2022 Porsche Taycan GTS Sport Turismo Review

spot_imgspot_img

aria-label="Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo 2022 GTS 4"

New Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo is a brilliant car, and that’s all the pity for Australians.

Porsche’s Taycan GTS Sport Turismo could be its best electric car yet. It looks great, goes like stink, is beautifully designed and engineered, and – with just a couple of small caveats – it drives quite brilliantly.

It requires few excuses to justify, even with a high price tag, and when you compare it with its closest brother from within Porsche’s own petrol-engined line-up – the similarly styled Panamera GTS Sport Turismo – the list of excuses actually gets shorter.

aria-label="Screenshot 2021 12 15 111828"

That makes driving this car overseas in our review here all the more of a blow, because Porsche Australia has ruled the wagon model of the already brilliant Taycan out. It’s cheaper than the Panamera GTS in Europe, where you can buy it. It also offers more power and torque, at 440kW and 850Nm, so in simple terms it’s just faster: 0-100km/h takes 3.7 seconds in the Taycan, 3.9 in the Panamera. Plus, of course, from an ecological point of view, the Taycan GTS is operating in an entirely different universe.

So what are the compromises? Well, it’s the same old triumvirate on the surface; weight, range and charging time. Except even in these areas the Taycan GTS no longer seems all that out-moded.

aria-label="Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo 2022 GTS 8"

Its 2370kg kerbweight doesn’t cripple its dynamic ability. On winding roads the GTS Sport Turismo serves up a lovely mix of ride, handling and steering precision. Its steering is especially crisp, its body control and traction both spookily good given the sheer weight the GTS carries, and, at last, even its brakes inspire real confidence. So the GTS drives as good as it looks, in other words.

Porsche has even managed to solve the often thorny EV issue of sound, too, by giving the Taycan GTS an intriguing new voice. One that includes blips on downshifts between the two gear ratios and a variety of screams and fizzes under acceleration that really do add to the car’s driver appeal.

aria-label="Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo 2022 GTS 1"

Also not to be undersold is the extra hit of practicality the Sport Turismo bodyshell brings. In the front it’s familiar enough territory, albeit with a variety of welcome GTS touches to elevate the cabin; good sports seats make a difference, too. But in the rear there’s a lot more headroom and a much bigger boot (446 litres).

It also comes equipped with most, if not quite all the goodies you’d want as standard. Porsche Adaptive Suspension Management is included, for example. But you’ll need to pay extra for our car’s four-wheel steering and its upgraded surround-sound audio system.

aria-label="Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo 2022 GTS 3"

And the other caveats? One, the battery still takes 23 minutes to charge from 5 to 80 per cent, and even this requires the most rapid charger possible. But that’s electric cars for you, and the Taycan is one of the fastest to replenish.

Two, it does chew through its theoretical 504km range dramatically if you drive hard, to a point where its real-world range is nearer 320km if you’re going for it. Then again, a Panamera GTS would quaff a tank of petrol at a broadly similar rate.

aria-label="Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo 2022 GTS 5"

Finally, and only if we’re being picky here, the Taycan GTS feels a touch cumbersome under full brakes when you’re going downhill from a big speed into a slow corner. You just need to be fully aware of the physics involved under such circumstances.

The Porsche Taycan GTS Sport Turismo finally proves that EVs really can be as exciting to drive as they are fast, as practical to use as they are desirable – albeit at a high price here. There are few excuses required for this car. It even has a 504km range and can be charged to 80 per cent of this in less than 23 minutes. If this is the future, it’s not just bright, it’s downright brilliant.

aria-label="Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo 2022 GTS 7"

Model: Porsche Taycan GTS Sport Turismo
Price: $195,000 (UK equivalent)
Battery/motor: 93.4kWh/2x e-motor
Power/torque: 440kW/850Nm
Transmission: Two-speed automatic, four-wheel drive
0-100km/h: 3.7 seconds
Top speed: 250km/h
Range: 504km
Charging: 270kW (5-80% in 23mins)
On sale: Not for Australia

 

Steve Sutcliffe

Toyota 222D – the Group S Rally Car

This 560kW rallying MR2 could have seen Toyota conquer the stages, but instead fate intervened
spot_img

Further Reading

Genesis GV90 electric SUV: Neolun concept previews new flagship

Genesis GV90 previewed: The Neolun is Genesis’s first “full-size electric SUV concept” and comes with a host of advanced technological features
New Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo is a brilliant car, and that's all the pity for Australians. Porsche’s Taycan GTS Sport Turismo could be its best electric car yet. It looks great, goes like stink, is beautifully designed and engineered, and – with just a couple...2022 Porsche Taycan GTS Sport Turismo Review