2022 Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo

With the Taycan Cross Turismo, Porsche is taking a bit of a gamble, which is very un-German. Does the world really need a Taycan-based quasi-off-road wagon? The Taycan Cross Turismo is like the Panamera Sport Turismo, but with electric propulsion, a slight increase in ride height, and some off-road-inspired design details. And though it has an eAWD system, you won't see it tackling the Rubicon Trail anytime soon. In our opinion, this might just be the most crucial Taycan model, if only because it feeds the USA's insatiable appetite for crossover- and SUV-like ruggedness. Whether it can actually go off-road is utterly irrelevant. People don't buy crossovers to cross over anything and the same will be true of this sporty wagon in most cases. They're a lifestyle statement, telling the world that you're the adventurous type and that you spend hours binge-watching Bear Grylls. The Taycan Cross Turismo currently sits in a class of one. Still, you can compare it to the AWD Audi A6 allroad in terms of its raised wagon stance and the famous Tesla Model X for its powerful electric powertrain. With up to 562 horsepower, does the Taycan Cross Turismo have the guts to take on the SUV that gives most supercars a spanking over the quarter-mile? And is it enough of a practical wagon to consider choosing it over the regular Taycan? Let's find out.

Call us crazy, but we like it. It's not as alluring as the standard Taycan, but converting the exterior design to an adventure wagon works. The overall design is unmistakable, which is one half of the job done. Now add highly fashionable accessories to the body wearing that prestigious badge, and you have a winning recipe. Both models get 19-inch alloys, wrapped with tires boasting a semi-decent 225/55 (275/45 at the rear) profile. LED headlights and four-point LED daytime running lights are standard, and the 4S comes with dynamic LED lights. Both models come standard with a fixed glass panoramic roof, recessed door handles, and a roof spoiler in high gloss black.

The Cross Turismo is based on the Taycan platform, which means it has the same wheelbase measuring in at just over 114 inches. The overall length is 195.8 inches, and it's 77.4 inches wide with the mirrors folded in. It comes with a standard height of 55.5 inches, but you can increase the ride height by opting for the Off-Road Package. The Cross Turismo has a bit more body to carry around, so the 4 weighs 5,029 pounds, which is noticeably heavier than the Taycan 4S's curb weight of 4,773 lbs. The 4S Cross Turismo is just four pounds heavier than the base 4.

Both all-wheel-drive models are equipped with two AC permanent synchronous motors, powered by the 93.4-kWh Performance Battery Plus. The motor at the front axle is smaller and mated to a single-speed transmission, while the larger rear motor is coupled to a 2-speed transmission. The reason for the 2-speed transmission? It allows the rear electric motor to spin at a lower rpm at higher speeds. It's not really applicable to the USA, where the fastest you can legally drive is 85 mph. In Germany, where the autobahn lives, you can keep up with the fast-flowing traffic.

Porsche quotes two power outputs for both models. The base 4's electric motors produce 375 hp and 368 lb-ft of torque. The overboost power output with launch control engaged is said to be 469 hp. The 4S is rated at 482 hp and 479 lb-ft of torque, increasing to 562 hp in overboost mode.

Thanks to the instant power delivery, both cars are rapid off the line. The 4 can get to 60 mph in 4.8 seconds, while the 4S gets there in 3.9 seconds. Both feel faster due to the unique power delivery of an EV, however. The 4 tops out at a relatively low 137 mph, while the 4S can get to 149 mph.

Increasing the ride height harms body control, right? Traditionally speaking, the answer is yes. Once you raise the ride height, you increase the center of gravity. Not so much in the Porsche, because the most significant chunk of its weight is still mounted low-down in the car. It leans a little more in the corners, but that's just Porsche adding a little more give in the suspension setup. This slight change to the suspension makes a world of difference during the normal daily routine. It rides and handles like a well-sorted German sedan on regular roads.

The Cross Turismo is not as firm as the standard Taycan, but you need only attack one corner with some verve to realize that the DNA is still very much there. It feels like a standard Taycan with a tiny bit of artificial roll tuned into the suspension in Sport mode. We like a bit of body roll as it's one of the first signs you're pushing too hard, which is relatively easy to do in an electric car with so much power. Both models come with adjustable driving modes, including Comfort, Sport, and Range modes. The Cross Turismo adds a Gravel mode to go along with its off-road tinsel. This might surprise you, but it works beautifully. If anything, the Cross Turismo is even better on a gravel road. The power split between the front and rear axle is sublime, and the Cross Turismo still boasts a 50/50 weight distribution. We expected the instant power delivery to be a nuisance on a loose surface, but it just works. Getting the rear end to slide out is relatively easy with the standard summer tires, and getting it back in line is even easier. It requires the tiniest bit of opposite lock and some throttle input, and the car will sort out the rest.

At the time of writing, the EPA hadn't yet published figures for the 2022 Taycan Cross Turismo, but Porsche had. According to Porsche, both the Taycan 4 and 4S Cross Turismo models are capable of 76 MPGe combined and a total range of 215 miles. Whichever way you look at it, the Taycan Cross Turismo electric wagon certainly lacks the range of some other EVs. There are two other ostensible EV crossovers available on the market, and both give you more range. Jaguar's I-Pace can cover 222 miles, while the Tesla Model X Long Range has a claimed range of 360 miles.

