Tested: Is the Porsche Taycan 4 Cross Turismo a Recipe for Disaster?
Leave it to Porsche. Going into our 2022 SUV of the Year competition, no vehicle had more pre-shade thrown its way than the Taycan 4 Cross Turismo. We've enjoyed a mixed, ambiguous relationship with the Taycan sedan since we first drove it. On the one hand, kudos to Porsche for making a great-handling electric vehicle that emphasizes performance and feel over everything else. On the other, where's the range, bro?
Yes, we like performance, but institutionally we just can't fully get behind the industry's least efficient EV. As for the "SUV" version, well, it's just a barely lifted station wagon, right? No different than the crass, "we're not that gullible" efforts from Audi (the A6 Allroad) and Mercedes-Benz (E450 All-Terrain) to pitch station wagons as some sort of off-roaders. But then we made the terrible mistake of actually taking the Cross Turismo in the dirt, and yeah, Porsche strikes again.
Before we get to how it drives, let's talk about what the Taycan 4 Cross Turismo is. First off, it's a station wagon by all definitions of the term. Yes, the legal definition of an SUV has something to do with ride height, but as I'm so fond of saying, "Just look at it." Talk about obvious. The Cross Turismo is an incredibly handsome wagon, especially on the tough-looking five-spoke wheels Porsche bolted to our test subject. Tangentially speaking, Taycan wheel design is all over the map, ranging from goofy to horrible to "yeah, baby." These are the latter. Since we drove the Cross Turismo, Porsche went and confusingly launched an uncladded wagon version of the Taycan, the 2022 GTS Sport Turismo, which looks approximately 10 percent better. That's mostly due to the 0.8-inch drop in ride height, meaning the Sport Turismo is technically a car. More on that in a bit.
Under the lovely, Chalk-colored metal you'll find two motors: one driving the wheels at the front axle, and the other driving those at the rear. Unlike all other EVs on the market save for its Audi twin, the E-Tron GT, the Taycan has a two-speed transmission that's only connected to the rear motor. As for power, this gets a bit confusing. Combined output from the two motors is 375 horsepower and 368 lb-ft of torque. However, activate launch control, and the two motors go into overboost and the output increases to 469 horsepower, a more than 20 percent increase. Hey, it's a brave, new EV world. The battery pack is large at 93.4 kWh, and the range is EPA-rated at 215 miles. That's down 10 from the mechanically identical Taycan sedan, due a little to the increased weight of the wagon body but more so the increased ride height that also decreases aerodynamic efficiency and forces the halfshafts to sprout from the motor at an angle. Did I mention it weighs 5,134 pounds?
The odd part about driving the Taycan 4 Cross Turismo only occurs when you realize there are three more powerful versions available: the 4S, the Turbo, and the Turbo S. There is a non-4, RWD sedan that makes less power (321 hp, 402 in overboost), but this particular version—$92,250 base, $109, 980 as tested—is pretty far down the Taycan lineup, which also includes the GTS sedan and Sport Turismo. Let me also point out that as far as the Taycan—cough—SUVs go, this is the entry-level Cross Turismo. The entry version that can hit 60 mph in 4.5 seconds, of course.
The Taycan 4 Cross Turismo can also run the quarter mile in 12.7 seconds at 115.9 mph. That quarter mile is pretty quick, especially for an off-road-capable station wagon. But it's not that quick for an EV, as the Porsche barely edges out the 470-hp Jeep Wrangler 392 that does the quarter in 12.9. Hey we're talking SUVs, right? And remember, that using launch control this Taycan makes precisely 1 fewer horsepower than the double live-axle, brick-shaped Jeep.
The Porsche's braking performance is good. Not so much as to stand out, but not bad, and there's nothing wrong with how the pedal feels. It takes 109 feet for the Cross Turismo to stop from 60 mph, 5 feet longer than the much more powerful, capable, expensive Taycan Turbo S with its 17.3-inch front rotors and super-sticky tires. Likewise, the Taycan 4's figure-eight time is good, at 25 seconds flat. I always say any car in the 24-second range is a sports car, and this slightly jacked-up wagon is oh, so close. To give you an idea of how well the Porsche did, remember the Mercedes E450 All-Terrain we discussed earlier? Another gussied-up station wagon pretending to be an SUV? It took 26.2 seconds to get around our figure-eight course. The Audi A6 Allroad? 26.5. Oh, and the Jeep 392? A frankly pathetic 29.3 run, which our test team chalked up to "aggressive ESC."
Based on time spent with other Taycans we knew going in that this Porsche would be more fun to drive than the competition on the street. We wrongly assumed that since it's obviously only pretending to be an SUV, it would be weak sauce in dirt. We were totally wrong. Did we attempt any rock crawling? No, and you'd be insane to try. But we did try dirt, sand, and gravel, and, man, was the Cross Turismo not only competent and capable, it was a blast, as well. Especially in sand, where the EV loved kicking up giant rooster tails while simultaneously not even kinda getting stuck. Whatever off-road advantage there is from a 0.8-inch lift, Porsche fully exploited it.
