We put the new Porsche Taycan 4 Cross Turismo through its paces on the road – and in the dirt – to find out just how brilliant this raised electric wagon is.

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Photos by Muhammad Mu’tasim

SINGAPORE

In case you haven’t already noticed, us motoring fanatics have a strange love affair with station wagons.

Perhaps it’s the sleek profile that stirs our souls; a beautiful, extended stroke of the pen that looks so darn good. Or maybe it’s the enhanced practicality aspect that appeals to us so greatly, with gobs of usable boot space that most other high-riding SUVs can only dream of having.

Whatever the reason is, only a wagon offers that “special sauce” car enthusiasts simply crave. And now, Porsche has concocted their own flavour of this body style to offer enthusiasts, effectively combining elegance with ruggedness.

It’s called the Taycan Cross Turismo, and we think it may just be the best form of their electric car yet.

(E)State of Play

Unlike its saloon counterpart, this raised wagon looks positively meaner from virtually all angles – even in this base Taycan 4 Cross Turismo specification.

It sits slightly higher by 20mm, with thicker side skirts, plastic cladding on the wheel arches, and skid plates in place – all pointing directly towards its off-roading pedigree.

And because it’s a wagon, it features a more upright rear profile and a longer roof, which translates to even higher levels of practicality (more on that later).

The standard Taycan Aero wheels look unfashionably dull, but Porsche Singapore has wisely swapped them out for an optional set of larger, 20-inch Aero S wheels that better complement the estate’s low-slung and wide dimensions.

Under the skin, it gets adaptive air springs and Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) to go with the double wishbone front and multi-link rear suspension setup, which translates to a supremely comfortable ride even on the most pockmarked of roads.

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One electric motor for each axle gives the Cross Turismo four-wheel drive capabilities too, drawing its power from the 93.4kWh battery pack. All-in, the Porsche estate offers 350hp to play around with, which is really more than sufficient for Singapore or even the occasional weekend jaunt along Malaysia’s North-South highway.

Dial it up to 11 with Overboost Power and Launch Control, and you’ll be propelled to high heaven with 469hp/500Nm at your immediate disposal. It takes only 5.1 seconds to get from nought to 100km/h, and it eventually tops out at 220km/h. Not that you’ll need all of this power for your daily commute, but it’s nice to know that it’s available at your fingertips.

Rated E for Everyone

It’s a distinctly Porsche cabin inside, even with new-age technologies in place of analogue parts. There are no “look-at-me” gimmicks to be found, a breath of fresh air considering the market is full of pointless novelties like tilting screens and light shows.

Instead, the tech found inside the Cross Turismo are strictly functional and only serve to aid in the driving experience. The curved anti-reflective digital instrument panel, for example, mimics the five-dial layout from the classic 911, but with more customisable information on display.

Touchscreen panels positioned on the centre console and front dash are ergonomically positioned, and ridiculously easy to navigate through. Switchgear tactility is very high for an electric car too, thanks to haptic soft-keys and reassuringly firm, clicky physical buttons.

The fly in the soup, however, is the fully-digital HVAC interface, which means the vents are fixed. This also means you cannot control the air flow by physically flicking them around. Rather, you have to swipe incessantly on the console-mounted screen just to execute that. Boo.

But the all-important component – the steering wheel – is rather good. With a thin rim wrapped in leather, plus non-intrusive dials and switches, it feels very old-school Porsche in a good way.

As its name suggests, the powered Comfort seats at the front are indeed very comfortable and supportive, which is what you’d want after a stressful day at the office. The rear is spacious enough for two full-size adults too, thanks to the higher roof (47mm taller than the saloon). Just don’t expect it to be roomy enough for three folks, as the floor hump is considerable.

You’re not getting class-leading boot capacity, but that’s just a small flesh wound in the grand scheme of things. With all seats up, you have access to 446 litres of usable cargo space, and up to 1,212 litres with the rear seats flattened. There is an additional 84 litres in front, which is surprisingly deep and can fit a small travel luggage easily.

For family and cargo-hauling purposes, the Taycan Cross Turismo is a solid performer and not yet another niche machine designed for hardcore track days only.

Live Wire

The first thing that hits you when you’re behind the wheel is the strange sensation of lightness. This Stuttgart showstopper may be just over 2.2 tonnes, but it goes like a far more lightweight sports car, regardless of terrain.

It’s a bit like Muhammad Ali, this. You never quite expect a heavyweight like this to shuffle so quickly and punch so brutally, but the Taycan Cross Turismo really delivers once you egg it on.

