This 2025 Porsche Taycan Spec Is the Dreamiest We Could Come Up With "On a Budget"

The Taycan's debut was more important than you might think. Ten years ago, the brand revealed that the first-ever Porsche designed by Ferdinand Porsche was all-electric. The prototype, known as the P1 or the Egger-Lohner electric vehicle C.2 Phaeton model, was found in an Austrian garage. It was stored there for 112 years!

In late 2019, five years after the P1 was revealed as the first-ever Porsche and one year after Tesla launched a Roadster into space, the marque brought forward the Taycan through a launch that happened simultaneously on three continents. It was THE moment. That's when Europe started officially fighting Tesla's hegemony. Porsche stripping Telsa of that hard-earned first-mover advantage was the wind of change.

It didn't quite work out, though. The American EV maker understood that the pricey Model S and Model X wouldn't guarantee a major increase in revenue. The Model 3, the Model Y, and the promise of turning them into robotaxis through the Full Self-Driving (FSD) advanced driver-assistance system are what helped Tesla become an international sensation. Last year, the Model Y was the world's best-selling vehicle.

But Porsche didn't waste time either. It recently launched the all-electric Macan, which has the potential to become the Model Y well-off people would buy in a heartbeat.

Now, the revised Taycan is here, and it promises to help the German brand convince people that the Model S, the Mercedes-Benz EQE, the BMW i5, the Audi e-tron GT, or other internal combustion engine-powered cars aren't worth their while.

Choosing the ideal 2025 Porsche Taycan

The Zuffenhausen factory produces this EV in sedan, station wagon, and off-road-y station wagon forms. The latter is supposed to do SUV stuff, too, thanks to a slightly improved ground clearance. It sits 0.78 inches (20 millimeters) higher off the ground than the sedan without the Offroad Design pack.

Tick the option box, and the normal ride height difference increases to 1.18 inches (30 millimeters). Activate Lift Mode, and the maximum ground clearance goes up to 7.04 inches (179 millimeters) until you go over the speed limit of 19 mph (30 kph). It drops automatically after that threshold is reached.

Choosing the right form factor is important because this is a very expensive car. The sedan is suitable for those who are young or people of all ages looking for a posh commuting appliance. The wagon is suitable for families and drivers looking for zero-emission hypermiling.

If you want to make this Porsche your household's only car, then the lifted wagon is the best option. It maximizes interior room and ground clearance. Put a stroller in the 15.7 cu-ft trunk and a cooler in the 2.9 cu-ft frunk, and you're set for a nice day out with the family. Bear in mind that choosing the upgraded sound system cuts the available trunk space by 1.4 cu-ft because a subwoofer is added under the floor.

But which one should we go for? Here's what we're looking at:

• 2025 Taycan 4 Cross Turismo – up to 429 hp, zero to 60 mph in 4.5 seconds, $113,095 MSRP;
• 2025 Taycan 4S Cross Turismo – up to 509 hp, zero to 60 mph in 3.6 seconds, $127,195 MSRP;
• 2025 Taycan Turbo Cross Turismo – up to 697 hp, zero to 60 mph in 2.6 seconds, $178,295 MSRP;
• 2025 Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo – up to 764 hp, zero to 60 mph in 2.4 seconds, $213,695 MSRP.

The ideal candidate for our next all-electric ride is the 4S Cross Turismo. It has plenty of power, it's fast, and it doesn't cost much more than the entry-level unit. However, the Turbo comes with more equipment, it's faster, and it might make you happier in the long run. Imagine picking your kid up from school in "Turbo." That'll always help you feel just a bit better.

Sadly, the $51,100 price difference is too much to stomach in this economy. A different badge and a few extras won't convince us to spend Model Y Performance or used Audi e-tron GT money to slightly improve the Taycan Cross Turismo. We can definitely live with 188 hp less and a zero to 60 mph time of 3.6 seconds.

The ideal 2025 Porsche Taycan 4S Cross Turismo

The German automaker is doing it right. It offers its prospective buyers 15 colors to choose from, and they're not shades and tones of white and black. Provence (which reminded us of France's lavender fields), Carmine Red, and Shade Green Metallic look very interesting, but Frozen Blue Metallic is our choice. It just fits the ethos of this EV and makes it look dreamy.

