whitex

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20 months after putting down an initial deposit for the Taycan Turbo Cross Turismo, I finally picked it up. It wasn’t at the original dealership, as the wait list there was not moving very fast, so I quickly expanded my search to nationwide. Over a year later (after talking with more dealers than I can remember) I found an open configurable allocation, all the way on the other side of the continent – South Carolina. Initially I was thinking PECLA delivery, but the SA convinced me that would delay my car even further, so I decided to take delivery there. I was unsure whether or not I was going to fly-and-drive, or ship it, but once the car got to the dealer I decided listen to some of the members here (you know who you are), and make a trip out of it, visit my son who is away at school on the way.

Given it is the middle of winter, that meant I wanted winter tires for the drive. So I bought the winter tires, but then I had a set of all-season tires on the opposite end of the country. It turned out I can ship them home for ~$380, so I did just that – the tires beat me home by the way. Since now I had an extra set of tires, I picked up a set of Taycan Tequipment wheels on clearance from Suncoast for $2K. I am now set with all-season and winter tires.

So I took a redeye flight to Charleston on a Friday night, arrived at the dealer in the morning. I roll in with my luggage, but my SA was still on the way in, so I just walk in, find my car on the showroom floor (checked the VIN), put my luggage in the trunk, hop in and start setting up the PCM, remote access, etc. I was going to do all that after delivery, but why not do it in the showroom, right?
Porsche Taycan Cross Country in a Cross Turismo 1677660390129

After maybe 20 minutes someone came over and told me “sorry, this car is sold”. By then I had linked it with my app and was just going through all the settings. I explained it’s my car, just waiting for my SA. Turned out the guy who came was their resident Taycan expert, so he we chatted a bit. He gave me some tips, I shared a few things with him that he didn’t know (or assumed incorrectly). My SA rolled in, just in time as I finished setting up the car and getting it ready to roll. We did all the paperwork, and I set off on a 6hr first leg. I’ve been up for 30+ hrs by then, and it was raining a lot (flood warnings to the point that Apple would refuse to give directions – no route found), brand new car, so a little bit of a challenge. I used the PCM planner for this trip.
Porsche Taycan Cross Country in a Cross Turismo 1677660450787

Then came the dreaded first EA charge. I plugged in, held my breath, and to my surprise and relief, it just worked! I don’t know whether me activating the free charging a month in advance had anything to do with it, but it worked, so I’m fine losing a month of free charging. So I unclenched, charged and continued to GA for a late dinner, checked into a hotel with Tesla destination charging, got to use my TeslaTap. I think the charger was 80A but only 208V, but sadly Taycan would not show me voltage or current. TeslaTap came handy a couple other times where hotels only had Tesla charging.
Porsche Taycan Cross Country in a Cross Turismo 1677660512909


Spent another day visiting my son, getting supplies for the trip, and setting up temporary radar detector (Valentine One) and dashcam (BlackVue 4K 2ch) for the trip.

I tried to enter the whole trip into the PCM, but it seemed a bit too much for it, it took forever and never finished, so I gave up. Entered the trip into ABRP, planned it out.
Porsche Taycan Cross Country in a Cross Turismo 1677660583487

From then on just entered the next EA station (searching for “Electrify” and the Walmart number, or street name, or some other unique string in its location name or address). Note, a lot of EA stations show up separately as 150KW and 350KW, some even 50KW. You cannot actually tell which one is which, because the PCM cuts off the names such that you cannot see until after you’ve selected the name, but usually the last one listed is the highest power one.

Through the trip I tried turn by turn from Apple (via CarPlay), ABRP (via CarPlay) and I must say I prefer the PCM, however I don’t think that would be the case if I didn’t have the HUD. I would have still used it to preheat the battery for DC charging, but it would not be as useful without the HUD. The HUD actually displays much better turn by turn directions – they are the same as the PCM screen, but on the HUD you get a detailed map fragment, something missing from the PCM. That map fragment even included off road paths like in parking lots. I was very surprised how much less informative the directions on the PCM display were, often just a right angle arrow and the street name, but no streets around it. I also generally liked the HUD, especially when I was tired, much nicer to see what I need to see right there. There were a few situations where the HUD was a distraction, so I defined the custom button on the steering wheel to turn it on/off in situations where it was distracting me more than helping.
Porsche Taycan Cross Country in a Cross Turismo 1677660654781

Quick question to anyone still reading on the PCM, is there a mode where I can see more than one turn ahead? I don’t mean the route overview map, I mean a list of 2 or 3 steps before they are provided. The PCM navigation worked well for single charger hops, except one time in the middle of Atlanta, when I hit some type of a detour, the PCM went all dark on me. Eventually it rebooted, but it was not great to lose navigation in the middle of a series of turn offs. The other thing PCM did once was plain dumb. I set the next charger and started driving. My estimated SoC at the destination was 35%, however that number quickly started falling (freezing weather, wind, fast driving, plus the estimate was generally 10-20% too optimistic in the first part of the trip, got better towards the end). I typically like to watch the destination SoC to make sure I’ll get there, and if it drops below 5% to slow down. Unfortunately, when it dropped under 10%, the PCM decided to add a stop, 6 feet earlier at the very same EA location, but a slower charger. So now the problem becomes that destination estimated SoC always shows 10%, the only thing that changes is how many minutes it wants me to charge at 50KW before moving onto the 350KW.

