Porsche reveals more Taycan Cross Turismo info

February 20, 2021February 23, 2021 John Carey 1294 Views ev, porsche, Taycan

With the Taycan Cross Turismo now undergoing public-road testing, Porsche has revealed new information on the wagon-ish version of its successful EV.

Originally the Cross Turismo was scheduled to launch in Europe late in 2020, but the coronavirus crisis and unexpectedly strong demand for the standard version combined to push the start-of-production date into this year.

Since it went on sale in major markets in 2019 the regular Taycan has been a huge hit for Porsche, with more than 20,000 sold during its first full year on sale.

The front half of the Cross Turismo appears identical to the current Taycan, but it has a different roofline, rear doors and tail-end.

“With the Taycan Cross Turismo we wanted to offer a little bit more space, a little more flexibility and versatility,” explains model line chief Stefan Weckbach.

“We developed a completely new roofline fitted with roof rails, a more generous second row (of seats) and a bigger trunk, all to make a car that is perfect for the active lifestyle. A car that is perfect for both an urban environment and the countryside.”

Taycan Cross Turismo will be able to handle light-duty off-roading Porsche promises

Weckbach says the Cross Turismo will be capable of tackling rough stuff. “In order to enable it to handle light off-roading and gravel roads we increased the ground clearance.” The increase is small, judging from Porsche’s photos of the almost undisguised pre-production Cross Turismo.

But Weckbach hints that the suspension system may include a mode that lifts ground clearance. Porsche uses sophisticated air-springs in some versions of its Taycan, Panamera and Cayenne models, and these can be pumped up to raise the vehicle.

“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.”

Porsche doesn’t say so, but it sounds very much like the Taycan Cross Turismo will be offered only with the dual-motor all-wheel-drive set-up used in the top models of the regular Taycan line-up.

John Carey

Grew up in country NSW, way back when petrol was laced with lead. Has written about cars and the car business for more than 35 years, working full-time and freelance for leading mags, major newspapers and websites in Australia and (sometimes) overseas. Avidly interested in core EV technologies like motors and batteries, and believes the switch to electromobility definitely should be encouraged. Is waiting patiently for someone to make a good and affordable EV that will fit inside his tiny underground garage in northern Italy, where he's lived for the past decade. Likes the BMW i3, but it's just too damned wide...