Porsche has just restyled its Taycan, which we were able to test in its raised estate format, the Cross Turismo, and in its most extreme version, the Turbo S version with 952 horsepower and 1,100 Nm of torque.
It’s the first electric Porsche. The Taycan has just been restyled. But is it still a benchmark for zero-emission sportiness?
We took the wheel of the Cross Turismo version, the raised station wagon of the Taycan family. A third variant after the sedan, the Taycan tout court, and the station wagon, the Taycan Sport Turismo.
Electric hunting break
This Cross Turismo version benefits from a ground clearance raised by 5 cm compared to the saloon and this little off-road look, with roof bars or protections at the level of the underbody and wheel arches.
The design has changed very little on this Taycan phase 2, which retains its assets as a large sedan. A very successful slender shooting brake silhouette, magnified by this pretty metallic “Oak green”, with these new 21-inch rims, which reveal the carbon ceramic brakes and imposing calipers.
This Taycan Cross Turismo is 4.97 meters long, so closer to a Panamera (5.05 meters), than a 911 (4.52 meters). A Taiwan that is also quite wide, more than 2 meters taking into account the rearview mirrors.
With its family vocation, this variant has a large 446-litre boot, complemented by an 84-litre front boot.
Luxury and technology on board
A nice touch when you open the door is that the vehicle rises 5 centimetres to make it easier to get on board thanks to the adaptive air suspension. Another advantage of this equipment that already brings a lot of driving comfort.
Behind the wheel, we discover a cabin with a beautiful alchemy between luxury and technology. The choice of materials corresponds to the very high-end positioning of this Taycan, with an avalanche of leather, pretty stitching and imitation carbon details.
Otherwise, we find the interior layout of the Taycan phase 1, with this magnificent screen of the curved counters. The central touch screen for infotainment offers a very good definition and is very responsive. It is completed under the air vents, in the lower part, by a screen dedicated to the air conditioning. The haptic feedback, which gives a clicking sensation, makes it easy to make adjustments, especially with heated and ventilated seats.
It is also possible to have a fourth screen, a touch screen dedicated to the passenger above the glove compartment. A filter then hides what is displayed so as not to distract the driver’s attention.
Missile sol-sol
This was the specification of the Porsche Taycan when it was launched in 2020: to have the ability to go from 0 to 100 km/h without experiencing too significant a drop in performance. A way of responding to a certain Tesla and its most powerful versions of the Model S like the latest Plaid.
This is still the case with this second phase and especially in our Turbo S version of our test model, with its two front and rear motors allowing a 0 to 100 km/h announced in 2.5 seconds thanks to a “launch control”.
The announced figures are impressive: 775 horsepower and up to 952 horsepower and 1,100 Nm of torque with the oberboost.
On paper, the Tesla Model S Plaid does a little better with a 0 to 100 km/h announced in 2.1 seconds. But, we can console ourselves with a much higher level of luxury and comfort in the Porsche, which is also not in the same category regarding its price list. We’ll talk about it again at the end of this test…
On the battery side, we have a capacity of 97 kWh with 560 km of announced autonomy. Finally on the charging power, we can reach 320 kW thanks to an 800V architecture. In theory, because no terminal currently offers such powers, but at least this Taycan is ready for the future.
During our test, we consumed 26.6 kWh per 100 km, which allows us to envisage at least 370 km of real autonomy.
Prices at the top
Obviously, with such services and such luxury on board, you need to have a solid budget to be able to afford our test model.
The Taycan sedan already starts at 105,000 euros and you have to add 1,000 euros more for the Sport Turismo… and another 1,500 for the Cross Turismo.
A starting price of 117,450 euros which will also quickly soar, with the fourth and final level of finish Turbo S which increases the price to 216,000 euros.
Want more? The vast catalogue of options will swallow up the rest of your wallet: our test model had 45,000 euros of options for a final bill of 261,620 euros.
The price of excellence, to be compared with a Tesla Model S Plaid at 108,000 euros (125,000 euros with all the options), but a notch below in terms of comfort and luxury.
It can also be compared with German competitors, with the Audi RS e-tron GT starting at 162,000 euros, the BMW i5 M60 at 107,500 euros or the Mercedes-AMG EQE 53 4Matic+ at 125,600 euros.