The trip went pretty good. The Taycan felt a little more at home on roads like this than in my home state:
Porsche Taycan Cross Country in a Cross Turismo 1677660751211

Porsche Taycan Cross Country in a Cross Turismo 1677660825744

Porsche Taycan Cross Country in a Cross Turismo 1677660851144


Though sometimes it was not as fun:
Porsche Taycan Cross Country in a Cross Turismo 1677660916844

Things such as traffic or bad weather slowed me down throughout. I so wish the matrix headlight were enabled in the USA, it would have made some parts of the trip so much easier. I got snowed in along the way at one point. At one point I was just following a truck until next EA because I could not overtake him, as there was absolutely no visibility when driving next to him – the blowing snow he kicked up made it impossible for me to see my hood. FLIR doesn’t help at all in this situation by the way, in case you’re wondering, it’s just as blinded. Sorry, no picture, by the time I pulled dashcam footage, it was gone. Lucky for me, there was a nice hotel right across the parking lot of the EA charger where I hit the winter storm. I was not the only one who got snowed in, there was a Model X that checked in right behind me (across the parking lot there was also a Tesla Supercharger, though I saw a Model Y charging at EA instead, more on that later).
Porsche Taycan Cross Country in a Cross Turismo 1677660974950

The rest of the trip went on ok, with some excitements along way. An almost encounter with Utah’s finest (hiding in a giant silver unmarked pickup truck – V1 saved me there). At another time, I was in a 3 car convoy where we were taking turns for the lead, great weather, beautiful mountain roads. I was last for the moment, then I see the lead car kick up a bunch of dust and go on the shoulder. I hit my brakes, Taycan handles it easily. It turns out a bunch of mountain goats decided to cross the road, jumping effortlessly over the concrete barriers.
Porsche Taycan Cross Country in a Cross Turismo 1677661088193

I don’t know if the lead car hit it. It rattled him enough that he dropped out of our little formation, but even though there was a dead goat on the road where this happened, that lead car showed no body damage when I passed him, so perhaps there was another incident earlier. :(
Porsche Taycan Cross Country in a Cross Turismo 1677661185717

It was a good reminder of why you always have to pay attention to the road.
Overall I visited about 30 EA chargers. I didn’t have to wait at any of them, though I was blocked from using the 350 at a couple by EV driver parking weird – I think this sometimes happens when they try one station, it turns out it’s now working, they repark BADLY to reach the next cable. Other times I think they are just not considerate of others or they simply cannot park well.
Porsche Taycan Cross Country in a Cross Turismo 1677661282464

Porsche Taycan Cross Country in a Cross Turismo 1677661314520


I also saw a few of cars not capable of using 350KW hogging those chargers instead of plugging into a 150KW ones next stall. I talked with one of the owners, he was honestly surprised about the fact that his car was not capable of using 350KW. When I saw Teslas charging at EA station, especially across the parking from a Tesla supercharger, it made me wonder why would a Tesla charge at EA with a supercharger only a stone throw away. So I asked. Turns out EA is cheaper, especially if you pay the $4 a month subscription. With all 4 of my Teslas having free supercharging, it actually didn't occur to me. I approached that Tesla owner asking "hey, are you testing out your new CCS adapter?" :CWL:

Here is a little collage of all the EA stations I visited between Georgia and Washington. If the charger was fuller at any time I was there, I used that picture, rather than the empty charger one, to show what cars I came across in my trip. No Taycans though. Even on the road I only saw one Taycan sedan in Atlanta.
Porsche Taycan Cross Country in a Cross Turismo Taycan GA to WA-small


For comparison, from my archives, a similar charger collage from a trip to get to know my car, that time it was a Tesla in 2016 (it was actually only the second, return half of the trip, the first half I didn't think to take pictures):
Porsche Taycan Cross Country in a Cross Turismo SC Toronto-Seattle


Bottom line, great trip. I wish I had tinted windows, and full radar/laser countermeasures (adding those now). I had to tape over my silver trim as it was reflecting too much sun.
Porsche Taycan Cross Country in a Cross Turismo 1677662110736

I also wish Porsche sun visor would be bigger. Had to hack that too,
Porsche Taycan Cross Country in a Cross Turismo 1677662155734

I am not going to go on and on about the rear view camera, other than it is a disappointment. The overview and 3D view doesn’t make up for proper backup camera, but I hit a weird delay on the overhead view where I managed to hit a curb before the screen showed it hitting the car. One of those times I was showing it to my son, and he also said the camera did not show the curb under the car until after we hit it. I tried using it in the garage where I require precision parking within 6 inches of the car, it’s completely useless there – I actually had some high hopes for this one, but no. I am using an actual overhead security camera displaying on my phone, which has a delay, but works WAY better than PCM one.

