If the best daily driver sits at the center of a complex Venn Diagram, it might look something like the 2025 Porsche Taycan 4S Cross Turismo.
EVs make for perfect everyday cars—both efficient and refined. And a Porsche is, well, a Porsche. Combine the two in a slightly lifted station-wagon body and add the most advanced suspension system on earth, and you've got something truly great.
Porsche updated the Taycan model range extensively last year, with all variants getting performance and efficiency improvements. In the case of the 4S Cross Turismo, like we have here, Porsche upped power from 562 to 590 horsepower, and increased the EPA range from 215 to 272 miles. Proof you can have your cake and eat it too. (Note: The 4S Cross Turismo gets the larger 105.0-kilowatt-hour Performance Battery Plus standard, while the 4S sedan gets a 97.0-kilowatt-hour pack.)
| Quick Specs | 2025 Porsche Taycan 4S Cross Turismo |
| Battery | 105.0 Killowatt-Hours (97.0 kWh Gross) |
| Output | 590 Horsepower / 523 Pound-Feet |
| Range | 272 Miles |
| 0-60 MPH | 3.6 Seconds |
| Base Price / As Tested | $127,295 / $165,655 |
What strikes me about the Taycan is how special it feels immediately. Where so many EVs have a high seating position, effectively pushed up by the battery pack, the Taycan sits low. The view forward, with a low cowl and a short hood that slopes toward the ground, is framed by bulging fenders reminiscent of Porsche's sports cars. The seats, with the optional “Pepita” houndstooth-esque trim that comes with this non-leather interior, also get a special mention for looking and feeling incredible.
The next thing that strikes you is just how quick it is. This “slower” Taycan variant doesn't mean slow by any stretch of the imagination. And as with all Taycans, it's not just the 0-60 mph time that's impressive—in my experience, the Taycan is one of the quickest ways to get from A to B on a twisty road, and this one, with its fancy suspension, makes it even faster.
Porsche Active Ride is a $7,390 option that replaces the traditional anti-roll bars with an electrohydraulic pump connected to each damper. The pumps regulate the pressure of the fluid in the damper and can put in 10,000 Newtons (2,248 pounds) of supplemental force at each corner of the car. With this, you have total control of all body motions, regardless of external inputs.
Porsche uses the system to eliminate pitch, dive, and roll, and even has a setting in Normal mode where the car leans into corners, dives slightly under acceleration, and pitches slightly under braking. It’s something of a party trick, as is a “Comfort Entry” feature that rapidly raises the body as soon as you open the door. Both can be disabled, based on user preference, but in Sport and Sport Plus drive modes, the car keeps the body perfectly level.
Pros: Quick Acceleration, Quick Charging, Incredible Active Ride Suspension
The effect isn’t like a magic-carpet ride here, but that’s because of how Porsche tuned the system. The company sees the Taycan as a four-door sports car, not a luxury sedan, so while this EV has always been very comfortable, it’s not quite as soft as a Panamera. What the Active Ride system does here is basically shrug off every single road imperfection you throw at it, and use its ability to add supplemental force to load all four tires evenly.
It takes time to wrap your head around the system, and really, you have to push the car on a good, challenging road to really get it. When you do, it’s wild. The grip is astounding, and road bumps are rendered totally insignificant. This sort of system could feel really disorienting, since we get a lot of sense of what the car’s doing through the way the body moves. But, Porsche engineers worked like crazy to make sure it feels normal.
The bottom line here is more comfort—and much better handling. No easy feat when even a standard Taycan rides and handles beautifully.
Still, this Taycan has some dynamic shortcomings. The brake-pedal feel is inconsistent, as Porsche uses it to blend regenerative and friction braking. I think using the left pedal to control all vehicle braking is correct, rather than having one-pedal, lift-accelerator regen like a Tesla or Lucid. It’s mostly a non-issue, and the car always stops fine, but it’s something you notice.
Porsche has also gone really aggressive with its optional rear-wheel steering across its whole lineup. Whereas before you barely knew the rear wheels turned at all, now it feels like the rear is castering around a little bit. Turn too sharply and the front grips, then the rear starts to turn. The car has so much grip, you get more steering than you initially anticipated, so you really have to slow your inputs on the wheel. I just wouldn’t check that $1,340 box.
But that’s really all I can find fault with in how this Taycan 4S drives. Admittedly, you have to be pretty committed to the cause to spend the money on Active Ride, but if you can, I’d seriously consider it.
Cons: Overly Aggressive Rear-Wheel Steering, Inconsistent Brake-Pedal Feel, Expensive
To live with, the Taycan is even better than before. The interior is basically the same, including the secondary lower screen that controls climate and works as a trackpad for the upper screen. While physical climate knobs are always better than virtual, Porsche’s screen works well. The infotainment system is super easy to use, too, though I prefer the slightly newer version in the new Macan.
Porsche also spent a lot of time making the updated Taycan a better EV. It’s one of the fastest-charging cars on sale today, and there’s a helpful dial in the digital gauge cluster that shows battery temperature and maximum charging input possible. Use the built-in navigation’s charging planner, and the car automatically preheats the battery for fast charging.
At a busy Electrify America station, I saw a maximum of 237 kilowatts, and the speed didn’t taper off that much even as the battery got full. It took me about 13 minutes to replenish 50 kWh of energy. Not even the maximum the car could’ve done, yet still deeply impressive. And over the course of around 600 miles, I averaged about 3.1 to 3.2 mi/kWh, which is not bad when you consider the performance potential.
Being a Porsche, this Taycan was very expensive. The base price for a 2025 4S Cross Turismo model is $127,295, and as tested, this car was $165,655. There are many, many expensive options you could do without here, but no matter what, this is a pricey car, even if you’re judicious with the configurator.
But, money no object, I struggle to think of a better everyday car. Practical, efficient, beautiful, exceptionally good to drive, and so fast. You really can’t ask for anything more.
Competitors
Gallery: 2025 Porsche Taycan 4S Cross Turismo Review
2025 Porsche Taycan 4S Cross Turismo
