Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo: carsales Car of the Year 2021 wildcard

You’d have to be living under a rock – even in lockdown – to have missed the memo concerning the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo.

A crossover version of the all-electric Porsche Taycan liftback sedan, the Taycan Cross Turismo rides about 30mm higher with an optional off-road package, and can take to the bush with standard ‘gravel’ drive mode.

The lack of a horizontally-opposed six-cylinder engine at the rear hasn’t deterred Taycan buyers, who are already snapping up the sedan here and overseas. With the Taycan sedan already selling so strongly, the Taycan Cross Turismo promises to sell here in decent numbers too.

Making the cut as a wildcard entry, the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo 4S is an exemplary offering to represent the brand in the 2021 carsales Car of the Year, proudly presented by Bingle.

The Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo is a car aimed at buyers who will appreciate the leading-edge technology and all the constituent virtues – the design traits, comfort, luxury, performance, driving dynamics and safety.

Add to that also the Taycan CT’s eco-friendly powertrain and its modest rock-hopping and creek-crossing capability.

There’s a good chance the likely buyer for this car will be someone who has already owned at least one other Porsche in his or her life – possibly a professional with a high-grade income or a business owner who can save some tax with a novated lease.

Maybe they just want that extra 30mm of ground clearance to get in and out of the driveway without scraping the underside of the car?

Buyers won’t be gluing themselves to the road along with the teenagers and 20-somethings from Extinction Rebellion, but they might choose the Porsche because it makes a statement and it’s still a Porsche.

And with everything going for it, who wouldn’t love to own a Taycan Cross Turismo?

Starting at $176,600 plus on-road costs, the basic 280kW Porsche Taycan 4 Cross Turismo model features 19-inch alloys, all-wheel drive and air suspension.

Other standard features comprise LED headlights, ‘Sound Package Plus’ audio system, partial level upholstery and eight-way electrically-adjustable front seats, plus all the usual kit you would expect, such as dual-zone climate control, electric windows/mirrors and eight airbags.

The mid-spec Porsche Taycan 4S Cross Turismo that represents the model range in carsales Car of the Year testing is priced at $205,300 plus ORCs, and the top-shelf Taycan Turbo Cross Turismo comes in at $279,000. An ultimate flagship variant, the Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo is set to follow in due course.

Moving from entry level up to the Taycan 4S Cross Turismo lifts output from 280kW (or 350kW on overboost) for a 5.1-second 0-100km/h time to 360kW (420kW on overboost) for a 4.1-second time to 100km/h. That’s 80kW of extra electric neddies, making this ‘spirited young horse’ even more spirited.

The LED headlights of the mid-spec model adopt the Porsche Dynamic Light System Plus and the braking system uses red callipers in lieu of black for the base model.

Over and above that, the Taycan Turbo Cross Turismo produces 460kW (500kW on overboost) for a  3.3sec blast to 100km/h from a standing start.

Additional features consist of 20-inch alloy wheels, torque vectoring, larger brake rotors and white callipers. The front seats are adjustable in 14 directions and the settings can be locked in with a memory function that also recalls the reach and rake of the steering wheel.

Seat heating is available in the front and rear, and the seats are finished in full leather upholstery. The surround-sound audio system is supplied by Bose.

Porsche covers the Taycan Cross Turismo against defects for three years and unlimited kilometres. The service intervals are 24 months or 30,000km.

What have we already said about the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo?

For the international launch of the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo in the UK earlier this year, contributor Matt Robinson praised the Turbo variant for its “outstanding” performance.

“No word of hyperbole – snap the Taycan Turbo Cross Turismo’s throttle (can we even call it that anymore?) open fully at walking speeds and the Porsche will smash your head back into the seat’s restraint, so violent is the resulting acceleration.”

Robinson also noted how well behaved the Taycan Cross Turismo was when pushed harder.

“The steering and agility of the Taycan Cross Turismo bely its mass. With loads of feel from the tiller and the ability to perform rapid directional changes without too much body lean, the electric Porsche feels far smaller than it actually is,” he said.

“So it feels just as good in the corners as the sedan, with masses of grip, unbreakable traction and a sense of balance that few other EVs can hope to get close to matching.

“It has dignified manners on even the worst surfaces and with impeccable noise suppression – thanks in part to, yes, go on, guess, optional noise-insulated glass – it’s just a delight to travel in.”

That leaves just one question to answer: What other car could possibly stand in the way of the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo winning the carsales Car of the Year for 2021, proudly presented by Bingle?

Porsche Taycan 4S Cross Turismo at a glance:
Price: From $205,300
Powertrain: Two permanently excited synchronous motors
Output: 360kW/650Nm (up to 420kW on overboost)
Transmission: Single-speed reduction gear (front axle), two-speed auto planetary gear set (rear axle)
Battery: 93.4kWh lithium-ion
Range: 388km (WLTP)
Energy consumption: 26.4kWh/100km (WLTP)