2023 Porsche Taycan 4S Cross Turismo UK Owner Review: Buying with the Heart After 62 Cars (Martboy65)

I have owned 62 cars over the years, and 95% of them have been bought with my head. However, you don’t buy a Porsche with your head. I bought this car totally with my heart, realising a 50-year dream purchase in the process, and it is everything I expected from owning a Porsche.

Specifications and Performance

My specific vehicle is a 2023 Porsche Taycan 4S Cross Turismo 4WD, finished in Carmine Red. It features the upgraded 93.4kWh Performance Battery Plus (offering 83.7kWh of usable capacity), an 800V electrical architecture for ultra-rapid charging, and adaptive air suspension with Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM). As with any Porsche, everything is optional, and I have far too many optional upgrades fitted to list!

The performance is staggering. It produces 540 bhp natively and 620 bhp with launch control, pushing the car from 0-62 mph in just 3.1 seconds. The handling is incredible; driving any other car I have owned simply doesn’t even come close. This is not your everyday EV or ICE vehicle—it’s a Porsche. It makes me smile every time I stand by it or drive it, and its legendary build quality inside and out makes it a head-turner from every angle.

My absolute favourite hidden gem is the Porsche sound button; when switched on, the car sounds like the Millennium Falcon. It isn’t just an internal noise either; the sound plays outside the car too and causes a lot of heads to turn.

Range, Battery, and Charging

I have owned this Taycan for under a year, and it currently has between 30,000 and 40,000 miles on the clock. My estimated annual mileage sits at 5,000 to 10,000 miles. From an 80% charge, I get a very dependable average range of 240 miles. Porsche recently gave me a battery health report, and impressively, the battery is still showing 95% health.

This is my second EV, sitting on the driveway alongside our Kia EV6 GT-Line. I charge at home using a unit I’ve had for two years. While the hardware works faultlessly, the software lacks clarity of thinking and isn’t very intuitive. I am with British Gas on their EV Driver 26 tariff, which is very good. We have also recently invested in solar panels and a home storage battery, meaning we supply the grid with our excess electricity and store what we need day-to-day.

When driving further afield, I exclusively use IONITY and GRIDSERVE, as both provide super-fast, reliable public chargers. I use the Porsche charge card, which works simply and makes the whole public charging experience seamless.

Technology and Usability

The technology inside the cabin is fantastic, though it isn’t without its quirks. The Porsche Communication Management (PCM) system is logically German by design, excellent, and very intuitive. I love that the driver aides are there if you want them, but unlike most brands, they aren’t forced on by default, saving you from constantly having to turn them off. Having a physical dial on the steering wheel to easily swap between the four drive modes—from Range mode right through to Sport Plus, altering everything from ride height to suspension settings—is brilliant!

However, the lack of physical buttons for the heating is a mistake in my opinion; having to use the touchscreen just to set your ventilation system is a faff. The navigation system can also be a bit hit and miss, occasionally losing all directions when in guidance mode.

There have been lots of software updates to address these issues—some requiring dealership intervention—and although that is frustrating, at least Porsche continues to support its vehicles. Thankfully, recent Over-The-Air (OTA) updates have made the process much better, and another update is on the way to rectify the navigation. Another minor frustration is that the excellent battery preconditioning is only available via the native Porsche navigation, meaning if it plays up on a long journey, you cannot use Apple CarPlay to precondition the battery.

Running Costs and The Next EV

Because it is both a Porsche and an EV, insurance is not cheap, but I get the exact cover I need through Aviva, who also insure our Kia EV6 without any problems.

Where this car really shines is in its daily running costs. With our solar setup, we have smashed our energy usage big time, bringing our household bills down by 50% already. Previously, our petrol and diesel fuel bills were around £300 per month (£3,600 per year). Now, running both of our EVs costs us around £40 per month (£480 per year). Furthermore, our old ICE vehicles cost £800 a year in servicing, whereas EVs only require a service every two years. For example, our Kia EV6 is just £230 (prices correct as of November 2026).

If I were to trade my keys in tomorrow, there isn’t another car on my radar. Nothing tops this Porsche.