At the same time, it’s a ferocious albeit nearly noiseless athlete with terrifyingly quick sprints, as we discovered during a few hours spent with the base version, namely the Taycan 4 Cross Turismo priced from RM588,000.
Two more powerful all-electric Cross Turismo variants are offered by Sime Darby Auto Performance – the 4S (from RM653,000) and Turbo (from RM845,000).
The Taycan has an 800-volt architecture, instead of the usual 400-volt for electric cars.
With the 93.4 kWh two-deck Performance Battery Plus, the Taycan 4 Cross Turismo outputs 380PS, with overboost power for Launch Control at 476PS, and system torque at 500Nm.
The 0 to 100kph sprint is done in 5.1 seconds.
With those power figures and the typical instant torque of battery electric vehicles (BEVs), stepping hard on the accelerator pedal resulted in our bodies being slammed back into the dark leather sports seats.
There’s no exhaust roar or engine vibration, and all you will hear is a slight electric whine as the car accelerates at an absurd pace.
The quiet confines of the cabin are somewhat eerie, and at times, it almost felt like we were driving a computer, especially with the three touchscreen control panels and a digital instrument cluster dominating the dashboard and centre console.
That is until you start throwing the Taycan 4 Cross Turismo at corners, and the high-performance sports wagon shows how it stays true to the Porsche DNA of outstanding handling and carving tight bends at speed with the precision of a track car.
Running on huge optional 21-inch wheels shod with grippy Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 3 tyres in sizes of front 265/35 and rear 305/30, there’s little body roll, and corners are dispatched with aplomb while braking power and response was more than reassuring.
Standard features include all-wheel drive and adaptive air suspension.
There is also a Gravel driving mode, for light off-road terrain such as gravel tracks or muddy road surfaces, where the ride height is raised by 30mm compared with the saloon, and power delivery is also adjusted.
The Taycan 4 Cross Turismo produces a refined passenger experience, and the ride comfort level is high, with road irregularities soaked up quite efficiently when we drove on some uneven surfaces in Shah Alam.
Starting the car is made too easy; as you approach, all four door handles swing outwards automatically.
Push the gear selector lever to D mode, step on the accelerator pedal, and start driving.
To shut down the car, long press the power button (just like a smartphone).
On our test drive unit, there are premium package extras such as the passenger side touchscreen with menu options including navigation, media, phone, cockpit, devices, and Sport Chrono.
With the optional Sport Chrono package, there’s a rotary dial on the steering wheel for selecting driving modes (Normal, Sport, Sport Plus, Range, Individual).
Another touchscreen on the centre dashboard offers the same menu option and adds air conditioning functions, Apple Carplay and Android Auto.
Meanwhile, the touchscreen on the centre console allows switching to Gravel drive mode, as well as opening and closing the rear boot lid, and opening both charging ports, in addition to opening the front compartment (an internal combustion engine would be here in a conventional car) where the first aid kit, tyre sealant kit to fix punctures, and hazard warning triangle are kept.
According to Porsche, the Taycan 4 Cross Turismo’s travel range on the WLTP (worldwide harmonised light vehicle test procedure) standard is 389km to 456km.
When we took the fully charged test drive unit, the travel range displayed was 403km.
As we spent much of the brief time we had with the car putting it through its paces, with lots of hard braking and sudden sprints over nearly 100km, the car had a remaining charge of 64% and 248km travel range when it was returned to the showroom in Ara Damansara.
According to Porsche, the charging time from 5% to 80% state of charge takes about 22 minutes at an 800-volt charging station.
The car has two charging ports, with each one on either side of its front wings.
There are high-performance chargers at Porsche Centre Ara Damansara and Penang, and more such chargers will be at Porsche Centres in Sungai Besi and Johor Bahru later in 2023.
This is a four-seater, with two rear seats and a rear armrest with cup holders.
There is ample leg and headroom for 1.7-metre adults, and we found rear air-conditioning vents, and rear reading lights, and coat hooks on the B pillars.
Behind the large tailgate, the luggage space with rear seats folded down, is over 1,200 litres.
Porsche offers a premium package and lots of optional kit, and on our test drive unit, we found a fixed panoramic glass roof, head-up display, 21-inch Cross Turismo wheels, a Bose surround sound system, and ParkAssist including surround view.
SPECIFICATIONS
Porsche Taycan 4 Cross Turismo
Powerplant: Porsche E-Performance Powertrain with a Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor on the front and rear axles
Power output: 380PS; 476PS overboost power for Launch Control
System torque: 500Nm
Battery capacity: 93.4 kWh, two-deck Performance Battery Plus
Range: 389km to 456 km (WLTP)
Charger type: Type 2 (AC) / CCS2 (DC)
DC quick charging: 5% to 80% under 23 mins
Transmission: Single-speed (front axle), 2-speed (rear axle)
Features: All-round thermally insulated glass, 19-inch Taycan Aero wheels, Tyre Pressure Monitoring (TPM), LED headlights, power front seats, Lane Keeping Assist including Traffic Sign Recognition, fabric roof lining, Apple Car Play, on-board AC charger 11kW (AC), on-board DC charger with 150kW, mobile charger Plus (11kW) for charging at household and industrial electrical outlets, 4.5-metre cable
Suspension: Adaptive air suspension including Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) and Smart Lift function
Acceleration (0-100kph): 5.1 seconds with Launch Control
Top speed: 220kph
Boot capacity: 446 to 1,212 litres
Frunk capacity: 84 litres
Price: (under Budget 2023 tax incentives) from RM588,000 with 4-year warranty, 4-year free service and maintenance package
