Porsche has revealed the range of tests undertaken by the newest variant of the Taycan, the Taycan Cross Turismo, as the company aims to begin delivering models in Europe this summer. The vehicle features many of the same components as the Taycan sports saloon and has been tested in locations as diverse as the Nürburgring Nordschleife and the Hockenheim GP circuit, alongside real-world testing in Nardò, Italy, and the Pyrenees in southern France.
Porsche’s Weissach Development Centre was also utilized, with off-road scenarios such as the ‘Safari’ track, which imitates the harsh road conditions of Africa. During the testing phase, the Cross Turismo traveled 998,361km.
Vice president of the model line at Porsche, Stefan Weckbach (top), said, “When developing the Cross Turismo, we were of course able to build on our experience with the Taycan sports saloon. The biggest challenge was combining the requirements of sportiness with off-road capabilities. The Cross Turismo has to be capable of high performance on the racetrack and must also be able to handle scree, mud and gravel. The result is impressive. However, the Cross Turismo is not a hardcore off-road vehicle, but specializes in unpaved and dirt roads. It’s like a type of Swiss Army Knife on up to 21in wheels.”
Porsche states that its electric cars have to undergo the same tests as its sports cars and other vehicles with combustion engines, while achieving the same standards of performance and usability in a range of different scenarios. Furthermore, Porsche notes its development procedures also include validating a vehicle’s performance on track, repeated acceleration runs at full throttle and general consumer usability. Other tests are conducted on the electric vehicle’s powertrain, battery charging system and interior under extreme temperature conditions.