WONDER WAGON

THE NEW CROSS TURISMO VERSION OF PORSCHE'S TAYCAN TAKES ELECTRIC MOTORING TO NEW LEVELS. JON WALL DRIVES THIS REMARKABLE REJOINDER TO THE SUV

- JON WALL

It's more than a year since I last drove a Porsche Taycan, the electric saloon car whose incredible speed and driveability were so outstanding that, aside from a stream of expletives uttered each time I pressed the accelerator pedal, I was almost lost for words to describe it. This time there's another Taycan lined up for me, and though it isn't as powerful as that first Turbo S (which, being electric, is by definition bereft of a turbocharger, but let's not get into that) at least I have some idea of what to expect.

But before I begin, a brief recap. Porsche's first all-electric contender we're told its name derives from the Turkish for "lively young horse" - first saw light as the 2015 Mission E concept that, with very few external changes, eventually emerged as a full production car in late 2019. A full four-door saloon/coupe carrying the same number of full-size passengers, the Taycan's design represents by far the company's most successful foray beyond two-seaters, with sharp and streamlined lines that merely echo those of the 911 Carrera rather than slavishly trying to ape them (unlike the unfortunately hump-backed first-generation Panamera). Beneath the skin, it shares much with Audi's similarly sized and, it must be said, equally handsome - e-tron GT, which means an enormous battery occupies most of the floor between the front and rear wheels, and either one motor mounted at the rear on the regular Taycan or two on the 4S, Turbo and Turbo S models, one at the front wheels and one at the back.