Turismo: This undercover version of Porsche’s new electric Taycan Cross Turismo was brought to the UK ahead of today’s launch – and Ray Massey took to the wheel
‘While the car is nominally disguised, it’s a thin disguise, and you’d be allowed to drive it, stick a dog in the boot, whatever!’, said the invitation from Porsche.
The location of the test drive couldn’t be any more different to the dark and menacing look of the test mule; an out-of-season visit and photoshoot at an otherwise deserted funfair at Chessington World of Adventure.
The new Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo shape is essentially a shooting brake, fastback or estate version of the highly successful Taycan saloon – or a blend of all three – aimed at owners who lead an active or sporty lifestyle.
The new derivative offers greater load space and flexibility, a larger battery, and all-wheel drive as standard, to appeal to more adventurous spirits. It will accommodate four people in individual seats or five with a rear bench.
Although length and width are broadly the same as the saloon, the Cross Turismo sits higher.
The Cross Turismo line-up mirrors that of the existing saloon version, with four models: the standard Taycan 4 Cross Turismo from around £75,000; the 4S Cross Turismo from about £85,000, the Turbo Cross Turismo from £120,000, and the top of the range Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo which I was driving in pre-production mode from £140,000.
Our first drive included an out-of-season visit and photoshoot at an otherwise deserted funfair at Chessington World of Adventure where they were testing the newly launched Croc Drop ready for when Covid restrictions are lifted
While the car was only a prototype, it barely masks the true identity of the new model, despite going on a globe-trotting tour before the launch
Ray says the Taycan Cross Turismo is a bit more practical than the conventional electric sports car, though the black roof rails and larger panoramic fixed glass roof fitted to the one he is seen here driving are both optional, so will bump up the final price
Car chiefs at Porsche HQ shipped this particular car from the German car firm’s research and development facility in Weissach, near Stuttgart, to the United States where it was driven down the West Coast and across the Californian desert, where it picked up a fair bit of dust and dirt (more of which later), most of it still visible on the paintwork and beyond.
This was a working car and the muck was a badge of honour.
From California it was shipped to snowy Norway – one of the most electric-car-friendly nations on the planet – and thence to the UK, via the port of Grimsby and down to me on the Surrey fringe of London.
Here, the air con system was given a through clean-out and the car itself ‘sanitised’ to be Covid- compliant.
And I was off. I’ve driven the Taycan saloon extensively in the US and the UK, so I know what a marvellously engaging and responsive electric supercar this is. The Cross Turismo makes it a bit more practical, though the black roof rails and larger panoramic fixed glass roof fitted to the car I was driving are both optional, so will bump up the final price.
If you’re active on a bicycle or the snowbound slopes, it features new rear-mounted bike carrier and ski carrier options.
Powered by a mighty 761 horse-power electric motor the new Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo accelerates from rest to 62 mph in just three seconds, and hits the 100mph in 6.5 seconds, up to a top speed of 160 mph.
Powered by a mighty 761 horse-power electric motor the new Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo accelerates from rest to 62 mph in just 2.9 seconds, and hits the 100mph in 6.2 seconds, up to a top speed of 155mph
It comes with an off-road package, which gives the Turismo an extra 10mm of suspension height. This is on top of the 20mm of extra height and ground clearance the Cross Turismo gains over the Taycan saloon, giving a potential extra 30mm of added ride height
This test mule is being used as a globe-trotting prototype to make final tweaks before the production car hits the market next month
Propulsion is from two electric motors – one per axle – with a two speed gear-box on the rear axle.
In addition to the standard driving modes on the Taycan saloon – Range, Normal, Sport and Sport Plus – the Cross Turismo also has a Gravel mode for mild off-roading.
This comes as part of a new off-road package which gives the Turismo an extra 10mm of suspension height. This is on top of the 20mm of extra height and ground clearance the Cross Turismo gains over the Taycan saloon, giving a potential extra 30mm of added ride height.
There’s nearly two inches of extra headroom (47 millimetres) for rear-seat passengers, a new hatchback tail-gate with power opening and enough room for luggage or a dog. There’s up to 1,200 litres of luggage space in the rear – plus a removable load cover – plus an additional 84 litres in the front trunk or ‘frunk’.
Air suspension is standard and there’s a front nose lift facility to navigate bumps.
The 93.4 kWh Performance Battery Plus is standard on the Turbo S and Turbo and models with the 4S models and below expected to have a 79.2 kWh battery as standard with the larger size as an option
The Cross Turismo’s silhouette shows the shooting-brake styling cues taken from the concept Mission E Cross Turismo on which it is based
In a nod to its more rugged credentials, the Taycan’s usual Sport Chrono clock that sits on top of the dashboard is replaced by a compass – which may prove helpful should you get lost in the outback, the badlands of the Home Counties, or the wilds of beautiful Northumbria.