Many electric cars tend to sacrifice agility for ludicrous, if a bit pointless, straight-line acceleration. Not the Taycan Cross Turismo, however. It goes like stink, and tackles the bends just as enthusiastically. Carving corners around the likes of South Buona Vista and Rifle Range Road felt very natural and accurate; such is the effect when the steering wheel feels less of an apparatus, and more of an extension of your arms.

It’s a bit like Muhammad Ali, this. You never quite expect a heavyweight like this to shuffle so quickly and punch so brutally, but the Taycan Cross Turismo really delivers once you egg it on.

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Switch the dial to Sports or Sports Plus, and the suspension firms up, allowing for even more spirited driving and more aggressive apex-clipping. It’s when these modes are enabled, too, that the two-stage transmission really shows off its muscles.

The first one lets you rip away from the traffic lights in rapid fashion, while the second one sustains that momentum at high speeds, although we think it’ll be more suitable (and more legal) on Germany’s Autobahn than Singapore’s expressway networks.

Unlike the regular Taycan, however, you do have one more setting to play with: Gravel Mode.

Reserved exclusively for the Cross Turismo, this off-road setting allows you to wreak havoc on less-than-ideal situations without binning it. In fact, it’s on these very rocky, uneven surfaces that the raised Taycan feels most alive in.

Once engaged, the air suspension lifts the car up for added ground clearance by a good 30mm, while recalibrating its throttle response and torque distribution to account for less grippy ground.

Stomp on the throttle and flick the wheel to induce some oversteer, and the Porsche eagerly complies. You can certainly feel hints of the car’s weight as you slide from corner to corner, but they’re quickly mitigated by a very responsive drivetrain and sharp steering.

And even if you do want to clear the gravel track without the sideways drama, the Cross Turismo offers traction and stability like no other, bolting to the other side while leaving a massive cloud of dust in its trail.

It’s also worth noting that the Taycan Cross Turismo can grind to a halt quickly, thanks to its super-responsive brakes that bite instantly, and hard. It feels unlike many other electric cars, with a lightweight Tepex dynalite pedal that delivers an analogue and progressive brake feel.

The carmaker still believes in using the brake pedal to slow the car down, so don’t expect its regenerative braking function to slow the car down much, even on its maximum setting.

But there are a few bugbears to deal with. The first is noise insulation, which could be better at motorway speeds. There was still plenty of intrusion from surrounding traffic, as well as roaring from the Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tyres. Of course, we solved the problem by blaring music from the exceptional Bose sound system (a S$7,730 optional extra), but it’s still something to note.

The second is range. Porsche claims the Taycan Cross Turismo has a combined WLTP range of 469km, but we returned somewhere in the high 300s during our test. While it’s an expected trade-off when an electric car is this fun to drive, it’s still a sobering reality check for owners, especially when electric luxobarges like the Mercedes-Benz EQS can deliver over 500km on a single charge.

Then again, we’re quite sure that Mercedes would prefer you not to hoon the EQS in the dirt either.

Electric Dream

The market for fast estates is small, and once you add the criteria of electrification in, the Taycan Cross Turismo is the only one in its class.

You’re really only looking at the M3 Competition Touring as the next closest rival, but for one, it’s petrol-powered (and a guzzler, at that). It also doesn’t help that the Beemer feels like driving a DTM touring car, rearranging every bone in your body in the process.

The Taycan Cross Turismo, in contrast, feels like a magic carpet that’s been tuned by the spirit of Colin McRae; floating comfortably and effortlessly in most situations, but more than happy to zoom away expeditiously at the flick of a switch.

It’s not a perfect car by any means, but competitors will find it extremely hard to beat what Porsche has to offer.

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Porsche Taycan 4 Cross Turismo

Drivetrain type	Full electric
Electric Motor / layout	Dual / All-Wheel Drive
Motor power / torque	350hp (469hp / 500Nm on Overboost Power with Launch Control)
Battery type /net capacity	Lithium-ion / 93.4kWh
Normal Charge Type / Time	22kW AC / 9 hours
Max Fast Charge Type / Time	270kW DC / 22.5 mins
Electric Range	469km (claimed)
0-100km/h	5.1 seconds (with Launch Control)
Top Speed	220km/h
Efficiency	25.2kWh/100km
VES Band	A2 / S$5,000 rebate
Agent	Porsche Singapore
Price	S$470,278 without COE
Availability	Now
Verdict:	If you love wagons, and enjoy on/off-road driving pleasure that Porsche offers, the Taycan Cross Turismo is the one to get.