Some people say electric vehicle and luxury sportscar shouldn’t be used in the same sentence, but after my recent experience behind the wheel of Porsche’s Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo – I couldn’t disagree more. Before I hopped into the driver’s seat, I was slightly unconvinced, a tad cynical, and fully prepared that numerous compromises would have to be accepted. And now? Let’s just say I had a difficult time handing back the keys.
This vehicle has all you’d expect from Porsche, combining the iconic power synonymous with the famous German luxury brand, super-sleek looks, hyper-responsiveness, and handling, plus offers the environmentally responsible choice of purchasing an electric car. The EV of the future seems to be in our driving-gloved hands, right now.
My initial walk-around had me impressed immediately, and I couldn’t wait to get moving, but first things first. The style of the Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo is most definitely a five-door sport vehicle, but as we car enthusiasts are learning fast, the term ‘luxury sportscar’ is no longer an oxymoron. Like other Taycan models, this is to put it plainly, a big car, measuring almost five metres in length and two metres wide. There’s plenty of head room, it seats 4 passengers very comfortably and the back hatch opens up to store 447 litres in the trunk. Fold those back seats down without folks seated there and your cargo space increases to around 1100 litres, making the options of what I can transport at any time even more versatile. As well, a special rack for the rear bumper is available that can transport up to three bicycles. Clearly, road-tripping is highly encouraged.
The first box to check with any EV is the battery of course – from driving range to charging speed, and we all are curious where Porsche would land on this. For many auto-interested people, the electric battery technology globally is impressive and improving slightly each year with almost every brand – but just not quite there yet. The biggest concern is generally the battery range, with most EV options available coming in around 200 km when fully charged. For a lot of people that’s a deal breaker, and they are willing to cross their fingers and wait for the tech to improve to offer batteries that hold a charge longer, before trading their gas-fueled car in for electric.
When fully charged and ready to roll, Porsche’s battery claims to keep us on the road for approximately 300 kilometres before needing to be recharged again. Impressive to be sure, since most automobile brands with an EV in their fleet can’t boast that battery range and holding power yet. Technology will continue to improve EV’s every year it seems, but it appears the future is now for Porsche.
Recharging on 270-kilowatt from 5% state of charge to 80% state of charge takes as little as 22.5 minutes. The brand is committed to making charging as we drive easier by working with Electrify Canada to establish fast charging networks along motorways here in Canada, the USA and Europe. Three years free access to those stations is in the initial purchase terms at Porsche and the navigation system in this vehicle also tells me where those charging stations are at a glance.
Now that I’m not concerned about running out of juice while I’m test driving, it’s time to hit the road. Sliding into the driver’s seat, my immediate comfort is just what I hoped for. I’m sitting high enough to see all around me with confidence yet feeling like I’m nice and low the way a true sportscar should situate the driver. The compromise and use of space is perfect. The interior’s quality is exceptional, with a mission-control that includes a 17” curved display screen for instruments, numerous light-up screens, intuitive touchpoints, plus programmable buttons on the steering wheel for the Bose stereo so my eyes stay on the road. An interior airy quality exists because the headroom is even higher than other Taycan models, with only a massive panoramic glass roof between the top of my head and the big blue sky. Some say having space and breathing room is the ultimate in luxury and I couldn’t agree more.
“My takeaway? Porsche’s Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo is
EV absolute luxury defined, full stop.”
Starting price: $218,000
EPA-estimated range: approximately 309 kilometres
0-100: 2.9 seconds with Launch Control
Horsepower: 750
Top speed: 250 km/h
Seating capacity: 4
Torque: 774 lb-ft
Height: 1407 mm
Width: 1967 mm
Length: 4974 mm
Wheelbase: 2904 mm