An ‘off-road’ version of Porsche’s top-of-the-line all-electric sports saloon is here.
Taycan, Porsche’s first all-electric sportscar is already making waves around the world. Some even hail it as the best alternative yet to the much-hyped Teslas. The German marque has now revealed a new addition to its flagship. The Taycan Cross Turismo is a “versatile off-road version” that uses an electric drive with 800-volt architecture. A new high-tech chassis with all-wheel drive and adaptive air suspension assures better off-road dynamics. The Taycan Gran Turismo gets 47mm extra headroom for rear passengers (yes, it’s a four-seater) and capable of creating more than 1200 litres of luggage space by folding that rear seat.
The Taycan Cross Turismo design is inspired by the Mission E Cross Turismo concept presented at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show. Its silhouette showcases a slippery roofline – it calls ‘flyline’ – that slopes sharply downward to the rear. Off-road design elements include wheel arch trims, unique front and rear lower aprons and side sills. The car comes with all-wheel drive and adaptive air suspension as standard too. “Gravel” is the standard drive mode for this car. An optional off-road design pack can increase its ground clearance by another 30 mm. As part of this package, the Cross Turismo gets special flaps at the corners of the front and rear bumpers and at the ends of the sills. These give it a striking look as well as provide protection from flying gravel impacts.
A 93.4 kWh performance battery is fitted as standard in a Taycan Cross Turismo and is made available in three states of “tune”. This is quite similar to what it has been doing with its petrol-powered cars. Even the nomenclature will be familiar to Porsche aficionados as mentioned below
Taycan Model Power 0-100kph time Top Speed Range
4 Cross Turismo 280 kW (372bhp) 5.1s 220kph 389-456km
4S Cross Turismo 360 kW (480bhp) 4.1s 240kph 388-452km
Turbo Cross Turismo 460 kW (613bhp) 3.3s 250kph 395-452km
For cycling enthusiasts (fast catching-up as an adventure sport, especially for those who are more conscious about the environment), Porsche has also developed a universal rear carrier for the car that can carry up to three bicycles of any kind. A further innovation here is that the tailgate can be operated even with the bicycles loaded.
With its Mission E Concept, the quintessential performance car maker had announced its foray into zero-emission electric vehicles in the future. Taycan was the first car of this kind and will now be followed by the Taycan Cross Turismo. Porsche claims that by 2025 more than half of all its launches will either be fully electric or a plug-in hybrid.
[Image Credit: Porsche]
Girish Karkera