It takes 10.5 hours to charge a Taycan at home via 9.6 kW AC charging from zero to 100 percent. A much shorter 93 minutes via a 50 kW DC charging point is required for charging the Porsche from five to 80%. Find a 270 kW charger, and you can get it from five to 80% in 22.5 minutes. This is usually the part where the Teslarati sit back and laugh at Porsche's feeble attempts, but hang on a minute. There are three things you need to know about Porsche. Its 800-volt battery pack can handle a 270 kW charge, which is more than any Tesla Supercharger currently provides. It's already set up for next-generation infrastructure. Secondly, you get three years of free charging from Electrify America, whereas Tesla charges you for charging. Finally, Porsche purchased a 45% stake in what will be the first real punch in the gut for Tesla. The newly-formed Bugatti-Rimac is going to do some severe damage. Rimac is arguably at the forefront of EV technology, and there's an excellent reason Porsche wanted a slice of the pie.

We reckon the bean counters couldn't care less about the Bugatti brand, but access to Rimac technology is worth billions. How long do you think before we see the first round of Porsche EVs armed with Rimac-developed EV tech? We expect Elon to go on a Twitter rampage any day now.

Porsche doesn't provide official headroom and legroom figures, but the Cross Turismo comes as standard in the same 2+2 layout as the regular Taycan. This isn't ideal if you have three kids but is perfect if you have two. You can fit a rear bench, but the middle seat is too small and has compromised legroom.

The Taycan Cross Turismo has loads of legroom and headroom in the front, and legroom in the back is ample. The big difference here is the absence of the sloping roofline, vastly increasing rear headroom. That makes the Cross Turismo a superior daily car.

The frunk remains unchanged from the regular Taycan at 2.9 cubic feet. It's a nice little space, perfect for storing a laptop or an emergency change of clothes. We can see captains of industry buying a car like this, and you never know when you might need to dolly up for a last-minute international meeting.

We're more interested in the rear cargo capacity, which is increased from 14.3 cubes in the standard Taycan sedan to 15.8 cubes in the Cross Turismo. That's hardly a giant leap forward, but it's the way you access the space that makes a difference. The standard Taycan has a small trunk lid, while the Cross Turismo has a massive hatch that includes the rear window. The access makes a big difference, once again improving the Taycan's daily appeal. The rear seats fold fully flat, providing an impressive 42.8 cubes of cargo capacity.

In the cabin, there are easily accessible dual cupholders for those in front and spacious door bins. There is center armrest storage, a modestly sized glovebox, and a shallow storage compartment between the rear seats. A further two cupholders are provided for those at the back.

The Cross Turismo comes standard with a fixed panoramic glass roof, auto-dimming heated side mirrors, and LED headlights. On the inside, it has dual-zone climate control, eight-way power-adjustable front seats with heating, a multi-function sport steering wheel, dual USB-C chargers for the front and rear, a 16.8-inch curved digital instrument cluster, and a fully digital dashboard with multiple displays. It's a bit light on driver assistance features, with only forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, lane-keep assist, traffic sign recognition, regular cruise control, and front and rear park assist equipped as standard. New for 2022 option is a remote parking assistant that allows you to instruct your Taycan via your smartphone to enter or leave a parking space without even having to be behind the wheel. This package automatically includes lane-change assistance.

The Taycan Cross Turismo has more screens than Dominic Toretto's dodgy warehouse. You know, from back in the day when they boosted VCRs and TVs instead of going to space for no good reason?

The driver gets a curved 16.8-inch display that can be set up in several ways. It can display the navigation or music playlist, for example. There's also another 10.9-inch display that takes care of all the infotainment functions and another screen below that for everything else. For an extra $1,130, you can add another 10.9-inch display for the driver. You only need this if reaching over to the central infotainment hub is too much of a hassle for your co-pilot, in which case you need to reevaluate your romantic interests.

The infotainment system comes standard with online navigation with 3D maps, voice control, wireless Apple CarPlay, wired Android Auto, SiriusXM satellite radio, Bluetooth connectivity, and HD Radio. It's connected to a 10-speaker sound system, but you can upgrade to a 12-speaker Bose surround-sound system for $1,200 or a 21-speaker Burmester 3D surround-sound system for $7,000.

So far, the Taycan Cross Turismo only has one recall against its name. It involves a software glitch that can cause a loss of power. The regular 2021 Taycan was subject to five additional recalls but the NHTSA hasn't explicitly indicated that these also apply to the newer Cross Turismo. The Taycan is backed by an impressive warranty. It comes with a four-year/50,000-mile basic warranty and an eight-year/100,000-mile battery warranty.

No Taycan Cross Turismo crashworthiness review has yet been conducted by the NHTSA and the IIHS as expensive cars tend to be excluded when it comes to safety tests.