Of course, if money is no object, there's always the $30,020 paint-to-sample option. But we're going for a more sensible build, so we won't even think about it.

We would have selected the 21-inch wheels painted in the exterior color. But that would have cost $6,260 extra and affected the ride quality. So, we went with the 20-inch sport aero wheels. They're new, and we hope that not many people will pick them.

At this stage, our Taycan 4S Cross Turismo is a four-seater. That's why the 14-way adjustable Race-Tex Comfort seats with Pepita seat centers make sense. The greyish interior and the arctic white seatbelts blend impeccably with the exterior color. It makes our EV feel like the ride of choice for a polar zero-emission expedition. Fortunately, Porsche figured out how to implement the ventilation and massaging functions with this upholstery option. We also ticked the box for heated rear seats.

To really enjoy the increased practicality, we chose the off-road design package with inlays in Vesuvius Grey. It just enhanced the beautiful contrast between the cabin and the exterior. Continuing in that same direction, we also added the window trim in High Gloss Back.

The facelifted Taycan gets Porsche's new suspension system dubbed Active Ride. It debuted on the new Panamera. The four hydraulic motor pump setup costs $7,140. But you can't have it without the Torque Vectoring Plus system. So, the price is $8,640. This suspension promises to increase the EV's stability and enhance comfort.

Making the correct choices

Since we didn't choose a Turbo or a Turbo S, we decided to avoid this pricey upgrade. We only chose the rear-axle steering for improved maneuverability around town. Still, we chose the Sport Chrono Pack because it includes the "push to pass" feature that temporarily unlocks 81 hp when you want to secure an overtake. The total power output increases to 590 hp and 523 lb-ft of torque for around 10 seconds. It only works when the charging level is above 30%.

We really shouldn't, but we can't help ourselves. Given the exterior color we chose, we had to select the HD Matrix LED headlights and the taillights with glacier blue accents. But comfort is important, too! So, the thermally- and noise-insulated glass was added.

Next, we avoided any other cabin upgrades like the electrochromic panoramic roof or specific personalization like custom door sills. But we had to add a 360-degree camera system (which boggles the mind that it's an option on a car with an MSRP of $127,195) and the InnoDrive suite that gives us adaptive cruise control and active lane-keep assist.

Believe it or not, we still have some configuring to do. Porsche also made the head-up display, the four-zone climate control (in a four-seater car, mind you), and the soft-close doors optional. We had to pick them.

Porsche decided to give the front passenger a separate dashboard screen that can't be seen by the driver when on the move. We avoided the $1,490 option. We would rather stick some artsy thing on that side of the dashboard than spend over a grand on another screen that might rarely be used. Who is going to watch Netflix or random YouTube videos while you're driving? I would rather give them an Apple Vision Pro headset or a tablet.

Although the Burmester 3D sound system is approved by audiophiles, we can't argue in favor of spending $7,000. So, we chose the next best thing: the $1,200 Bose Surround Sound system. Such a pricey car deserves a good set of speakers.

Final thoughts

Our EV equipped with a 105-kWh gross (97-kWh usable) high-voltage energy storage unit ended up with a pre-tax and -fee price of $155,955. That includes the $28,760 in options. No matter how someone might try to spin it, that's a hefty final number prospective customers will see. You could buy three Tesla Model 3 Long Range (tax included!) with that money. Keep in mind that Tesla's sedan also qualifies for the full EV tax credit. If you're eligible, that's a $22,500 discount.

We configured the same Taycan for the British market, and the result was £123,147 ($155,502) with the value-added tax included. That's pretty close to the US price without tax. However, over the pond, customers don't get one year of free 30-minute charging sessions with Electrify America.

Fortunately for Porsche, its customers are used to seeing such high prices. Besides that, the Taycan Cross Turismo is a unique offering. No other automaker offers a lifted all-electric wagon that can go, charge, and feel fast. Remember that it's also truly luxurious.

But is this EV worth it? Well, that's up to you to decide. If you ask me about buying it, I would answer "yes" but with one condition – I must have $1.5 million sitting in the bank before signing the buyer's agreement.

Lastly, depreciation is unforgiving, and the facelifted Taycan isn't immune to it, not even in refreshed Cross Turismo form.