By now Taycan is almost a household name among car enthusiasts and the most sought after electric vehicle amongst supercar buyers considering that over 20,000 units were sold around the world before Christmas 2020.
The Taycan is Porsche’s first ever full electric car and the catalyst for a range of full electric vehicles for the Porsche brand.
With a platform that can deliver a SUV, sports touring wagon and maybe, one day, a full-blown sports MPV (well, dreams are for free), Porsche has mentioned that a range of electric vehicles will be introduced whilst maintaining their petrol-powered sports car division.
This makes great sense for rich car enthusiasts.
You have a Porsche EV, Taycan or Macan for daily inner city commuting for the reduction of carbon emission and then you have your 911 or Cayman petrol powered machine for cross country driving.
On a chilly winter’s day on the empty rural roads east of Weissach, the head of the Taycan model line, Stefan Weckbach, is putting a very special new car through its paces.
A lightly camouflaged Taycan Cross Turismo cuts an unfamiliar figure against the frozen farmland and snow-covered forests that fringe this popular test route, its long roofline and increased ride height last seen on the Mission E Cross Turismo Concept back in 2018.
Weckbach, dressed warmly against the freezing February temperatures, climbs aboard the all-black development car and heads out onto empty asphalt.
Immediately there’s a familiarity to the way he talks and drives that suggests many hundreds of kilometres have already been shared between man and machine on these well-trodden local roads.
The Cross Turismo glides around sweeping bends as its commander in chief talks freely about what has, up until now, been a closely guarded secret beyond the walls of Weissach and the Taycan production line in Zuffenhausen.
“In order to enable it to handle light off-roading and gravel roads,” Weckbach continues, “we increased the ground clearance. And we optimised our suspension system so the Cross Turismo comes with a CUV (cross utility vehicle) specific driving mode. This makes sure it does well on gravel roads in terms of stability, performance, and dynamics.”
The Taycan has already enjoyed a remarkable beginning, with more than 20,000 units delivered worldwide in its first full year of production.
Now, the appeal of Porsche’s first all-electric sports saloon is set to grow still further, reaching a new set of customers who want to take their low-impact lifestyle off the beaten track.
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