Test Car Specifications
Model tested: Porsche Taycan GTS Sport Turismo
Pricing: from £104,990
Electric system: electric motor on each axle plus 93.4kWh lithium-ion battery pack
Transmission: single-speed (front), two-speed (rear) automatic, all-wheel drive
Body style: four-door, four/five-seat estate
CO2 emissions: 0g/km
Electric range: 304 miles
Top speed: 155mph
0-62mph: 3.7 seconds
Power: 517hp (598hp with overboost)
Torque: 850Nm
Boot space: 446-1212 litres, plus 84-litre 'frunk'
What's this?
In very simple terms, this is a more practical version of the Taycan sports saloon we all know and love. Yes, we're well aware Porsche has already built one of those and called it the Cross Turismo, but the new Sport Turismo is something slightly different. It has much the same bodywork and interior space as the Cross Turismo, but it does without the tough-looking body cladding or the raised ride height, making it a sportier and more driver-orientated option.
To reflect that, there's currently only one trim level - the mid-range, sporty looking GTS - but that's set to change soon. Porsche has promised us there will be 4S and Turbo models, and although there's no word on when they'll arrive, we're expecting them fairly soon. But if you want to be among the first to drive the new model, it's GTS or nothing.
That means the Sport Turismo comes with all the Taycan GTS accoutrements, including the most important feature of all - that zero-emission powertrain. With an electric motor at each end of the car, the Taycan GTS pumps out 517hp most of the time, but it's capable of producing a massive 598hp for short periods. In its most aggressive set-up, the combination of electric power, all-wheel drive and two-speed rear gearbox allows it to accelerate from 0-62mph in 3.7 seconds - exactly the same time as the GTS saloon.
Like the four-door Taycan GTS, the Sport Turismo also comes with adaptive air suspension, which is much the same as in most other Taycans, except Porsche claims the GTS is marginally stiffer. And the Sport Chrono package is a standard feature, giving the Taycan a host of driving modes that allow the driver to tune the car's characteristics to their needs and desires.
Aside from that, the GTS additions are mostly styling orientated. Black trim adorns the bodywork around the windows and door mirrors, while the badges and wheels are also finished in black. Inside, the cabin is trimmed with Race-Tex microfibre fabric for a more race-derived look and there's some black dashboard trim, although our test car swapped that for matt carbon fibre.
Speaking of the dashboard, the Sport Turismo cabin is nigh on identical to that of the saloon, with three touchscreens and a digital instrument display. There are very few buttons bar those on the steering wheel, and most of the controls are housed on a touchscreen in the centre console. It's a bit slow and can get frustrating to use, but the main touch display in the middle of the dash is much easier to use, as is the passenger-side infotainment screen.
Those screens also give the occupants control of the optional panoramic glass roof with 'Sunshine Control' technology. With an electrically switchable liquid-crystal film in the glass, drivers and passengers can choose whether they want each of the nine roof sections to be clear or frosted. Porsche says it offers greater protection from the sun than a standard glass roof, and it allows the cabin to remain cool and shaded without losing any of the airiness and light that makes a panoramic roof so desirable. It's a gimmick, of course, but in a dark cabin such as the Taycan's, we'd also call it a must-have.
Clever roof aside, there's nothing especially ground-breaking about any of this - it's all a variation on a theme already laid out by the four-door Taycan GTS. But the Sport Turismo's selling point is practicality, on which count it matches the jacked-up Cross Turismo.
Rear legroom is similarly generous across all three versions, but the estates offer much more headroom and a little extra boot space. With 446 litres of load-carrying capacity, it's only marginally more spacious than the saloon with the rear seats upright, but the space is a more useful shape and folding the rear seats down frees up more than 1,200 litres of load bay. And you get the same 84-litre 'frunk' where the engine would be in most petrol- or diesel-powered cars.
And that additional practicality comes with no real impact on price. Yes, the Taycan GTS Sport Turismo costs £104,990, a figure described by accountants and tax collectors as "a lot", but it's only £800 more than the GTS saloon. To put that in context, a mid-range Skoda Octavia Estate costs over £1,000 more than the equivalent hatchback. It almost makes the Sport Turismo look like good value.
But the most impressive thing about any version of the Taycan - and indeed any Porsche - is the sense of quality inside. The fit and finish are utterly impeccable, with great materials that have been expertly joined together and beautifully engineered switchgear. It's brilliant.
How does it drive?
Ordinarily, you'd expect the extra practicality of the Sport Turismo body to have an impact on the handling, turning the Taycan into a heavy and lumpen beast of burden. After all, the Sport Turismo weighs in at a heavy 2,310kg. However, that's only 15kg more than the saloon and most of that bulk is still positioned low in the car, so the estate doesn't feel so different to the saloon.
Which means it's absolutely fabulous. Not only is it outrageously fast in a straight line, but it's easy to drive sedately and it's great in corners. It even rides respectably, considering it's a hot estate car. Add in the strong electric range and the low running costs, and there's plenty to like.
Not least that all-electric powertrain. We've already mentioned the numbers, but it's worth luxuriating in just how rapid this car is. It's a big estate car yet it'll get from 0-62mph faster than a 911. We suspected this GTS powertrain would make the Taycan brilliant for overtaking slow-moving traffic, and we were right.
And it would do it almost silently, were it not for the slightly disconcerting synthetic motor sound Porsche pipes through the speakers. It's louder than it is in the standard Taycan, and Porsche claims it's richer, too. Although the German company has clearly put a lot of work into it, it still feels like a needless gimmick that adds little to the experience. In truth, while the GTS versions of the Taycan are great, they don't feel much faster or noticeably more soulful than the existing 4S.
In the corners, however, the GTS Sport Turismo is impressive. It still has the same heavy, but slightly elastic steering feel as the saloon, but it turns into corners just as willingly and there's a great sense of balance between the front and rear of the car. It doesn't seem to roll much more, either, with the heavy batteries under the floor keeping the centre of gravity low. It moves around slightly on its springs when you corner hard, but it's generally stable and controlled.
Our Sport Turismo test car wasn't quite as agile as the GTS saloon we tried, simply by dint of the four-door car's rear-wheel steering. However, that difference is only truly noticeable when manoeuvring or driving at speeds that fail to fully comply with the laws of the land (not that you should ever do that, kids...).
For all this performance, though, the Taycan Sport Turismo felt exceedingly comfortable. Admittedly, we were testing the car on smooth European roads with fewer potholes than our own, but the car still felt reasonably pliant. It isn't so different to the ride in any other Taycan saloon with air suspension, and that feels supple enough, if a little on the sporty side.
However, Porsche has given the GTS more aggressive Sport and Sport Plus modes, which definitely add a little more edge to the Sport Turismo's ride. And while they don't improve body control that much, we suspect they'll make the Taycan feel far too stiff to tolerate on British back roads. It's just another reason to hold off and wait for the Sport Turismo 4S.
Verdict
The Taycan Sport Turismo is brilliant. It's more or less identical to the saloon in terms of handling and performance, but it's more spacious. So it should really be a five-star car. But we've taken some points away because this GTS trim level doesn't seem to make much sense.
If the four-door Taycan is anything to go by, it'll only be worth buying the GTS if you plan on taking the car on track. But who wants an estate on a racetrack? We suspect the 4S, which will only be slightly less powerful, will be more appealing for everyday use. We can't wait to give it a go when it comes to the UK.
Exterior Design
Interior Ambience
Passenger Space
Luggage Space
Safety
Comfort
Driving Dynamics
Powertrain
