We’ve been smitten with the longroof look of Porsche’s Taycan Cross Turismo ever since it arrived on the scene. The wagon treatment really suits the liquid shape of the Taycan, and it does wonders for rear-passenger egress, rear headroom, cargo space and access, and rearward visibility. Its slightly jacked-up stance and extra fender and body cladding give it a slight crossover vibe (hence the name), and its air suspension features a high-riding Gravel mode that worked far better than it had a right to on a recent trip over Colorado’s Ophir Pass. But what if you want that sleek wagon shape (and functionality), but would rather see it on a slammed high-performance version with absolutely zero off-highway pretense? Enter the 2022 Porsche Taycan GTS Sport Turismo.
As in the Taycan sedan, the Cross Turismo lineup has harbored a yawning price and performance gap between the 4S and the Turbo. Both come with the 83.7-kWh Performance Battery Plus, so the $43,200 separation between them is plain to see. There’s also a lot of daylight between the 4S motors’ 562 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque and the Turbo’s 670 horsepower and 626 pound-feet. This is the perfect environment in which to unleash the GTS, Porsche’s focused performance variant for those who would rather crush corners than dominate the drag strip. That said, Porsche claims its 590 horsepower and Turbo-matching 626 pound-feet can peel off an 11.8-second quarter-mile run, and it does that at a $134,650 base price that settles neatly between the two.
To be a proper GTS, supreme handling and no-nonsense looks were the prime directive. The high stance had to go, and the body cladding was stripped away and replaced with blacked-out moldings, badges, and wheels in the manner of the Taycan GTS sedan. In the process, the Cross Turismo morphed into the Sport Turismo. But the GTS doesn’t just sit 0.7 inch lower and look more badass than a Cross Turismo when parked. Its thoroughly recalibrated air suspension settles another 0.4 inch lower when you set the standard Sport Chrono selector dial to Sport mode, and it can slouch another half-inch below that in the speed-dependent aero mode. The changes go way beyond mere stance, though, because the point of all this was to deliver direct turn-in response and a much more neutral cornering attitude. To that end, its standard Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM) adaptive dampers and the Power Steering Plus and Torque Vectoring Plus systems have been completely remapped, as well as its optional rear-steer and active anti-roll bar systems.
The changes are transformative. Our test car absolutely laid waste to the Angeles Crest Highway, and this applied equally to speedier sweeping corners and tighter technical sections with decreasing radius bends. Throughout, the front end was always willing and on point and never once washed out when we charged in a bit too enthusiastically. Some of that was down to the amazingly authentic feel and feedback of the electric power steering, made possible by a clever system that measures road forces feeding in from the tie-rod ends to further modulate the assist level. Midcorner, the Sport Turismo remained solidly predictable and composed thanks to the tremendous grip from the optional 21-inch forged RS Spyder design wheels and their 265/35 front and 305/30 rear rolling stock. We half-expected things to fall apart when we eventually backed off and took in the scenery, but the car’s low stance and low-profile rubber didn’t add up to an overly brittle or noisy ride on cracked or coarse asphalt. The GTS Sport Turismo is indeed one impressively tuned package that’s surprisingly easy to live with.
It’s comfortable to sit in when you’re not in attack mode, too, thanks to outstanding 18-way adaptive sport seats and a generously telescopic steering column that makes it easy to settle into a comfy driving position. You’d better like microfiber faux suede, though, because the interior has the same heavy application of black Race Tex that adorns the inside of the GTS sedan. It covers not only the steering wheel, which is handy for grip, but also the headliner, roof pillars, sun visors, and many other prominent cockpit features. You’ll find contrasting red stitching, too, and a smattering of either black brushed-aluminum trim or optional matte-black carbon fiber. Peer overhead and you may see a panoramic sunroof that’s been upgraded with a new Variable Light Control system, an embedded array of nine car-spanning LCD segments. The panels can be individually switched from fully opaque to transparent via touchscreen, but in certain light the transparent setting does seem to be slightly hazier than the clear view afforded by the standard panoramic roof without this option.
The range of the 2022 GTS Sport Turismo hasn’t yet been made official, but Porsche hints that it should be greater than the 2021 4S Cross Turismo’s 215 miles despite its extra power, torque, and additional curb weight. The Sport Turismo’s lower stance certainly plays a role, but 2022 Taycans also feature improved battery state-of-charge management software and improved brake calipers that generate less incidental friction when the pads are retracted. The most interesting change might be what they’ve done to Range mode, which now prioritizes the rear motor instead of the front one when cruising in Range and Normal modes. Permanent rear drive is more in keeping with Porsche’s DNA, of course, but keeping the rear motor engaged avoids the comparatively slow and utilizing the efficiency of the two-speed rear transmission. It’s far simpler–not to mention quicker and smoother–to set the direct-drive front motor into freewheeling mode.
Inevitably, a few random social media commenters who have seen early 2022 Porsche GTS Sport Turismo photographs have said they wish Porsche made it in a Cross Turismo. That misses the point entirely, because dynamic performance, a lower stance, and sinister good looks are the very things that define any GTS. Almost by definition, if you want a Cross Turismo, you don’t really get the GTS. That’s okay, because the Cross Turismo in its various non-GTS permutations isn’t going anywhere. On the flip side, if you want a Sport Turismo, the GTS is the only way it comes. That’s fine by us, because it’s an outstanding combination.
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