Overview

The Porsche Taycan, indisputably one of the very best electric cars on sale, has received a midlife facelift. Our initial exposure to this has primarily come in the form of an updated Taycan Cross Turismo, the version featured here. As the most multipurpose variant of this hugely impressive electric vehicle (EV) it’s a great place to start, but all of the technical enhancements apply to the Taycan saloon and Taycan Sport Turismo, too.

While the 2024 Taycan is not much different to look at – stare hard and you’ll note the slimmer headlights and optional illuminated Porsche script on the back. As before, the Cross Turismo features a slightly raised ride height, tougher-looking ‘off-road’ exterior with hard-wearing black plastic elements, and only comes in the extended roof, shooting-brake-style body also used by the Sport Turismo.

The technical changes are much more comprehensive. A new type of battery, available at a larger capacity, means faster charging and improved driving range, with some models now able to go 35% further than before according to the official WLTP figures. At the same time, a new lighter and more powerful rear motor means higher performance as well.

All versions of the Taycan now get air suspension as standard (previously the entry-level rear-wheel drive models got less sophisticated steel springs). This isn’t a change for the Cross Turismo, which has two motors, four-wheel drive and the largest possible battery right across the range, but this model can benefit from the optional new Porsche Active Ride suspension system now available to Taycan buyers.

This is able to deliver luxury-car levels of comfort while also improving the Porsche’s already superb dynamic capability. We’ll cover it in detail later in this review.

The Cross Turismo is a bit of a niche product in some respects – no-one else makes a high-performance electric estate car with off-roady looking styling – so the selection of rivals is either none or likely to be quite broad.

We’d suggest potential buyers take a close look at the BMW iX, perhaps the most technically impressive all-electric SUV. If you want something more low-slung, consider the Audi e-Tron GT that shares the Taycan’s platform and possibly the Maserati GranTurismo Folgore – though neither of the latter two are as practical as the Cross Tursimo. You might also consider either the Tesla Model S or Tesla Model X, but both are left-hand drive only now.

As ever, Porsche dominates with its emphasis on high performance. The Cross Turismo is available in 4, 4S, Turbo and Turbo S configurations; even the entry-level 4 has 435hp available, while the Turbo S now peaks at 952hp, more than twice as much. The chassis is engineered to make this less insane than it seems, while an extensive options list means you can tailor the car to your requirements very precisely – if you can stomach the additional cost.

Over the next few pages we’ll take you right through the interior, tech, practicality and performance of this flagship EV. Keep reading for the full Parkers Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo review.