Across the pond, the kind folks at Euro NCAP did have the opportunity to obliterate a standard Taycan, and the results were good. It received a five-star rating and scored more than 80% for both adult and child occupants. The European tests aren't as stringent as US-based tests, but it does give us an indication of how well the Taycan will hold up in an accident.

Porsche's Taycan is a stunning engineering achievement. It's the very best legacy manufacturers have to offer combined with the latest in EV technology. It wasn't the most practical car, but that's fixed now thanks to the addition of the Taycan Cross Turismo. The Cross Turismo is easily the best Taycan, as it takes an already impressive EV and makes it more practical. The increased ride height does little to blunt the performance and handling, yet it's much easier to live with daily. Porsche followed one of the oldest marketing tricks in the book. Dazzle them with a sensational new model, and then introduce the more practical version.

It is expensive, however. And it still has one huge problem. The Taycan Cross Turismo is marketed as a vehicle for adventurous families, yet it is still limited by the unimpressive range.

We have high hopes for the future, however. The partnership with Rimac is leading up to something big, and we can't wait to see what that is.

The price of the Taycan Cross Turismo begins at an MSRP of $93,700 for the 4, while the 4S model retails for $110,300. These figures don't include the $1,350 delivery fee. The pricing increases dramatically once you start adding some features, but more on that later. One positive is that the Taycan Cross Turismo qualifies for a federal tax credit of $7,500. While the Cross Turismo has no direct rivals, it's worth looking at the price of some EVs that get close to the same sort of concept. Not wagons per se, but rather all-electric vehicles with some kind of off-road aspiration. At the bottom end of the market, we have the Ford Mustang Mach-E in blistering GT trim (0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds), which will cost around $60,000. Next up, we have the Jaguar I-Pace, starting at just under $70,000. Then we get to the Tesla Model X, which retails for $104,990 in Long Range guise and $119,990 for the 1,020-hp Plaid model. As for other luxury wagons with some mild off-roading ability, there's the Audi A6 allroad that starts at $66,900 - of course, the Audi uses a combustion engine so lacks the Taycan's dramatic acceleration and you'll have to consider the Audi's fuel economy too.

The Taycan 4S seems to be the pick of the bunch. The Turbo and Turbo S models, which we review separately, are stupidly fast, while the 4S has enough power to go head-to-head with more traditional ICE rivals like the Audi RS6 Avant and Mercedes-AMG E63 S station wagon. Compared to these rivals, the $110,300 asking price isn't all that bad.

But this is Porsche, which means all of the really lovely stuff can only be found on the options menu. We played around with the configurator and kept things quite basic. Our perfect spec is Mamba Green with the standard wheels. That way, you still get a decent tire profile and not just some rubber painted on the rim. We opted for a full black leather interior. The Off-Road Package is a gimmick, but the Performance and Premium packages are worth adding. The former adds rear-axle steering, dynamic chassis control, torque vectoring, the electronic sport sound, and the Sport Chrono Package. The latter adds everything you could possibly need luxury-wise, including LED Matrix headlights with dynamic lighting, 14-way power seats with memory, a Bose surround sound system, lane change assist, a surround-view camera, and a cabin ionizer. Finally, we included the Technology Package, consisting of the touchscreen display for the passenger, a head-up display, active parking support, and, crucially, adaptive cruise control. All of these goodies increased the price to almost $125,000.

Since the Taycan Cross Turismo wagon doesn't have a direct rival, it's worth looking at how it stacks up against the electric car it's based on. If we compare apples with apples, or Taycan 4S with the optional Performance Battery vs the Taycan 4S Cross Turismo (standard with Performance Battery), to be more specific, the price difference works out to just over $900. That means you'll have to pay a small premium for the Taycan Cross Turismo.

The standard Taycan 4S gets to 60 mph in 3.8 seconds, while the 4S Cross Turismo gets there a split-second later. And that's just about the only reason to buy the regular Taycan unless you prefer its styling. We love the additional headroom, the larger trunk, and the larger hatch at the rear of the Cross Turismo. The sports wagon is still blistering through the corners, but its ride is less firm. We'd take the Cross Turismo all day long and it's a better daily car.

There's no denying that Tesla is way ahead in terms of range, and now you can also get the Model X in ridiculous Plaid trim for roughly the same price as the 4S with some options. These two aren't direct rivals, however. The Tesla is a full three-row SUV, while the Cross Turismo is a lifted wagon with some off-road bits glued to the outside. The Model X has more space in the cabin and more cargo capacity. In Plaid tri-motor guise, the Tesla gets to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds, comprehensively trumping the Porsche's 3.9 seconds. Both cars have a 149-mph top speed, however. When it comes to range, the Model X owns the Cross Turismo. The Plaid can cover 340 miles when fully charged, while the Long Range can go 20 miles further. The Porsche can do 215 miles. We still prefer the Porsche, however. It's the first premium EV from a legacy manufacturer, which means it gets the details right. We all know about Tesla's continuing quality struggles, especially when it comes to panel gaps. We'd happily sacrifice those extra miles for a car that we know is properly screwed together.