Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo review

Cars used to have very clear-cut roles – you'd have a performance car to go fast in and an estate to carry your family (and neither would be an electric car). The Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo shows how dramatically all that has changed.

You see, based on the Porsche Taycan all-electric coupé, the Cross Turismo is taller and has an estate car-like body for greater versatility. Unlike the similar-looking Taycan Sport Turismo estate, though, the Cross Turismo is less focused on lap times and more focused on helping you to navigate muddy countryside car parks.

To do that, it not only gets the suspension tweaks, but also has a dedicated Gravel drive mode for use on loose surfaces, and plastic body cladding to protect it against scratches and scrapes. But wait a second. This is a Porsche. So has performance really been compromised in the name of practicality?

That’s what we’re going to find out in this review, testing the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo’s day-to-day usability, how much fun it is to drive, how much it will cost to run and how it compares with rivals, including the Audi S6 Avant e-tron, BMW i5 Touring and the Mercedes EQE.

First things first. Does the fact that the Taycan Cross Turismo sits a whopping 20mm higher than the original Porsche Taycan compromise or limit the car’s inherent agility? Well, perhaps a touch. 

Every Cross Turismo comes with adaptive air suspension but, in normal mode, there’s more body lean through quick corners and a bit more vertical movement over crests than in the standard car. True, those body movements always feel controlled and utterly predictable, but you’ll want the firmer Sport or Sport Plus modes when you’re pushing on. 

Alternatively, you can add the optional Porsche Active Ride suspension. That system can immediately react to imperfections in the road, helping to soften the blow better than the standard suspension. The system also helps to reduce body lean through corners by tilting the car into the corner but, while it does help to improve things a little, you still feel that extra height as you push on. 

No matter which suspension set-up you go for, Sport mode is where the Cross Turismo really shines and leaves rivals like the Audi S6 Avant e-tron and BMW i5 Touring in the dust. In fact, it feels like it was specifically designed for British B-roads, keeping the Cross Turismo’s body locked into the surface like a proper sports car while also being able to pad out stretches of particularly lumpen Tarmac. 

That sense of making effortless progress extends to how the Cross Turismo handles. It’s not as playful as the regular Taycan, which allows you to adjust your line with a quick stab of the accelerator. Instead, it feels like it's been designed to get you from A to B as quickly as possible with little drama.

There's so much grip that you’re unlikely to ever find its limits on a public road, and the steering gives you a much better sense of connection with the front wheels than you get in most petrol-powered performance estates. You can even add optional rear-axle steering to help the Cross Turismo’s nose dive into corners even faster and increase stability at speed.  

The brake pedal weight is very well-judged for an electric car and way better than the S6 Avant e-tron’s, too. The Cross Turismo puts energy back into the batteries when you hit the brakes, but the interference is minimal so you're never surprised by how the car reacts when you squeeze the pedal. 

Most impressive of all, though, is the Cross Turismo’s acceleration. In our favoured 4S form, it can produce up to 590bhp in short bursts and sprint from 0-62mph in just 3.8 seconds, which is slightly faster than both the Audi S6 Avant e-tron and BMW i5 M60 Touring. The more powerful Turbo and Turbo S are quicker still, the latter cutting that time to a mind-blowing 2.5 seconds. 

In the real world, the response when you stamp on the accelerator is instant, like switching on a light bulb. The way you're pushed back in your seat feels like gravity has flipped to acting horizontally. We’d certainly recommend giving your occupants some prior warning before flooring the accelerator.

So, it’s devastatingly quick and effortless to drive, but the Cross Turismo has a final party piece: incredible levels of refinement. At motorway speeds, it lopes along with a relaxed gait more akin to a luxury saloon than a performance estate, and with the optional double-glazed windows fitted, there's minimal wind noise. Few cars are better built for crossing continents at speed. 

Hold on, though... with all that plastic body cladding and promises of off-road ability, can the Cross Turismo really venture off the beaten path? Well, the simple answer is, no, not really.

The increased ride height is designed to make navigating the odd rough green lane or muddy car park enjoyable rather than excruciating, while the plastic body cladding should stop your lovely paint from getting chipped if you happen to venture down a gravel lane. We reckon most buyers will welcome this extra capability, but if you want to go rock-crawling in comfort, you simply can’t beat a proper luxury SUV. 

As for the more practical considerations of owning an electric car, every Cross Turismo comes with a 105kWh battery (97kWh usable) as standard, but the entry-level 4S model goes the furthest between charges. Indeed, with an official range of up to 381 miles, it promises to go further than the i5 Touring but is around 10 miles short of the S6 Avant e-tron. 

Both the Turbo and Turbo S versions promise up to 373 miles on a full charge. You’ll struggle to match those figures unless you drive very gently, but more than 250 miles should be easily achievable no matter which Cross Turismo you opt for. If a longer range between charges is required, the less sporty Mercedes EQE 350+ saloon is a good alternative.

“With the optional Porsche Active Suspension equipped, the Taycan’s suspension jumps upwards when you open the doors, raising it up and making it easier to step inside.” – Will Nightingale, Reviews editor

Given the rough and ready exterior of the Taycan Cross Turismo, it’s perhaps a little disappointing that it has a very similar interior to the standard Porsche Taycan. The only real indication that you’re in a Cross Turismo is the optional compass mounted on the dashboard (it also shows your altitude and the time on a digital display).

That said, we’re not going to complain too much, because it's a superb piece of design. Every surface, switch and knob feels suitably upmarket – something that's not the case in the Mercedes EQE – and it’s packed full of tech. 

For example, you can have four giant screens. Three of them – the one behind the steering wheel and the two touchscreens in the middle of the dash – are standard, but you can pay extra to have one for your front passenger so they can see your speed, or play with the sat-nav, music and other functions.

