The Taycan Sport Turismo in Turbo S and Taycan variants. Images: Porsche AG

Porsche now offers five Taycan Sport Turismo variants for European customers (German prices shown):

Taycan Sport Turismo with 240 kW (326 PS) and rear-wheel drive, optionally
available with Performance Battery Plus and 280 kW (380 PS), from €86,495
Taycan 4S Sport Turismo with 320 kW (435 PS) and all-wheel drive, optionally
available with Performance Battery Plus and 360 kW (490 PS), from €107,439
Taycan GTS Sport Turismo with 380 kW (517 PS) and all-wheel drive, from €132,786
Taycan Turbo Sport Turismo with 460 kW (625 PS) and all-wheel drive, from €153,968
Taycan Turbo S Sport Turismo with 460 kW (625 PS) and all-wheel drive, from €187,288

"The introduction of the Sport Turismo as the third body variant adds an athletic and practical all-rounder to our electric sports car model range," says Kevin Giek, Vice President Model Line Taycan. "I am certain that the new variant will continue the Taycan success story. The balance and variety among the five Sport Turismo models is something that I find particularly appealing: the range features everything from an incredibly agile rear-wheel drive car to the extremely powerful Turbo S."

Many would question the sheer number of Taycan variants now on offer from Zuffenhausen; there’s three body styles with 14 different models between them; an “off-road” wagon in the form of the Taycan Cross Turismo, and now this regular “street” wagon in the Sport Turismo. While it is certainly a challenge for Porsche’s product planning team, dealerships and customers alike, this varied offering is common practice from Porsche, with each model offering nuanced differences and performance advantages as one progresses up the (pricey) product range.

For the uninitiated, the base models (in this case, simply labelled “Taycan”) are generally rear wheel drive, with the lowest power output and smallest battery size. They also tend to be the lightest in the range, across combustion engine and electric variants, thereby offering the purest driving experience.

“4S” variants offer all wheel drive, as denoted by the 4, as well as a power, equipment and battery capacity bump. “GTS” models further enhance performance, handling, and suspension, as well as adding additional aerodynamic bodywork for more of a “track” look. All trim elements are traditionally black on GTS models, and this range can be seen as a bridge between the regular Taycan and Taycan 4S models, and the insane performance of the Turbo and Turbo S models.

The “Turbo” moniker is often reserved for the fastest Porsches in the range that still have an on-road driving focus. They offer all wheel drive, and stupid-fast acceleration, but a comfortable ride and an interior focused on passenger comfort. At this stage, the track-focused “GT” nameplate hasn’t been applied to an electric Porsche, and the company’s board has shown no interest in electrifying high performance models. Porsche seems to be charging ahead with developing synthetic fuels that could power its low-volume performance models into the future.

Porsche claims an ultra efficient drive strategy for the Sport Turismo models, thanks to adjustments to the all-wheel drive system. Thermal management and charging functions have also been improved.

Porsche offers a 79.2 kWh battery in the base Taycan Sport Turismo, and a larger 93.4 “Performance Battery Plus” in the the other models. Porsche claims both batteries can be charged from five to 80 per cent in 22 minutes and 30 seconds. This also means that only five minutes' charging is needed to create a further 100 km of range. While most EVs precondition or heat their batteries when plugged in for optimal charging speeds, the Taycan is one of only a handful — including the Polestar 2 and Tesla Model 3, S and X — that actually heat the battery en route to a fast charging station if one is entered in the navigation system.

The Sport Turismo offers numerous benefits over the Taycan sedan; looks for one (in our opinion), but also 45 millimetres more rear headroom, 9mm additional driver headroom, and a much larger luggage capacity at up to 446 litres. There’s an 84 litre front boot too.

Porsche’s new Sunshine Control panoramic roof debuts in the Taycan Sport Turismo, with a large glass surface divided into nine sections that can be individually controlled. This means that specific sections or the entire roof can be made transparent or opaque. When set to the latter, the interior remains flooded with light.

In addition to these Clear and Matte settings, Semi or Bold can also be selected. These are predefined patterns with narrow or wide segments. It even has a dynamic Roller Blind setting, which activates a switching sequence in the individual segments when the driver slides their finger over an image of the roof in the display. While it looks cool to operate, we’re not the biggest fans of touch screen controls for features like sunroofs and HVAC systems.

Porsche Cars Australia and Porsche Cars North America have both confirmed that the Taycan GTS Sport Turismo will be offered in their respective markets, but we’re awaiting news on the rest of the range.