Porsche Experience: The Base Taycan is Autocross Tested, and We Fall in Love with the Cross Turismo
Porsche proves that even the base Taycan can carve up an autocross course. And the 4S Cross Turismo might be the perfect car.
A couple months ago, I got my first real taste of the Porsche Taycan. I was able to get a 4S model out on the road for a test drive and I came away from the experience impressed. So much so, that I am still considering buying one for myself. However, I am not sure which model to choose. Is the base enough? What about the cool Cross Turismo model? I need more than just a road test. Performance in a Porsche is more than just range to me. I need the car to do everything I expect a Porsche to do.
I am a high-performance driving instructor and I have spent many hours behind the wheel of Porsche sports cars on track. An all-electric car needs to perform as well as the internal combustion counterparts when pushed to the limit. Thanks to a recent Porsche Experience event held at my local racetrack I was able to push the new base rear wheel drive Taycan around an autocross course. At the same event I got my first real close up look at the Taycan Cross Turismo model. I can tell you one thing. If I do get a Taycan of my own, it will be the 4S Cross Turismo. I am sold. It looks absolutely stunning. It has the extra space I need to lug my 100-pound Lab/Pit Bull mix around. And will likely be a rare sight on American roads given the general aversion to wagons in this country.
Base Taycan Autocross Review
Often at Porsche sponsored events they tend to bring out their top rung models optioned to the hilt with every performance option possible. So, it was refreshing to get the chance to drive a base rear wheel drive Taycan riding on the standard steel suspension. It also had the base 79.2-kWh battery pack good for 321 horsepower. It is tough to call a car basic when it costs about $84,000 but for an all-electric Porsche this is as basic as it gets. If this car does well, you know that as you go up the ladder the performance will only improve.
The autocross course itself was fairly tight and short but it did give the opportunity to throw the car around in a manner that you never would on the street. This was the first time I ran an electric car in an autocross and the first thing you realize is that with the instant power you need to adjust your driving style a bit. You really want to be pointing the car straight before applying any throttle. The advantage though is you are never in the wrong gear. You don’t have to be concerned about if you should take a corner in second or third gear.
Even though it is the lightest Taycan you can buy, it still tips the scales at nearly 4,600 pounds. It was amazing how well the Taycan managed its two Miatas worth of weight. At no point did I feel like I was driving a big heavy sedan around the course. The car was riding on Michelin Pilot Sport PS4 tires which helped with the grip. Although the rear-wheel-drive Taycan was playful and would rotate a bit even with traction control on. It was a bit surreal to be hustling a car that made no noise at all except for the screaming of the tires.
At the end of my runs through the course I was again left impressed by the Taycan’s performance. (Being impressed by the Taycan seems to be a recurring theme.) To reiterate, this was the basic model, and I’m willing to bet that I was faster in the Taycan that I would have been in my track prepped Cayman S (although my evidence is anecdotal since the laps weren’t timed). The base Taycan earns the Porsche crest on the hood as much as any other vehicle in the lineup. I would love to get one out on the track, but from what I have seen so far, it would be unwise to bet against the Taycan, no matter what the model.
One other important thing to note: There were two base Taycans being driven all day long on the autocross course by everyone in attendance. They did lap after lap after lap with probably 30 different drivers in each car pushing them all day. It was also a hot and humid day with the temperature near 90 degrees. The cars never missed a beat. No overheating, no loss in performance, nothing. The Taycan took all of the abuse in stride.
The Taycan 4S Cross Turismo
If you can’t bring yourself to tell your friends and family that you drive a wagon, the Taycan Cross Turismo is for you. The term Cross Turismo just sounds racier than wagon. But you still get all the practical benefits of driving a wagon. Because let’s be honest, the Cross Turismo is a wagon. And it is a damn cool wagon at that. This was my first opportunity to see the Taycan 4S Cross Turismo in person and it was love at first sight. If I buy a Taycan, this is the model that I would choose. I would probably even spec it almost exactly like the one I saw.
The car was finished in Gentian Blue Metallic which looks even better on this car than it does on the 911. At least in my humble option. The car also rode on the optional 21-inch Cross Turismo Design Wheels. To me these are some of the best-looking wheels on the market and while $4,680 is a big chunk of change for wheels, they seem worth it to me. Another notable design option on this car was the Off-Road Design Package with inlays in Vesuvius Grey. This package includes some additional side cladding, increased ground clearance of 10 millimeters, and of course the painted inlays. It is subtle but looks wonderful on the car.
The rest of the car is your standard Taycan affair. No real changes on the inside except in the cargo area of course. With the seats folded down the Cross Turismo will hold 42.8 cubic feet of stuff, and the hatch design makes it all easier to load. Amazingly the car in only four tenths of an inch longer than the sedan. Besides the extra cargo room, the Cross Turismo offers another major advantage over the coupe. The 4S Cross Turismo comes standard with the 93.4 kWh performance battery plus. That is a $5,570 option on the sedan. Sure, the base price is a bit higher, but considering the more powerful battery and the extra space, it seems like a fair trade. With the looks, the space and the performance, the Taycan 4S Cross Turismo might be the most perfect car on sale today.
Porsche is hitting it out of the park with their Taycan models. And they will only get better. Even if you are not an EV fan you have to be excited about the future.
Photos: Joe Kucinski
Join the Electric Vehicle forums now!