We really, really like the Porsche Taycan. There aren’t too many criticisms we can level at it, but a lack of space is arguably one of the few. Porsche has now launched the Taycan Cross Turismo, which it is labelling “the all-rounder among electric sports cars”, and on paper at least, they appear to be right.

The Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo is essentially a shooting brake version of the standard electric sports car which is essentially the realisation of the Mission E Cross Turismo which debuted at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show. Underneath it shares the same architecture and features, but instead of that heavily sloping roofline which makes the standard car almost impossibly low for a full-blown four-seater, it has what Porsche calls a “flyline” – a larger yet still sporty rear end.

As you’d expect from Porsche, the changes are slightly more than skin deep. Whilst the underpinnings are largely shared with the standard Taycan, there are some light off-road details in the design, and height-adjustable suspension which is complemented by a gravel driving mode.

Design and space

That extended luggage space and do-it-all ability is going to be the Taycan’s major selling point. In the absence of an electric SUV from Porsche, this is the brand’s answer to an all-rounder. It’s still a sporty looking thing, but with design elements such a wheel arch trims, lower aprons at the front and rear as well as new side sills, Porsche has sought to emphasise the go-(almost)-anywhere abilities of the car.

Inside, there is now 1212 litres of space accessible via the large tailgate. In addition, a specially-developed rear carrier for up to three bicycles – which still allows access to the hatch when loaded – adds to the versatility. If buyers really want, they can opt to buy a Porsche-branded e-bike, with the brand launching the eBike Sport and eBike Cross at the same time as the Taycan.

The interior is otherwise much the same as the standard car, featuring a central 10.9 inch touchscreen, curved and freestanding driver’s instrument cluster and optional passenger display. “Hey Porsche” voice activation enables most functions to be voice controlled, and the standard BOSE stereo is complemented by various phone connectivity options. One minor tweak with the Off-Road Design package is a compass on the top of the dashboard – which is slightly incongruous given the presence of satellite navigation…

Powertrain options

At launch, the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo will be available with the same four powertrain options as the standard car: Taycan 4, Taycan 4S, Taycan Turbo and Taycan Turbo S. All options are four-wheel drive and all versions get the large 93.4kWh Performance Battery Plus as standard which, thanks to its 800 volt architecture, can be charged at up to 270kW, gaining 62 miles per five minutes and going from five to 80 per cent state of charge in just 22 minutes. All cars also get Porsche’s innovative two-speed gearbox, which improves performance and efficiency.

The Taycan 4 Cross Turismo starts the range off and comes with 375bhp of continuous power, or 469bhp using overboost. With that boosted power, it will hit 62mph in 5.1 seconds, top out at 137mph and has a maximum WLTP range of 283 miles – the highest of any version.

Step it up to the Taycan 4S Cross Turismo and power goes up to 483bhp continuous with 563 on overboost, bringing down the 0-62mph time to 4.1 seconds. Top speed goes up to 149mph and the car has a range of 281 miles.

The Tacycan Turbo Cross Turismo has 617bhp continuous or 670bhp on overboost. It will do 0-62mph in 3.3 seconds, max out at 155mph and do up to 281 miles on a charge.

Finally, the Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo has the full-blooded 483bhp of continuous power (same as the Turbo) but a gargantuan 751bhp on overboost, bringing the 0-62mph time down to a blistering 2.9 seconds. Max speed is also 155mph and range comes in at 260 miles.

Chassis tweaks

One of the major points of difference when comparing the Cross Turismo to the standard Taycan is in the chassis. Adaptive air suspension with Gravel mode increases the ride height by 30mm and is designed to handle gravel tracks and light off-road journeys with a bit more protection against terrain. Gravel mode also uses the car’s array of chassis technology to its advantage, including Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), Porsche Traction Management (PTM), Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (PTV+) and Porsche Stability Management (PSM).

Despite its slightly more rugged appearance, if drivers slam the car down to its normal height it maintains a slippery 0.26 drag coefficient – aided by Porsche Active Aerodynamics. If owners want to expand the car’s abilities and driver conveniences through things like Active Lane Keep Assist or Power Steering Plus, these can be added via a function on demand service and are paid for on a subscription basis.

Price and availability

The Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo range starts at £79,340 for the ‘4’ spec car. The 4S comes in at £87,820, Turbo at £116,950 and Turbo S at £139,910. Deliveries of the car will start a little later in the year.