A Taycan for all occasions

It was only in the January 2025 issue of Porsche Post that we reported on Porsche announcing the final models to conclude its revised Taycan range in the UK, with the arrival of the GTS-spec Taycans completing what had begun to appear in the UK market back in the middle of last year. 
 
Unlike our review of the new Macan E, evaluating the latest Taycan is a decidedly more clear-cut task. Without giving away too many spoilers, it emphatically remains at the apex of performance EVs and the latest round of improvements has only cemented that positioning. Criticisms over what it’s like to live with such a car, or indeed any lingering doubts on used values, remain valid concerns, but need to be hived off from talking about the actual product – which is what we’re going to do. Initially, at least.
 
We’re sampling the new Taycan in Cross Turismo form, which I’ve always found a fascinating, niche product. Indeed, with the demise of the Panamera Sport Turismo, the ‘estate’ Taycans now occupy the rather more oddball end of Porsche’s offerings and they’re all the better for that. If you haven’t heard about it before, the Cross Turismo shares its body with the Taycan Sport Turismo, but with design elements such as plastic cladding around the wheel arches suggesting light off-roading potential in the style of an Audi Allroad. There’s an off-road design package available that includes further protective body elements along with a raised ride height setting. Perhaps best of all, there’s more rear headroom and luggage space than in the standard Cayman saloon. 
 


Although alterations to the overall design are slight with the revised car – reprofiled headlights, taillights, new front wings and a ‘3D glass look’ Porsche logo between the lights are the main alterations – there are many changes under the skin, as might be expected in an industry where technology is progressing so quickly. 
 
Most importantly of all, there’s a revised battery pack and a new electric motor in the rear axle position. The former now has a gross rating of 105kWh and consists of 33 modules with 396 pouch cells. Apparently, the ratio of nickel, cobalt and manganese in its constitution is 8:1:1. No, that doesn’t mean a great deal to me either, but it’s hidden somewhere in the full launch press kit and it seems prudent to tell you. Perhaps one day we’ll be quoting this stuff like camshafts, displacement increases and revised air intakes. Who knows? 
 
As for the new motor, it features a revised magnetic circuit among many tweaks and is also a handy 10.4kg lighter. Yes, that’s small fry on a car that weighs 2,280kg, but Porsche is keen to point out that, in spite of increased standard equipment, the new model is slightly lighter or at least no heavier than the outgoing one and even small weight savings help to prevent the gradual weight creep that has blighted all modern cars, regardless of their power source.

 
While we’re on the tech fest, there’s also something termed a combined booster charger (CBC) that replaces the DC/DC converter and the first-generation HV booster. It has new power modules and cooling has been optimised.
 
Perhaps the advancement Porsche is most proud of is the new car’s ability to charge significantly faster than the last one, rightly summarising that this – rather than another gazillion horsepower – is what will make a real difference to the EV ownership experience ‘in the real world’. The charging capacity has increased by 50kW to 320kW maximum, meaning you can now charge from 10-80 per cent in just 18 minutes or thereabouts on the right charger. Recuperation has also increased to a maximum of 400kW at higher speeds. Other tech improvements include better thermal management, a next-gen heat pump and a revised four-wheel-drive strategy (remember, its two electric motors mean it’s essentially a computer-controlled four-wheel-drive system) that improves efficiency. 
 
After all of this, the fact that the 4S is more powerful, faster and has an improved range seems like a given. It boasts 517hp in normal running, but can muster 598hp for a launch and hits 149mph flat out. The 0-62mph time is just 3.6 seconds. In other words, there are faster Taycans, yes, but I’m not sure anyone really needs them. To me, that’s how it feels on the road, where the 4S has the level of warp speed instant acceleration that borders on queasiness. Yes, it’s a seriously fast car, in spite of its size and weight. 

 
This Shade Green Metallic press car (there’s very little actual green in the colour, at least to my eyes – it’s more of a hint of green) and a considerable array of options takes the £100,400 list price of the 4S Cross Turismo and rockets it to £130,406. Of crucial importance here is the addition of Porsche’s new Active Ride suspension, along with rear-wheel steering and the PTV+ electronically controlled rear differential. 
 
Every Taycan now has the latest two-chamber air suspension set-up, but Active Ride takes this a lot further for an additional and not-inconsiderable £6,291. With this new set-up, Porsche has control of each damper independently thanks to an electronically controlled connection to a hydraulic pump per wheel. The system has the benefit of doing away with anti-roll bars altogether and could, if desired, actually lean the Taycan into a corner. It also has the party trick of automatically rising up 55mm when you egress the vehicle, then lowering automatically when you leave the car for a period of time or get back in (although you can switch that off – it’s a bit weird, frankly). 
 
On the road, the 4S is smooth, assured and fast. Not only does Active Ride aim to give a better ride quality but it also offers self-levelling, negating the pitch of the car’s immense acceleration and reigning in weight transfer under heavy braking. It’s remarkably effective, helping to shrink the Taycan around the driver, and this is a car you can enjoy driving with its clean precise steering and, of course, immense acceleration. 



That I’m not besotted about the driving experience in the way I would be about an internal combustion engine car possibly says more about me than it does about the Cross Turismo. While it might not be something I desire with a passion, it feels like a supreme machine to live with on a daily basis, helped by its new WLTP range figure of 360 miles. Having a wall box for home charging is a must to make sense of the ownership experience, otherwise you’re constantly at the mercy of the public charging network; you want to be starting every morning with a battery full of cheap energy from overnight home charging. When you are on the road for longer periods, the Taycan’s upgraded infotainment system (now with more Apple CarPlay integration) is your ally in working out routes that require additional charging. There’s the My Porsche app too, which also allows journeys to be planned in advance, taking charging into account as well as all the other usual features you might expect such as cabin pre-heating and so on. 
 
To be honest, I found the whole experience something of a mixed bag. In theory, it’s the answer to every problem, but I often tied myself in knots trying to establish a route that didn’t go out of its way just to maintain a certain charge at a particular time or destination. It seemed the technology was attempting to pre-empt my thoughts at every turn and trying to be almost too clever, and the map on the app drove me slightly mad. Maybe further exposure to it all negates that negative experience. Unequivocally, the charging process is notably rapid – when the stars align and you find the right chargers. 
 
As ever, your own personal usage profile has a great bearing on whether an EV will be a satisfying ownership proposition. That aside, and purely viewed as a car, there’s no doubt the revised Taycan is a very impressive machine indeed.



This feature was written by Adam Towler and first appeared in the February 2025 issue of our monthly Club magazine, Porsche Post. Join today to receive your copy, as well as enjoying a host of exclusive member benefits and savings.