Who wants an electric superwagon? Porsche offers 590-hp GTS Sport Turismo

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2022 Taycan GTS Sport Turismo rear three-quarter view
Enlarge / The GTS Sport Turismo is the wagon version the Porsche Taycan always deserved.

When Porsche announced the Taycan Cross Turismo, plenty of automotive enthusiasts raised half an eyebrow. The car checked so many boxes—wagon body style, blazing fast, all-electric. Yet at the same time, it was lifted by 0.8 inches and festooned with the kind of black plastic body cladding that mainstream marques use to “ruggedize” their crossovers. With the right tires, the Cross Turismo is apparently a capable off-roader, but the low-slung sedan screamed for a sporty wagon counterpart, like Porsche has done with the Panamera, not a pseudo-SUV.

Wagons may not be for everyone, but we think the Taycan GTS Sport Turismo has a fetching profile.
Enlarge / Wagons may not be for everyone, but we think the Taycan GTS Sport Turismo has a fetching profile.

Well, dream hard enough and Porsche shall answer, apparently. The automaker took the wraps off the Taycan GTS Sport Turismo at the Los Angeles Auto Show last week. The handsome wagon strips the Cross Turismo of its black wheel arches and drops its suspension back down to a suitably sporty height. It also adds a healthy dollop of power over the next-best 4S model at a price that’s significantly cheaper than the top-shelf Turbo, though with a starting price of $133,300, few people will consider it cheap.

Porsche is famous for tweaking its products ad infinitum, and the Taycan is no exception. The model was first introduced as a sedan with regular, 4S, and Turbo flavors, all of which carried over to the lifted-wagon Cross Turismo. Now, with the introduction of the Sport Turismo, Porsche is adding a GTS trim for the sedan and the wagon (but not the lifted wagon).

All Taycan GTS models receive a tweaked front fascia and side skirts.
Enlarge / All Taycan GTS models receive a tweaked front fascia and side skirts.

In Porsche-speak, GTS is usually an amalgam of parts and features borrowed from higher trims. For the Taycan GTS, the company turned the horsepower screw, setting it at 590 hp (424 kW), smack between the 462 hp (345 kW) 4S and the 670 hp (500 kW) Turbo. A 93.4 kWh battery is an option on lower trims, and it powers both front and rear motors. Front brakes and rear calipers are borrowed from the Turbo, while the rear rotors are from the 4S. The front fascia receives a subtle tweak, and the car rides on wheels cribbed from the Turbo S.

Suede-like Race-Tex upholstery with GTS-specific stitching is a new option.
Enlarge / Suede-like Race-Tex upholstery with GTS-specific stitching is a new option.

Range hasn’t been finalized, but Porsche is estimating 200 miles. While that may seem short, real-world range tests show the sedan version routinely besting its EPA estimates. Its 800-volt electrical architecture allows for 5-80 percent charge in as little as 23 minutes.

Inside, the GTS gets access to the special upholstery option of leather and suede-like Race-Tex trimmed with contrasting white or red stitching. The new panoramic sunroof option contains nine embedded liquid-crystal film segments that can switch from transparent to opaque. The trunk can hold 42.8 cubic feet with the seats down, while the frunk can handle just shy of three cubic feet.

A panoramic sunroof with four liquid-crystal segments is yet another new option. To block the sun, the four panels will turn from transparent to opaque. There are two intermediate steps (40 and 60 percent) if the driver desires something in between.
Enlarge / A panoramic sunroof with four liquid-crystal segments is yet another new option. To block the sun, the four panels will turn from transparent to opaque. There are two intermediate steps (40 and 60 percent) if the driver desires something in between.

As with any Porsche, the list of options is extensive, bordering on excessive. (Leather sun visors, anyone?) Though I’m sure many people will take Porsche up on several of the options, that level of customization hardly seems necessary to stand out. After all, there aren’t many 590-hp, 155-mph electric wagons on the market today.

https://arstechnica.com/?p=1815008