The instrument cluster behind the steering wheel is a sleek-looking 16.8-inch curved digital screen that’s fully customisable and can show all sorts of information, from navigation instructions to how much G-force you’re generating in corners. 

As is the case with the Audi S6 Avant e-tron, you won’t find many physical buttons in the Cross Turismo (other than on the steering wheel), so most of the car’s functions are controlled using a central 8.4in touchscreen with haptic feedback, and a 10.9in infotainment screen.

That’s not brilliant because finding touchscreen icons while driving isn’t very easy. What’s more, the lower screen is awkward to operate without contorting your arm, and you can easily catch it with your palm when trying to steady your hand to use the upper screen. The BMW i5 Touring comes with a physical rotary controller and that makes operating its systems way less distracting. 

At least all of the screens react to your prods and taps quickly and the screen resolution is really crisp. There’s also loads of standard kit included, giving you everything from built-in sat-nav to Android Auto/ Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring. You also get wireless phone charging as standard, too. 

In terms of driving position, the steering wheel and driver’s seat have the same wide range of electrical-adjustment as in the standard Taycan, which makes it easy to get comfortable. You also get a handy memory function as standard with every Cross Turismo, allowing you to save your driving position in case someone moves your seat. 

The Cross Turismo’s raised ride height means you do feel as though you’re sitting much higher than in the regular car – it’s more like a Porsche Macan than a Porsche 911 in terms of visibility. We suspect that will be a disappointment to keen drivers, but we found it to be the perfect set-up on tight B-roads with high hedgerows and dry-stone walls.

The higher seating position also makes navigating junctions less stressful than if you were lower down. Rear visibility is better than in the standard Taycan thanks to a larger rear window, but your over-the-shoulder view is compromised by thick rear pillars.

Front and rear parking sensors are standard, as is a rear-view camera, to make parking easier. You’ll be able to see plenty at night too, thanks to adaptive matrix LED headlights coming as standard with every trim level. 

“I was impressed by the digital driver’s display in the Cross Turismo, and especially like that it tells you the battery temp and expected charging rate should you plug it in.” – Steve Huntingford, Editor in chief

The Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo places an emphasis on rear passenger space, but front-seat occupants are well catered for too (this is a Porsche after all, and the driver will always come first). People measuring six-foot and taller benefit from more head and leg room than you get in the Mercedes EQE and there's also more storage space overall.

In the back, the Cross Turismo can easily accommodate two six-footers, and the squared-off roofline gives passengers significantly more headroom than you get in the standard car (Porsche says you get an extra 47mm). That gives the rear of the Cross Turismo a surprisingly airy vibe, which is a nice bonus for back-seat passengers.

The boot is not much bigger than the one in the regular Porsche Taycan, with space for about six carry-on suitcases. With the back seats dropped, the difference between the two cars is more marked, and the high roofline and wider loading aperture provide you with a genuinely useful amount of space. 

Even so, the Audi S6 Avant e-tron and BMW i5 Touring both offer more space, at 502 and 570 litres respectively, compared with 446 litres for the Cross Turismo.

“The Cross Turismo’s boot might be smaller than its rivals, but the 81 litre frunk is way bigger than the S6 Avant e-tron’s and goes some way to make up the difference.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer 

The Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo is not available in two-wheel drive configuration – the ‘entry-level’ car is the all-wheel-drive Taycan 4S Cross Turismo. Based on our experience with the rear-wheel drive Porsche Taycan, that's no great loss, though (we concluded that "paying a bit more for the 4S takes the Taycan from deeply impressive to mind-blowing").

You get a number of extra features as standard with the Cross Turismo, including air suspension with the Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) electronic damper control system. As a result, a like-for-like Cross Turismo is more expensive than a standard Taycan. 

It’ll still cost you very slightly less than the Audi S6 Avant e-tron and BMW i5 M60 Touring, though. Plus, you get loads of standard equipment, with even the entry-level 4S getting dual-zone climate control, 19in wheels, cruise control, keyless start, heated seats, a powered tailgate and a heat pump. 

The Turbo and Turbo S come with a longer list of standard kit but push up the price by tens of thousands of pounds. 

As with all EVs, if you're lucky enough to have a Cross Turismo on your company car list, you'll be spending very little on benefit-in-kind tax. 

When it comes to charging, the Cross Turismo can charge at rates of up to 320kW with the Taycan’s 800-volt electrical system (most EVs have a 400-volt system). In ideal conditions, that allows a 10-80% charge in around 18mins.

There are currently only a handful of locations capable of charging the Cross Turismo at up to 320kW but you can use regular public CCS charging points. A 0-100% charge from a 7kW home wallbox takes around 13hrs. Porsche charges extra for a Type 2 cable, which you’ll need. Don’t worry about all the other charging options, though – they're really not necessary.

There's a three-year warranty on the Cross Turismo itself, but the battery is covered separately for eight years, with a guarantee that it won't drop below 70% of its original capacity during that time. 

In terms of crash protection, the standard Taycan achieved a five-star rating from Euro NCAP. Whiplash protection for adults sitting in the front or back was found to be marginal, though – rather disappointing.

You do, however, get plenty of standard safety kit, including automatic emergency braking (AEB), blind spot monitoring, traffic-sign recognition and lane-keeping assistance.

Porsche had a middling result in the 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey, placing 19th out of the 31 included brands – that’s above Audi but way below BMW in 8th place. The Taycan as a model, meanwhile, landed towards the bottom of the 18 strong field of electric cars. 

“Given the price of the Cross Turismo, I find it a little stingy that equipment such as adaptive cruise control, keyless entry and a heated steering wheel are paid options.” – Darren Moss, Deputy editor 

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