The new Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo has been spied winter testing. The more practical electric load-lugger is due in 2021.
This is our best look yet at Porsche’s second fully electric model, the Taycan Cross Turismo. Spied almost completely undisguised during the final stages of development testing, the Cross Turismo is due to be launched later this year, ahead of sales commencing at the beginning of 2021.
The arrival of the Taycan Cross Turismo will create another niche in the new car market: the electric estate car. Performance estates have been around for decades, with regular fixtures including the Audi RS 6 Avant and Mercedes-AMG E63. But Porsche will be the first brand to enter the segment with a fully electric alternative. Dr Michael Steiner, Porsche’s executive board member for R&D, told Auto Express: “It’s an obligation for us, at Porsche, to think about and work on sporty answers to electric cars.”
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Best electric cars to buy 2020This test mule, which only wears a light disguise on the rear LED light strip is, by and large, the finished product. At the front end and up to the B-pillars, the Cross Turismo is identical to the regular Taycan; slender LED headlamps sit within hollowed-out ‘sockets’, with the charging port located behind the wheel on the left side of the vehicle.
From the B-pillars, the roofline extends the full length of the car, like that on the Panamera Sport Turismo. The obvious benefit of that will be an increase in practicality, with the head space for rear passengers growing slightly. Boot capacity should also rise from the Taycan’s 447 litres to around 500 litres in total, while the Cross Turismo
is likely to carry a price premium of around £5,000 over the standard Taycan.
Under the skin of the estate, the regular Taycan’s powertrain will be carried over, while the range of variants is also expected to mirror that of the saloon. Entry-level versions, badged 4S, will make use of a 79kWh battery that is mated to a pair of electric motors (one on each axle) for 429bhp (or 523bhp on overboost). Turbo and Turbo S editions will pack a larger 93kWh battery beneath the floor of the car. Each will develop 617bhp, but on overboost the Turbo tops out at 671bhp, while the Turbo S makes 751bhp.
The Cross Turismo is the next step in an ambitious assault on the electric vehicle market from Porsche. Following in this car’s footsteps will be a fully electric version of the company’s biggest seller: the Macan. Due in 2022, the SUV will go electric only, with the current petrol model being sold alongside it until customer demand falls enough for Porsche to remove it from sale. Bosses have discussed taking a similar approach with the next-generation Cayenne, too.
Would you rather have the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo or the Tesla Model X? Let us know in the comments section below…
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