The trip started feeling a little long after day 4 of the 7 day main trip after I visited my son. I put on ~3,500 miles in 9 days after delivery. Overall I enjoyed it very much though. Got to know my Taycan in a hurry.
Porsche Taycan Cross Country in a Cross Turismo 1677662322083


Would I do it again, heck yea, but maybe not for a couple of years. PECLA delivery on the other hand would be a breeze. That I could do every year 😉

Now that I’m back, I got my wheels/tires sorted out so they don’t block my wife from parking in the garage (they both arrived when I was gone, a forklift just dropped a pallet in the garage entry). I just got my car tinted.
Porsche Taycan Cross Country in a Cross Turismo 1677662569188


Will do permanent dashcam install hopefully this weekend (will be looking for those pre-wire connectors). I still need to finish reverse engineering the ALP system before I integrate it into the Taycan, but it’s winter, so the V1 will do for now. Oh yea, need to sell the old car (Model S) too, so that has been taking some time since I got back (wash it, prep it, talk to potential buyers, etc).

I hope you enjoyed this little overview of a cross-country fly and drive.
 
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Scandinavian

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Congratulations on the new car. Look great!
Thank you that isa nice trip report. A proper drive as a first drive. May many more successful drives come.

Great to see your experience with EA stations as they have been having a lot of negative comments here lately.
 

satchurator

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Thanks for the great road trip write up @whitex , and congratulations on the new TCT. What driver assistance options does your configuration have, and were they helpful on this long trip?
 

cityhpper

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Congratulations on the new car, looks beautiful and indeed a proper mile-muncher! Great write-up as well, fantastic landscapes and nice pictures. Seems you passed through all four seasons on your trip, quite an experience I guess...

In retrospect, do you think it would be doable on the all-seasons tires?
 


B61

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Amazing teip report!
Hats off!
:clap: :clap: :like:
 

lwc1001

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Congrats on the car, great write up. thanks for sharing
 
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whitex

whitex

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Thanks for the great road trip write up @whitex , and congratulations on the new TCT. What driver assistance options does your configuration have, and were they helpful on this long trip?
I speced it all, up to Innodrive. I have been regularly using the first generation of Tesla AutoPilot (essentially Lane Keeping and ACC) on my car for years, but after trying Porsche ADAS a few times during this trip, I did not feel comfortable using it on this long trip (driving 8-12hrs a day). I will have to come back to it. The short of it, stop and go traffic it did ok, but without the confidence view (a visualization of what the car sees) it was hard for me to trust that it wouldn't hit someone changing lanes with little clearance, or cutting me off. On the highways, the lane keeping was ok, but surprisingly not on par with my oldest Tesla (which is MobileEye based). Same problem with missing confidence view, but a bigger problem is it seems to disengage silently, with the only indication being the tiny little green indicator turns grey. Bottom line this means it took more of my attention to watch it than to just drive myself.

I liked the speed limit sign recognition, but after a couple of days found that it is not as reliable. I started to notice it was missing signs. I watched the car drive right by a sign, clearly visible, but it didn't pick it up. It also doesn't have "school zone when flashing" function (actually picking up when there is flashing, meaning speed zone in effect).

I plan to experiment further with Porsche ADAS, but at this point it would be an experimental curiosity, rather than a useful option. Who knows, maybe once I play around with it a bit, it might become useful.
 


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whitex

whitex

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In retrospect, do you think it would be doable on the all-seasons tires?
Given the weather I actually encountered, I think it would have been doable. Overall, I think they came handy 2 of the 9 days, and only parts of those days were snow tire weather, which could have been navigated with all-seasons with some caution, but I liked knowing the tires are helping. However, not knowing what weather I was going to encounter ahead of time, having winter tires made me a lot more comfortable on the trip.
 
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whitex

whitex

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Btw, did you do ppf prior to your trip? And if so, did the dealer arrange it prior to delivery?
No, no ppf. I considered it a few times in the past, but never could justify $6K for it for me. I don't obsess over my car looking immaculately clean all the time. White color, with an occasional wax and polish, hides most dirt really well.
 

irrelevant

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Thanks for sharing your journey. It's good to see people using these cars.
 

Tomato

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No, no ppf. I considered it a few times in the past, but never could justify $6K for it for me. I don't obsess over my car looking immaculately clean all the time. White color, with an occasional wax and polish, hides most dirt really well.
How did the front bumper hold up on this trip? Any chips? Thinking about PPF too but still undecided. I just want to drive and not care about these little things but then I also like to keep things in good condition. Still in the honeymoon phase, maybe, this feeling will wear off soon and won't care much about it 😅
 

OzzieT

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Congratulations. Fantastic write up and lovely pics! Still dreaming about mine.
 

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@whitex Thanks for the report. When on the road how did you space out your fast charging stops? Target SOC?, Target miles remaining?
Any backup plan for situation in which desired/planned EA site might not provide a charge?
 
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thecoloradokid

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Great write up, and congrats on the new car!!!!

Glad to see others take sucessful epic road trips and have no issues charging along the way. You also made it through Colorado in some pretty tough weather conditions, which is more than I can say even though I live here. I usually head south in December, January, and February in my Taycan to Arizona and escape the cold.

After seeing your pictures and reading your trip report, I am going to have to up my game!
Sponsored

 
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