Ever since Porsche showed the Cross Turismo, I had a secret yearning to sit behind the wheel of one for a proper test I dont long to drive many electric cars, but ever since Porsche showed the Cross Turismo that I had a secret yearning to sit behind the wheel of one for a proper test. I am, obviously, a little late to the party, as the Cross Turismo is already four years old. Nevertheless, it says a lot about the car that I am still this interested in it. I understood the success of the Taycan saloon when it came out - and after driving it, I declared it the best electric car on sale for people who like cars - but I never fell in love with its design. When the Cross Turismo came along, I thought: "Now, this is the one." The shooting brake style just suited the Taycans proportions perfectly and the organic shapes penned by Michael Mauer seem to flow more perfectly into that sophisticated back end, which, to me, is more modern and futuristic than the saloons. And isnt that the purpose of an electric Porsche? To take us into the future...? Picking up the Cross Turismo, I had kind of a tingle inside. This always happens when I like a car before driving it and hope it lives up to my expectations. I remember those first 500m driving the Alfa Romeo 4C back in 2014 (a car I was so in love with, I was determined to sell a kidney, if that was what it took to have one) and being overwhelmed by how - I dont want to say bad -, weird and unruly it was. Fortunately, Alfa fixed the 4C and later cars were much better than those first ones off the line. That memory remains though. The Taycan, however, was nothing like the 4C. Right from the start, this was a really good car in saloon form. My trepidation towards the Cross Turismo was, therefore, unfounded. One kilometre out of Porsches headquarters and I knew this was another hit from the boys from Stuttgart. There is something very, very cool about this car. That feelgood vibe that many cars strive for but so few actually achieve. The new Renault 5 has it. As does the Fiat 500, the Jeep Wrangler or the Alpine A110. Its that intangible je ne sais quoi that draws people to certain cars, that has nothing to do with how much they cost, how they drive or if they are actually any good. The press car was a Taycan 4 Cross Turismo. The 4 is the entry-level to the dual-motor Taycan and, in my opinion, considering performance vs pricing, the one that makes the most sense. With up to 435 horse power and 610 Nm - on overboost - the Taycan 4 is capable of reaching 100 km/h in 4.7 seconds and on to a maximum speed of 220 km/h. Porsche say maximum range in urban driving is 696km, whereas in mixed conditions it will do up to 614km. While those are super optimistic numbers, the Taycan 4 will easy and realistically do 500km between charges. Maximum charging power on DC current is 320 kW. When available, it means 10 min to go from 10% to 80% of charge. At 120 kW, the same percentages take 46 minutes and at 150 kW, 33 minutes. On AC current at 9.6 kW, it would take the Taycan 4 up to 13 hours to go from 0% to 100%. At 22kW that would go down to 6 hours. I lived with it for almost a week, charged it overnight at a domestic socket and never worried about range. But its like I always say: you cannot expect an electric car to adapt to your life; you must adapt your life to the electric car. If it suits you, it might be the best purchase you ever make. If not, it might turn out to be the worst. I absolutely enjoyed my time with the Porsche. It felt classy, modern and I had that sense that, were I to buy one someday, it would be a car I would be proud to have in my garage and use every day. That may still take some time though, as even this 4 Cross Turismo starts at EUR121,000. The press car was EUR162,000, courtesy of such goodies as Design wheels (EUR4,747), full leather interior (EUR3,708), ventilated seats (EUR1,045), panoramic glass roof (EUR1,722) or LED HD-Matrix lights (EUR2,330), among many other options included in what was an amazing spec. The 911 still is the epitome of a Porsche. The German constructor has done an amazing work in keeping its icon up to date in a fast-changing market and still delivering on the promise of the ultimate sports cars. What I really like about the Taycan Cross Turismo is realising not everything successful beyond the 911 is an SUV. Yes, the Cayenne and the Macan are both great machines, but a Taycan Cross Turismo is just so much cooler. Given the choice, it would be mine. Motoring Trade | Business, Services, Marketplace - click here