This Is Why We Love The Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo

2022-07-15 20:34:08 By : Ms. ANNIE HU

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Porsche claims the Taycan Cross Turismo offers the most energetic form of inner balance, and we couldn't help but agree.

There is a niche of American drivers who wouldn't think twice about choosing a wagon over an SUV, irrespective of how good-looking the SUV is. For members of that hallowed habitat, the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo is the undisputed better Taycan, though that may sound strange to the rest of us.

But that’s just the thing about this fruit of the Porsche Mission E Cross Turismo. The artistic design, not to talk of the powerful guts and premium interior makes the idea of preferring station wagons to SUVs a garden variety. Porsche revealed the Mission E Cross Turismo prototype at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show. Sporting a raised suspension, off-road wheels, and SUV-like cladding, it was a special kind of station wagon, looking a lot more like the Taycan than the Mission E concept car unveiled three years prior.

It combined the fully electric Mission E J1 platform with a 5-door estate body similar to the Panamera Sport Turismo. We knew it then even before Michael Mauer, the marque’s Chief Designer said it; something special was definitely cooking. Seven months later, Porsche AG signed off on a production Taycan Cross Turismo (TCT). It was a dream come true for fans who had dreams of making a wagon out of the 750-hp electrified Taycan. The 2022 TCT is worth every penny. Let’s check it out.

Related: See What It's Like To Drive The 1,000-HP All-Electric Porsche Mission R On Track

The 2022 Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo comes with a handful of new features to look out for. Let’s start from the inside. The updated infotainment system now includes Android Auto, which is a big sigh of relief for both Apple fans and non-Apple fans. The Google-developed app makes it easy and safer to access your favorite music, media, and messaging apps in the car, bringing your apps, maps et-all, to your TCT’s infotainment display, so you can focus on driving. All you have to do is plug in via a USB-C port.

Admittedly, Apple’s CarPlay is still superior in this regard, since the connection can be done wirelessly, thereby enhancing the hands-free, less-distraction experience. Either way, users of either OS can finally enjoy an integrated experience.

To perpetuate the immersive experience, Porsche is offering an optional Bose surround sound system with the TCT. Fans recognize Bose's awesome clarity even with the volume turned way up. These are in addition to plenty of optional driver-centric tech features like adaptive cruise control, surround-view camera system, lane-keep assist, park assist, and many others. Something else that’s new on the 2022 Taycan Cross Turismo is the newly introduced optional automated Remote Park Assist.

We would’ve said the touchscreen interface is the best if not that we’ve seen better. It's not exactly the picture of user-friendliness, specifically, the excessively elaborate climate control system. We feel the lag time could be distracting, but at least the air conditioning system is a breeze, especially when set to auto mode. Plus, the smudges. TCT’s touchscreens aren’t the only ones prone to smudges though. If anything, the smudges ‘disappear’ on the TCT’s when they’re turned on.

Using the virtual touchpad and shortcut buttons on the lower display, you can access the upper touchscreen as well as control climate settings and other stuff.

Ingress and egress are much better – especially for rear passengers - than with the Taycan sedan, thanks to TCT’s slightly higher ride height and extended roofline. Plus, the larger rear windshield improves rearward visibility. While the front seats are comfortable enough, the optional sports seats are the better choice for improved lateral support when cornering. We're not as thrilled with the rear seats, though, and that's a common outcome in many performance sedans we've seen so far.

As for the TCT’s, the inordinately protruding lumbar support and slightly raised floor height are to blame. Conversely, the 2022 Taycan Cross Turismo delivers a very enjoyable ride comfort, thanks to the higher ride height and softer suspension tuning compared to the Taycan sedan. The feeling is enhanced by the impressive insulation that reduces outside noise. Engine noise all but disappears, leaving passengers immersed in whatever music is wafting from the Bose sound system.

TCT's luxurious, almost clinical cabin is a testament to quiet, peaceful travel. As a Taycan family, TCT ranks pretty high on the fun-to-drive totem pole. The best part is how it transforms from a really nice housewife in traffic to a formidable performance car on the highway with a simple twist of a knob. It’s slightly heavier than the sedan, just as it rides slightly higher too. But performance-wise, both stand shoulder to shoulder.

Related: These Are Our Favorite Features On The Porsche Taycan 4S

An acceleration test of the TCT 4S and Taycan 4S saw both achieve 60 mph in 3.7 seconds. The lack of performance tradeoff goes beyond power output. TCT handles as good as the sedan, including agility, cornering, and balance. Get the optional Porsche rear-wheel steering and Dynamic Chassis Control to experience the best of TCT’s handling capabilities. Sadly, TCT lacks sufficient regenerative braking that's fast becoming a staple in modern EVs so that you don't have to flatten the brake to the metal to achieve a complete stop.

The 2022 Taycan Cross Turismo is the latest example of Porsche’s talent for incredible craftsmanship. For starters, Taycan is now included in Porsche's custom paint-to-sample program, allowing owners to paint their Taycan in any color from a now expanded list.

According to the automaker, “the Porsche Paint to Sample program now includes over 160 pre-approved colors. This expansion has been made possible due to a sophisticated new color mixing bank that was recently integrated into the Zuffenhausen plant where the 911, 718, and Taycan model lines are assembled.”

More of our favorite features of the 2022 TCT include the fast acceleration, excellent handling, fast-charging capability, and the 4-door-improved practicality. We’d be remiss to ignore the impressive bodywork styling and interior finish. It also features two trunks in the rear and front.

Speaking of fast charging, TCT’s 800-volt electrical architecture (compared to Tesla’s 400 volts and Lucid’s 900 volts) lets it recharge at a peak of 270 kilowatts, although you’d need a 350-kilowatt Electrify America charging station. Plus, Porsche includes a three-year free Electric America charging.

Philip Uwaoma, this bearded black male from Nigeria, is fast approaching two million words in articles published on various websites, including toylist.com, rehabaid.com, and autoquarterly.com. After not getting credit for his work on Auto Quarterly, Philip is now convinced that ghostwriting sucks. He has no dog, no wife- yet- and he loves Rolls Royce a little too much.