PACE AND SPACE
THIS is the first car we’ve tested in some time that draws an audience each time we stop.
The Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo is, in theory, the estate version of the Taycan saloon but in practice it’s rather more than that. In its standard form the Cross Turismo has a ride height that’s 20mm higher than the saloon’s and if you go for the optional offroad pack that rises to 30mm. All Taycan Cross Turismos are four-wheel drive and share the same powertrains with the saloon which means an electric motor at the back with a two speed automatic gearbox, and one motor at the front with a single-speed transmission.
The range starts at £79,340 with the Taycan 4 Cross Turismo and then goes through a 4S, Turbo and Turbo S at £139,910.
We’re testing the straight Turbo which costs £116,950. That’s a lot of money and if you think that you could live without 616bhp and wouldn’t die of shame if your friends discovered that your car could only do 0-62mph in 5.1sec instead of this car’s 3.3sec, then I’d save a whole lot of money and buy the entry-level 4 Cross instead. Almost without exception I prefer the estate body of a car over the saloon – and never more so than in the case of the ugly Porsche Panamera. With the Taycan I’m sat on the fence as the saloon looks great in itself. What might sway it is the extra practicality of the Cross Turismo. I’m not bothered about the raised ride height or the Gravel Mode which bumps it up by 30mm while selecting different throttle, suspension, traction control and torquevectoring settings to suit mud and slippery conditions.
More useful is the 1,212 litres of luggage space that you get when you fold the rear seats flat and the 446 litres with them in place. There’s also 84 litres of storage under the bonnet. Also very welcome is an extra 45mm of headroom in the back of the car which, if you order the panoramic sunroof, goes up to 47mm. For families the Cross Turismo might be the logical choice. Porsche is clearly aiming this at that great motoring cliché, the family with an active lifestyle, because it offers an optional roof box that’s rated for use up to 124mph but will significantly reduce the car’s usual maximum range of 281 miles.
Air suspension is standard and the comfort that comes with it is impressive despite the massive wheels. Naturally, you have a selection of driving modes but the only one that makes sense is Normal, since Sport Plus spoils the ride. And, of course, like the Taycan Turbo saloon, the Turbo Cross Turismo is ridiculously fast. Its overtaking power is instant. An overboost facility gives you 670bhp for a brief period. The word is that Porsche is also going to launch a Sport Turismo version of the Taycan which won’t have the extra ride height or the plastic cladding around the wheelarches. That might be the version to go for. But if you can’t wait, then this is a fabulous car which for now has no direct rival.
■ Volkswagen has given its Polo a facelift with a nose and tail job that includes new bumpers plus LED headlamps and tail lamps as standard. Inside, all models now get an infotainment system, digital cockpit and a multifunction steering wheel. A wide range of technologies are included for the first time including adaptive cruise control and lane assist – all kit that’s filtered down from VW’s more expensive models.