Back in 2015, Porsche unveiled the Mission E concept, an all-electric super sedan that featured drivetrain technology developed for the 919 Hybrid race car. It didn't take long for Porsche to confirm a production model and the test cars spotted on public roads began to fuel everyone's dreams of a premium competitor for the Tesla Model S. While the Mission E is still under development, Porsche wants to expand its all-electric lineup with a different model. It's based on the Mission E design- and drivetrain-wise, but it's aimed at the booming crossover market. It's called the Mission E Cross Turismo and previews a production model that will surely become the Porsche Cayenne of the electric market.

Unveiled at the 2018 Geneva Motor Show, the Mission E Cross Turismo is a sporty crossover that combines elements seen on the Mission E sedan, the Cayenne, and the Panamera Sport Turismo. Yes, it's a shooting brake that rides as high as a crossover, and it previews a competitor for the Tesla Model X. Porsche has already confirmed that a production model is underway, with the release date set sometime in 2019. It's still one year away, but at least it'll be here sooner than the Mission E, which took at least three years to become reality. And, by the looks of things, the Cross Turismo concept looks ready to go into production for the most part.

Continue reading to learn more about the Porsche Mission E Cross Turismo Concept.

2018 Porsche Mission E Cross Turismo Concept

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2018 Porsche Mission E Cross Turismo Concept
  • Horsepower: 600
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array
Pros
Cons

Porsche Mission E Cross Turismo Concept Exterior

- Based on Mission E sedan - Shooting brake body style - Crossover ride height - Sporty stance - SUV-like cladding - More utilitarian design

Heavily based on the spectacular Mission E concept, the Cross Turismo concept is almost as aggressive as its sedan sibling. The body style itself is an interesting idea. While it has the ride height of a crossover, it's not as tall as an SUV. It's pretty much a shooting brake on stilts, a design you don't too often, not even in the world of concept cars.

Design-wise, it borrows a host of features from the sedan. Up front, we can see a similar hood and headlamps arrangement. The former is almost as muscular as the Mission E, but it stands out by means of extra lights at the bottom. The headlamps are a bit wider but have the same four-point LED cluster as the previous concept. The bumper is not as aggressive though. The vertical vents are smaller, while the center intake has a more utilitarian look. Of course, the Mission E's big splitter is gone.

Although still sculpted as on a sports car, the fenders now have black cladding and house wheels wrapped in what seem to be proper off-road tires. The dark blue rims have an offset spoke design, but they actually look ready to go into production. The profile has quite a few design cues that set the crossover apart from the original Mission E car. Not only it sports conventional side mirrors, but it also has conventional doors, with the rear ones opening the traditional way. The roof is obviously taller than on the Mission E, but the Cross Turismo looks quite sporty when compared to the Cayenne.

The rear brings together features from the Mission E and the shooting brake version of the Panamera. We can see the familiar taillights tripe with "Porsche" LED lettering in the middle and a sleek spoiler atop the trunk lid. The trunk lid itself has a rather small opening area at the bottom, which makes me think that practicality wasn't a priority for this concept. The Mission E's menacing diffuser was replaced by a more utilitarian lower bumper section, but the new element is nothing to sneeze at. The Cross Turismo look more like a race car than any other production crossovers out there. It even has three fins on each side of the blue-painted center element, although they're small and not visible from every angle.

All told, the Cross Turismo is a hot, sporty crossover that puts anything else in this class to shame. Now let's see if the production model retains these sexy features.

Porsche Mission E Cross Turismo Concept Interior

- Tall dashboard - Wide center console - Four displays - Four-seat layout - Sporty seats - State-of-the-art tech

Unlike the exterior, the interior of this concept car is actually unique. Sure, it does have the clean, ergonomic design of the original Mission E, but the layout is far from similar. The dashboard is significantly taller and somewhat closer to what a production model would get. And almost the entire width is made out of displays. The instrument cluster is rather big and seems to have a simple, uncluttered display when showing vital data like revs, speed, and battery status.

Two more screens are placed in the dash. The one above the center console seems to act like an infotainment unit, showing smartphone-like menus and music tracks. The one to the right, which enters the passenger-side area, shows live images of another Porsche and could be a display for multimedia entertainment. Either way, the two displays are so close to each other that it looks as if the dash has one long screen from the steering wheel to the A/C vent in the corner. Somewhat similar to the layout seen in the Mercedes-Benz S-Class.

The center console is also wider in this vehicle, but it makes sense, as crossover usually get this features. The touchscreen display was also revised here, and the upper section has a steeper angle compared to the rest. The concept provides seating for four people, with individual seats in the rear as well. The seats have an interesting four-piece design, with the shoulder rests designed as individual elements. A massive sunroof that runs almost the entire length and width of the roof allows natural light to enter the cabin.

Porsche Mission E Cross Turismo Concept Drivetrain

- Drivetrain from Mission E - Two electric motors - More than 600 horsepower - 0 to 62 mph in less than 3.5 seconds - More than 300 miles of range

Porsche didn't have much to say about the drivetrain, but it confirmed that the concept gets its juice from two permanent magnet synchronous motors. The layout is likely similar to the Mission E sedan, which in turn is based on the drivetrain used in the Porsche 919 Hybrid race car that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans.Even the total system output is similar to the Mission E at "more than 600 horsepower," and Porsche claims a similar acceleration time from 0 to 62 mph of "less than 3.5 seconds." Getting to 124 mph takes less than 12 seconds.

The German manufacturer also claims that "the level of continuous power is unmatched by any other electric vehicle," with "multiple accelerations being possible in direct succession without loss of performance."

Based on other data we know about the Mission E, the Cross Turismo should also have all-wheel-drive and Porsche’s Torque Vectoring, which automatically distributes torque to the individual wheels. The crossover should also be able to travel for more than 300 miles on a single charge, which places it above the Tesla Model X, good for 295 miles in its most efficient version. In addition, the brand’s innovative 800-volt charging port — double the voltage of today’s EVs — charges the battery to 80 percent of its capacity in around 15 minutes.

Conclusion

Needless to say, the Mission E Cross Turismo looks and sounds a lot like the Tesla Model X competitor we're expecting for quite some time. And the good news is that Porsche says that a production model of this concept car will make its premiere in 2019. Both the design and the performance figures hint that this crossover will have what it takes to give the Model X a run for its money in all but one department. The P100D model needs only 2.9 seconds to hit 60 mph, which is more than a half-second quicker than the concept car. On the other hand, the Cross Turismo should offer at least 20 extra miles of range. But many of these figures could change until production begins and it's not out of the question of Porsche to develop a more powerful GTS model at a later date.

References

Porsche Mission E

Read our full speculative review on the 2020 Porsche Mission E.

Read our full speculative review on the 2020 Porsche Mission E GTS.

Read our full review on the 2015 Porsche Mission E Concept.

Read more Porsche news.

Read more Geneva Motor Show news.