A Turbo S model would normally have 21inch wheels as standard.
But as the one I was driving was on winter tyres, this meant it was riding on 20 inch wheels.
There are also new alloy wheel styles including Cross Turismo Design, on the car I drove.
The 93.4 kWh Performance Battery Plus is standard on the Turbo S and Turbo and models with the 4S models and below expected to have a 79.2 kWh battery as standard with the larger size as an option.
Range, like performance figures, is yet to be confirmed but is expected to average around 242 to 258 miles, mirroring that of the equivalent Taycan Turbo S saloon. Charging to 80 per cent takes 22.5 minutes on a fast charger
‘It’s a very engaging and exhilarating clean, mean machine, with plenty of poke. The Cross Turismo styling makes it look more casual but also more practical,’ says Ray Massey
Range, like performance figures, is yet to be confirmed but is expected to average around 242 to 258 miles, mirroring that of the equivalent Taycan Turbo S saloon. Charging to 80 per cent takes 22.5 minutes on a fast charger.
The Cross Turismo’s silhouette shows the shooting-brake styling cues taken from the concept Mission E Cross Turismo on which it is based.
As befits an adventure, and thanks to its owners, I made a scheduled pit-stop at nearby Chessington World of Adventure – closed for the duration because of lockdown – which was putting its new Croc Drop ride through its paces ahead of reopening when control of the virus allows.
And this is where I had a little adventure of my own.
Out on the road all was going well initially.
It’s a very engaging and exhilarating clean, mean machine, with plenty of poke. The Cross Turismo styling makes it look more casual but also more practical.
But at low speed around town I sensed a mild and almost imperceptible vibration. Putting it down to road surface, I pressed on.
After our drive, and post clean-up, the car was off to London before being shipped to the Netherlands and driven through Holland back to Germany ready for the official world premiere
Of the 2,000 or so miles the prototype has covered globally, 491 miles were logged in the UK, one of Porsche’s key markets
It wasn’t until I put my foot down hard when entering a 70mph three lane carriageway that the vibration became intrusive. Playing around with the speed – and feeling like a test pilot in the vintage British black and white movie ‘The Sound Barrier’ – I determined the rumble was manageable up to 30, intrusive at 60 and really rocking and rolling at 70mph.
After one of my test bursts, a warning light flashed up on the dashboard, pinpointing a problem with the rear near-side wheel. A quick stop for a visual inspection showed the tyres looked fine so there was no puncture, slow or otherwise. But time to phone in and report, nevertheless, and head for home in a more sedate manner.
But the Porsche back-up team of masked technicians said they suspected a build-up of mud and grit inside the errant wheel from as far back as California may have imbalanced it.
Not such good vibrations from the Californian beach boys, then. But it was a pre-production car and NOT cleaning it was part of the fun.
In addition to the standard driving modes on the Taycan saloon – Range, Normal, Sport and Sport Plus – the Cross Turismo also has a Gravel mode for mild off-roading
More than 20,000 Taycan saloons were sold worldwide last year including 3,000 in Britain making it the UK’s second-best selling Porsche
Porsche told me afterwards: ‘We did manage to get to the bottom of the wheels thanks to your feedback. ‘It turns out the mud was far more persistent than we thought, the attached photograph is what we managed to remove from just one wheel when we stopped to charge. No wonder there was a vibration.’
After my drive, and post clean-up, the car was off to London before being shipped to the Netherlands and driven through Holland back to Germany ready for the official world premiere.
Of the 2,000 or so miles it covered, 491 miles were logged in the UK, one of Porsche’s key markets. More than 20,000 Taycan saloons were sold worldwide last year including 3,000 in Britain making it the UK’s second-best selling Porsche.
So far the 4S is the most popular saloon, accounting for two-thirds of sales, followed by the Turbo and Turbo S. A new rear-wheel drive version of the saloon was launched in January however the Cross Turismo is expected to remain 4-wheel drive only.
Next time you’ll see the very car I drove is when the covers come off it at the world premiere on 4 March.
So far the 4S is the most popular saloon, accounting for two-thirds of sales, followed by the Turbo and Turbo S – both of which don’t have a turbo, of course
A new rear-wheel drive version of the saloon was launched in January however the Cross Turismo is expected to remain 4-wheel drive only
A Turbo S model would normally have 21-inch wheels as standard. But as the one I was driving was on winter tyres, this meant it was riding on 20-inch wheels
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