Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo

Either way, it's a more practical version of the brand's first all-electric car with a longer roofline, roof bars, more space in the back seats and a larger boot. And, as SUVs are all the rage, the Cross Turismo has a slight off-roader look too, with underbody protection, wheelarch cladding and a ride height raised by 20mm.

More pragmatic it may be but it cuts a more elegant shape than the Tesla Model X and, just like the Taycan saloon, is far more sporting to drive than the Audi e-tron and Mercedes EQC. 

Porsche invited us to have a look at the car and drive a still-disguised prototype to give us an idea of how the car drives. Is it more sport than utility vehicle?

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But before we get behind the wheel, we took a close look at the bit of the Taycan which has changed most - the back. While there is more space, up front there's hardly any difference between the saloon and the Cross Turismo. With the car riding just 20mm higher than the standard Taycan and no change in the seating position, there isn't the lofty view out like you'd find in the EQC or the Porsche Cayenne e-Hybrid PHEV. 

The only change is another driving mode on the centre console – 'Gravel' reprograms the traction control and four-wheel drive systems for better grip on slippery and uneven surfaces. For those who need a little more ability on the rough stuff, an off-road package will be offered which, among other things, raises the standard air suspension another 30mm.

It's likely the Cross Turismo will mirror the Taycan saloon's trim structure with a range of models with different battery sizes, and possibly two and four-wheel drive versions. Our test car was the Turbo S with its 93.4kWh 'Performance Battery Plus' pushing out a frankly unbelievable 757bhp. 

No performance or range figures have been revealed yet but we would expect 0-62mph to be very near the saloon's 2.8 seconds figure, and a theoretical range of around 250 miles on a full charge if driven carefully. Certainly, in our experience there are few cars which are faster on the road - or at the charge point. The Cross Turismo gets the saloon's 800-volt electrical system, which means topping up the batteries is far quicker than rivals, including the Tesla Model X. 

Even though it was still wearing the dirt from the engineers' test drives, our car drove as impressively as the standard Taycan. Even with the slightly higher ride height, the Cross Turismo corners flatly and its sharp handling bellies its 2.3-tonne weight.

The Taycan Cross Turismo arrives in the UK in the spring and we'd expect prices to kick off from around £87,000 – £4,000 more than the saloon. On paper it sits in a class of one, but with its more spacious interior and SUV-like looks, it will likely tempt a few Jaguar I-Pace and Tesla Model X owners. We'll deliver a fuller first drive verdict in a few months time, but on this early test drive it's clear Porsche has another success on its hands.