Porsche will soon expand the Taycan line-up with a new, more practical Cross Turismo estate variant. The new EV is due to make its official debut next month, and to give a taste of what’s to come, the brand has released some fresh teaser images of the car.
The new Porsche Taycan Cross will be available to order from its official launch date on 4 March. It’ll be out mid 2021, when Porsche hopes the extra body style will help it steal a march over its EV competitors from Tesla and Audi.
Porsche’s official “spy shots” pretty much reveal the Taycan Cross Turismo’s styling in full. Up front, it looks identical to the saloon, with a pair of slender LED headlamps set into hollowed-out “eye-sockets.” The charging port hasn’t moved, either – it’s still located behind the front left wheel.
However, it’s all change from the B-pillars backwards. The roofline extends the full length of the car, like that on the Panamera Sport Turismo. The obvious benefit will be an increase in practicality, with rear-seat headroom expected to increase over the standard car.
The estate’s boot space should also swell to around 500 litres – compared to the standard Taycan’s 447-litre capacity – while the slightly raised suspension should allow the EV to crest speed bumps more gracefully. However, the extra practicality will come at a premium, as the price of the Cross Turismo will likely increase by around $10,000 over the standard car.
Stefan Weckbach, head of the Taycan line-up, explained the brief of the new car saying: “With the Taycan Cross Turismo, we wanted to offer a little bit more space, a little more flexibility and versatility. We developed a completely new roofline, fitted with roof rails, a more generous second row and bigger trunk, all to make a car that is perfect for an active lifestyle. A car that is perfect for both an urban environment and the countryside.”
Weckbach also outlined the thinking behind the new car’s chassis tweaks, stating: “In order to enable it to handle light off-roading and gravel roads, we increased the ground clearance. And we optimised our suspension system so the Cross Turismo comes with a CUV (cross utility vehicle) specific driving mode. This makes sure it does well on gravel roads in terms of stability, performance, and dynamics.”
The decision to launch a Taycan estate means the EV’s portfolio will morph into a near direct mirror of the Panamera line-up. Porsche will also be the first manufacturer to enter the performance estate segment with a pure-electric model, with this new Taycan squaring up to time-served competitors such as the Audi RS 6 Avant and Mercedes-AMG E 63 estate.
Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo: powertrains
Despite the cosmetic changes, the Cross Turismo will stick with the Taycan’s powertrain options. The cheapest variant, badged 4S, will feature a 79kWh battery pack and two electric motors, for a combined output of 320kW (or a temporary maximum of 390kW with Porsche’s “overboost” mode engaged).
Turbo and Turbo S models will both feature Porsche’s larger 93kWh battery pack – and each will come with a substantial increase in performance. Both cars develop should 460kW under normal running conditions, but thanks to Porsche’s overboost function, the Turbo tops out at 500kWp, while the Turbo S can generate a maximum of 560kW.
However, it’s highly unlikely that the Cross Turismo will be available with the Taycan’s 240kW entry-level rear-wheel drive powertrain. In keeping with its pseudo-SUV aspirations, Porsche has said that the new EV will only be available with two electric motors and four-wheel drive.
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 to arrive 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.
Luke Wilkinson