Unlike the aforementioned Audi and Mercedes "SUVs," I'd actually recommend the Taycan 4 Cross Turismo as both a driver's car and a light-duty off-roader. It's a genuine double-threat. At this stage in the game do we have the right to be surprised that a Porsche is fun to drive? Naw, probably not. Now, if the fine folks at Zuffenhausen could just do something about the meager driving range.
Looks good! More details?2021 Porsche Taycan 4 Cross Turismo BASE PRICE $92,250 PRICE AS TESTED $109,980 VEHICLE LAYOUT Front and rear-motor, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door wagon MOTOR TYPE Permanent-magnet electric POWER (SAE NET) 469 hp TORQUE (SAE NET) 368 lb-ft TRANSMISSION 2-speed automatic CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST) 5,134 lb (49/51%) WHEELBASE 114.3 in LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT 195.8 x 77.4 x 55.5 in 0-60 MPH 4.5 sec QUARTER MILE 12.7 sec @ 115.9 mph BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 109 ft LATERAL ACCELERATION 0.89 g (avg) MT FIGURE EIGHT 25.0 sec @ 0.76 g (avg) EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 75/81/77 mpg-e ON SALE Now Show AllYou may also like
mercedes-benz c-class Full OverviewProsMore refined powertrain, feels expensive, long driving range. ConsTransmission could be smoother, pricey, enormous key fob. Quick, but What About BMW, Audi, and Tesla?Braking and Figure-Eight PerformanceBut Why Is It so Expensive?Looks good! More details?2022 Mercedes-Benz C 300 4Matic Specifications BASE PRICE $46,600 PRICE AS TESTED $62,970 VEHICLE LAYOUT Front-engine, AWD, 5-pass, 4-door sedan ENGINE 2.0L Turbo direct-injected DOHC 16-valve I-4 plus electric motor POWER (SAE NET) 255 hp @ 5,800 rpm (gas), 20 hp (elec), 255 hp (comb) TORQUE (SAE NET) 295 lb-ft @ 2,000 rpm (gas), 148 lb-ft (elec), 295 lb-ft (comb) TRANSMISSION 9-speed automatic CURB WEIGHT (F/R DIST) 4,014 lb (53/47%) WHEELBASE 112.8 in LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT 187.0 x 71.7 x 56.6 in 0-60 MPH 5.5 sec QUARTER MILE 14.2 sec @ 96.8 mph BRAKING, 60-0 MPH 112 ft LATERAL ACCELERATION 0.90 g (avg) MT FIGURE EIGHT 26.3 sec @ 0.67 g (avg) EPA CITY/HWY/COMB FUEL ECON 23/33/27 mpg EPA RANGE, COMB 470 miles ON SALE Now Show All
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Volkswagen just filed a patent application for an intriguing pickup-truck version of its upcoming ID Buzz electric van, and we're desperate to learn more. An image filed with the patent (above) depicts a four-door, crew-cab ID Buzz trucklet—essentially a 2024 Volkswagen ID Buzz van with its aft roof section removed and its rear sliding doors replaced with what appear to be conventionally hinged pieces. It immediately brings to mind the classic "Doka" versions of the vintage VW vans—short for doppelkabine.The patent image is unusual in that it's rendered in full color, and not in the typical axonometric, line-drawing style. Given the ID Buzz already is patented, we figure this is enough for VW to secure this kind of design, at least as a spin-off model.It also gives us an idea of what to expect should this truck become a reality. The cargo bed is quite deep and has seemingly thin walls to maximize its utility, while there is what looks to be a black-plastic-lined foot step just ahead of the rear wheel. Seeing as how the roof sports a ribbed section with the same kind of plastic treatment as the bed liner, we figure it's designed for carrying loads; that foot step therefore would come in handy for loading things atop the ID Buzz, too. We can even faintly make out a round Lidar unit similar to the pop-up pieces VW has been previewing on its semi-autonomous setups of the future; it's located on the front right corner of the roof, by the windshield pillar. There likely is a matching unit on the left side.Some of this ID trucklet's styling cues indicate it might be a concept car, however. The forward door cut line is slightly different from that on the production ID Buzz van; the tires are very low-profile and sport an unusual tread pattern; and instead of big glass side mirrors, there appear to be pop-out cameras. There also is a long LED strip running from the nose to the tail along the body line separating the green lower section from the silvery top.You've also probably noticed that this pickup is less "truck" and more, uh, van. The green vehicle shown here has absolutely zero off-road pretense, and doesn't even wear extra body cladding on its bumpers. It is a street-first type of truck, and that's okay—in fact, it's downright different; these days, most trucks sit relatively high off the ground and wear I'm-tougher-than-you styling. This ID Buzz pickup is a van with a buzz cut, and we're here for it (in fact, we even rendered just such a vehicle soon after the ID Buzz debuted!). We'll know more about this intriguing design if or when it appears in the metal; were it to go into production, don't expect an on-sale date before 2024, after the ID Buzz van hits the market here.
