Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo

Speedo boys got blown away by the arrival of the first-ever Porsche Taycan, an all-electric premium sports sedan that is proof that Porsche laid their strongest card ever on the electric car wars thanks to its performance and ecology that puts its nemesis, the Tesla Model S, on its crosshairs. Thanks to the success of the Taycan, a new addition to the lineup has been welcomed, and looks like we're gonna need some extra space with this one.

The Porsche Taycan is now joined by the Cross Turismo variant, a so-called sport utility wagon that offers the same thrills as the sedan variant but now with the ruggedness to do some dirty stuff, come tarmac, gravel, or snow.

Known as the production version of the Mission E Cross Turismo Concept, just like its sedan counterpart that bears resemblance to the Mission E Concept, the concept-turned-reality styling of the Taycan Cross Turismo is a rewarding treat for speedo boys who can't wait to have one if they have a hundred pounds worth of hundred euro bills because of the pricing that starts at around 93,635 Euros plus additional costs. That's about ten grand more than its sedan equivalent but what do you get for that kind of money?

What you get is a Taycan with some extra space at the back and while it works and feels just like the sedan version, especially the futuristic dashboard that is packed with touchscreens all over and seating for five people on board, but since this is the crossover shooting brake version, the added boot space makes it suitable enough for your next weekend outing. With the rear seats present, boot space is about 446 litres, which is more than the sedan version but with them folded down, that makes it up to 1,212 litres, making the ideal business partner if you are into delivering sensitive packages to high-profile clients.

The Taycan Cross Turismo has four variants to choose from at the start and they are packed with the Performance Battery Plus with a total capacity of 93.4kWh and a system voltage of 800 volts for quicker charging times. The most powerful version, the Turbo S, has 460kW of power output but when overboost kicked in, it generates up to 560kw of kW of power, delivering a 0-100kph time of 2.9 seconds and a top speed of 250kph, slower than its sedan equivalent. Range? It's up to 419km per WLTP standards.

Porsche says that the Cross Turismo is almost capable of doing offroad stuff thanks to its raised ground clearance like most crossovers had but since this is a soft offroader, the only surfaces it can tackle are tarmac, gravel, and snow, even sand. Probably because with the Cross Turismo, there's an additional Gravel mode that allows the Cross Turismo to traverse through the dirt like a decent rally car but with some added sensibility.

When you had enough fun doing the rounds on the dirt, you can enjoy the Cross Turismo the same way you did in the sedan version of the Taycan and although it feels bulky to drive as the saloon equivalent, it's still worth satisfying to drive until you are fully satisfied and thanks to a wide range of driving aids, it's safer as well.

So, would you want this over the sedan version? It's hard to say but if you are thinking you need a Taycan that can deserve more, consider this.

Photo: Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG

Porsche Taycan

Porsche is one of the luxury carmakers that jumped into the electric revolution by creating a German equivalent to the Tesla Model S which promises to be the most revolutionary Porsche ever made; delivering zero emissions to the environment while delivering the same experience speedo boys get from the Porsche. Say hello to the first-ever Porsche Taycan electric sports saloon, the most revolutionary Porsche ever made.

2020 Porsche Taycan

The Porsche Taycan starts at a very expensive 105,607 Euros plus additional costs, which is more costly to own than the Tesla Model S but despite the outrageous price tag for an electric sports saloon, the Taycan promises to be one of the most surprising cars of the new decade and Porsche really laid down their strongest trump card on the EV wars with this one, although unsure about how it lives to its name.

2020 Porsche Taycan

First of all, the design draws inspiration from the Mission E Concept car, meaning that the Taycan almost has all of the bits and bobs from the concept car it was based on so therefore, it's great to look at, although the naming is worth a headscratcher. Look at the grade list; there's the word Turbo on it and it's impossible to be called a Turbo because being an electric car, there are no turbochargers on it, but for the Porsche folks, they redefined the Turbo meaning to their cars to serve as the most powerful and fastest variants ever made and they do have a point. Anyway, let's talk about that later on because it's time to get inside and see what's it like.

2020 Porsche Taycan interior

The interior is as futuristic as the exterior design itself because on the driver's side, the dashboard's heavily dominated by so many touchscreens to toy at, which is very next century-ish but you would really want to keep it clean with your cloth used to clean your glasses after touching it. You wouldn't want to leave fingerprints on such screens, of course. On the passengers' side, it's about as spacious as a Panamera as well as a boot space big enough for today's trip to the country club or a five-star hotel. Either way, living in a Taycan is anything fancy for those got their hands on it and whether if its drive or be driven, this Porsche does it all.

2020 Porsche Taycan

The Taycan uses two electric motors bolted on each axle with the rear takes good care of its two-speed gearbox. The utterly misleading Turbo variants have a normal power output of 460 kW but because this is the top-tier variant of the range, they come with an Overboost feature, which in Turbo S guise, churns out up to a smashing 560kW, that's more than today's Model S range-topper by a narrow margin. With that kind of power, the Taycan Turbo S can do 0-100kph in less than three seconds and limited to 260kph. Now that's Porsche'level fast for an electric car but it can't outrun a speeding rocket heading straight towards bull's eye.

