It’s official now: Porsche is in the crossover game. Sigh. At least, that’s the first impression one might have upon getting wind of that name. To create the Mission E Cross Turismo, the Zuffenhausen automaker has pulled together bits from its forthcoming Mission E electric saloon and its Panamera Sport Turismo.
By the looks of it, Porsche might even be ready to launch it at a point similar to when we are expecting to see the Mission E arrive in showrooms, which is to say some time in latter 2019. Despite still making its debut at the Geneva Motor Show, a venue rife with cars both for the moment and future.
The Cross Turismo, however, straddles that line. We know the Mission E is headed for production, but at the same time this car could just be a way to gauge interest in the idea of a soft-roading version of that. However, it cannot be any accident that Porsche mentions little of the Cross Turismo being a mere concept. We’re likely meant to not think of it too much in that way.
There’s nothing on the Cross Turismo that’s superfluous, except maybe that deployable drone. It’s an entirely functional, road-ready machine. And in revealing this possible future vehicle, Porsche also shone a light on additional information about the final Mission E’s production spec.
In terms of looks, the car uses the front end of the Mission E but the rest of the silhouette past the front wheels can be much more likened to the second generation Panamera Sport Turismo. Naturally, it boasts a raised ride height, requisite cladding, and some gratuitous off-road tyres - the usual crossover tropes - but doesn’t overdo it.
Just like the Mission E saloon, a long bank of lithium-ion batteries fill the space between the two axles, supplying power to the dual electric motors that each drive two wheels. Together, they have a combined output of roughly 440kW. Porsche hasn’t disclosed just how much power it can store in terms of kilowatt-hours, but promises a typical range of over 500km.
In terms of performance from those dual electric motors, the Mission E Cross Turismo claims a 0-100km/h sprint time of 3.5 seconds while 200km/h should roll by in about 12 seconds after launching from a standstill. Even more impressive is its 800-volt electrical architecture which, like the Mission E, should allow the car to recoup around 400km of charge after a mere 15 minute charge.
Of course, that would require the car be plugged into a very high output charger, one that corresponds to specific fast charging standards and infrastructure. Porsche is also working on an inductive charge solution that can be deployed either at a charging station or as part of a Porsche home energy storage system, needing the car to only be parked above the charging surface for the battery to begin its replenishment.
The Cross Turismo’s interior is a mixture of Porsche’s prevailing design norms as well as those inspired by possibilities made feasible by technologies of the near future. Its dash employs multiple screens neatly integrated into the subtle curvature of the surfaces as well as eye-tracking to activate or alter the information depending on which area is being focused on.
It isn’t a technology that has reached maturity yet, but is far enough along that any refinement issues should be ironed out by a possible 2020 launch window. Another example of this is digital curation platform that Porsche is pushing as a companion feature to the Cross Turismo. Though, in theory there shouldn’t be any reason to limit it to their EVs. It operates through a smartphone (or tablet) app called Destinations, presenting the owner with various travel options along with facilitating bookings for lodging, excursions, points of interests, restaurant reservations, even sports equipment.
It’s easy to compare the Mission E Cross Turismo to the Tesla Model X, and by the time it’s launch should go directly in competition with the Jaguar I-Pace as well. However, it’s also important to consider that Porsche is also prepping us for a possible high-riding ‘Cross Country’ variant for its current generation Panamera (Sport Turismo).
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