Time and again, the number one complaint we hear about EVs (besides non-existent mandates) is driving range. To some, even a Tesla Model S doesn't have enough range, even though versions of it now top 400 miles on a charge. Even the affordable Chevrolet Bolt gets 259 miles. What mileage would be enough for these naysayers? 500 miles? 600? How about 752 miles without needing a charge?Our Next Energy—stylized as ONE and based out of Novi, Michigan—has achieved just that using a battery the same size as the Tesla Model S P100's battery pack. Dubbed "Gemini," the battery pack employs ONE's own battery management and controls, and it was installed in an otherwise unmodified the Model S.The TripAccording to ONE, its upgraded Tesla Model S tester went on a road trip from its headquarters north up the "Mitten" of Michigan and back, traveling on highways and averaging about a speed of 55 mph. The semi-scientific trip hooked east over through Detroit using I-96 and then followed I-94 west to Ann Arbor before joining with State Route 52 to get back to I-95 and Lansing. Then the team took I-69 to stay on the west side before heading north on State Route 127 and merging with I-75 around Pere Cheney.https://youtu.be/fWj2YCdoc9AThey continued north until they crossed over the Mackinac Bridge to get on State Route 2 for a bit before turning around somewhere close to Brevort. This time, they merged back with I-75 and stayed with it, going through Gaylord, close to Bay City, through Saginaw and Flint before arriving back at their Novi headquarters. The entire trip was 752 miles without needing to stop to recharge the Gemini battery and a total discharge rate of C/10, or about a 20 kW rate. (The drivers, of course, needed and took breaks.) According to ONE, the battery hovered at around 32 degrees and required no active cooling for the entire (apparently cold-weather) drive.Dyno EvaluationThe eye-popping driving distance wasn't enough, however. After arriving back at ONE headquarters, the team put the Gemini-equipped Model S on a charger at a rate of 1C, or about a 200 kW charge rate. For now, that's all that has been tested and ONE has not tried a higher rate than that. Once at full capacity, the Model S was driven to a third party dyno facility, where it was put through a simulated 20 percent Urban Dynamometer Driving Schedule (UDDS) and Highway Fuel Economy Test (HWFET) drive cycles and 80 percent driving at a constant 55 mph. While observing roughly the same Wh per mile consumption, the dyno test was able to achieve 882 miles of range—only a 17 percent difference over what they saw during their real world drive.No Exotic MaterialsThe Gemini isn't some wild idea battery using unobtainum minerals, nor is it some unusual chemistry. We asked Mujeeb Ijaz, president and CEO of ONE, what the battery was made of. "The production intent Gemini battery will be LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate, also known as LiFePo4) for the traction battery portion," he said, "and a new cell ONE is designing for the range extender without cobalt, nickel, and graphite." We also asked about the weight of the cells and how many they were able to fit in the Model S, however, Ijaz stated that the cells were still experimental, but, "We had a total of 203.7 kWh at a system level."The standard P100 pack is roughly 103.9 kWh, so they were able to double the capacity without needing a larger space and without much of a weight penalty, either, and that is the goal. "The ONE Gemini battery aims to eliminate range as a barrier to electric vehicle adoption by doubling the available energy on board in the same package space," said Ijaz. He and ONE feel that the current solution of adding more chargers just isn't entirely feasible, especially if you need to stop every 150 miles with smaller battery packs.Market ExpectancyWhile the ONE Gemini battery isn't quite ready for market now, it's not far off. Ijaz said that ONE will have a production sample ready by 2023 with production of their Gemini battery pack by 2026. An exact cost of the Gemini hasn't been released yet, either, but ONE expects it to initially cost the same as current nickel-cobalt based lithium batteries. If all of this can be accomplished and put into production, the Gemini solves another portion of the "EV problem" detractors scream about, as well: the mining of cobalt.We'll still need lithium, but new recycling techniques have proven to be able to extract that from current batteries with a reduction of wastewater and the energy needed for its extraction, eliminating or, at the very least, reducing the need to mine for new lithium deposits. ONE also said that it is "currently developing a proprietary range-extender cell, which deletes the graphite materials used in conventional anodes and contributing to a significant reduction in cost." It's also working on a new cathode material that "can be sourced at less than $0.46/lbs versus conventional batteries at around $10/lbs." Just more proof that owning an EV won't be as expensive or even as "environmentally unfriendly" as EV haters like to portray it.
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