On the dynamics side, the Porsche Taycan features active suspension management and torque vectoring technology, which all sounds very nice but be warned because handling one is like a double-edged sword because when you take it through the corners, it feels mild and menacing for an electric sedan and when things get rough, it's an arm-breaking experience. 

Despite that, the Taycan is worth drivable over and over again until you are fully satisfied with the way it behaves and when you get the hang of its mild and menacing grip, it's very exciting.

2020 Porsche Taycan

When you had enough fun, you can really ease yourself in the Taycan because even though it's a sportscar at heart, it works like a luxury car on the streets. It's surprisingly comfortable to live with and safer as well thanks to its wide array of safety features too many to list.

Porsche really did laid their strongest card on the electric car wars with the Taycan and with its electric powertrain, performance, style, and comfort, there's no denying that this is going to be one of the best new cars of this brave new decade. Everyone's anticipated for this but sadly, there's one major problem with the Taycan; Gran Turismo completely ruined it.

Yep, the Gran Turismo folks featured the Taycan first on the GT SPORT game and as I said, cars that featured first and only on Gran Turismo are downright terrible just like the Toyota GR Supra. Face it, nobody likes a car featured first and only in the world of Gran Turismo like the Taycan, and if you're thinking about having one, please don't if you value your collection of super fast cars and your dignity. That is all.

Available colors; Weiβ, Carrara Weiβ Metallic, Dolomit Silber Metallic, Vulkan Grau Metallic, Schwarz, Tief schwarzes Metallic, Enzian Blau Metallic, Frozen Blue Metallic, Mamba Gun Metallic, and Karminrot.

Photo: Dr. Ing. h.c. F. Porsche AG

GT SPORT: Soul, electrified

With the world braces for an electrified future, Porsche accepts the electric car challenge by creating their first-ever electric car that delivers the same Porsche feeling in a zero-emission promise.



The result is the birth of Porsche's first electric sports saloon, the Taycan, and GT SPORT has the exclusivity to bring the new Taycan to the virtual world for all to witness the electrified vision of Porsche.



Only Gran Turismo Sport players have been given the opportunity to have their first taste of Porsche's electrified vision with the Taycan and now that it's here in the world of Gran Turismo, let's investigate more about Stuttgart's first electric car that promises pure Porsche DNA in an electric car packaging.



Unveiled at the 2019 Frankfurt Motor Show, the Taycan is Porsche's first fully-electric sports saloon which marks the beginning of the new era for the German sports car maker responsible for the legendary 911, the 718, the Panamera, and other models. At launch, the Turbo and the range-topping Turbo S will be offered and it's very confusing why they gave a Turbo naming on an electric sports saloon like this even though it has no ICE that powers it.

Anyway, wrong naming aside, the range-topping Turbo S unleashes up to 560kW overboost power from its unique electric drivetrain with 800v of system voltage and 93.4kWh Performance Battery Plus, meaning it's capable of going from 0-100kph in less than three seconds.

Apart from the electric powertrain that leaves them a first impression, the Taycan features a wide array of centrally networked chassis systems that will keep the electric car sporty and comfortable wherever it will go.



Upon trying out the Taycan firsthand in the game, the acceleration is worth a first impression to me because with all that power, it can get away quicker than the competition, but in terms of handling, it's a different story. Because it weighs about two and a half tons and with four-wheel drive, it feels bulky to drive and mild to handle, meaning it's too grippy to let loose and can be easily prone to understeer if you are approaching to the corner. It might be worth a break in the ligaments but if you keep driving with this Porsche, the more you will appreciate about the Porsche DNA the Taycan carries. It maybe difficult to get round corners with precision but it's worth a shot in a Taycan.

To explain what I'm on about, I had a little spa day on my own and if by spa day, it's not what you expect.





At long last, the famous Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps is back in the world of Gran Turismo and the return of the Belgian track is the perfect sandbox for Porsche's first electric sports saloon.





From Eau Rouge to Rivage, I can really feel all the drama the Taycan went through and with all that mildness and all the grip, feels like the struggle is real and my arms are starting to leave an impression on the Taycan's grippy and mild driving feel, no matter the ever-changing elevation I've been through during my so-called spa day. Speaking of which, I did a timed lap to see how fast the Taycan went through Spa and I have a little footage for us to watch.

I did it in a 2:46.806, meaning that despite the weight and handling that upsets me the most, the Taycan is surprisingly a decent and enjoyable track day car that you can challenge yourself with if your arms are fully prepared for the worst.



It's still too early to tell the outcome of Porsche's first-ever electric sports saloon but thanks to GT SPORT, we have the experience we need to understand how the Taycan is made. If you haven't got the chance to experience what's what behind the wheel of the Taycan, be sure to play Gran Turismo Sport right now because this is the only chance you'll need to experience Porsche's electrified vision.