Porsche’s Taycan Cross Turismo EV isn’t as confusing as it looks

German automaker Porsche is putting its Taycan Cross Turismo through its paces in final testing before it goes on sale next year. It sounds like everything is going well, but one thing is bothering me, well, it’s not one thing, it’s the entire thing.

The Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo seems more confused than a chameleon at a carnival.

First off, is its name. The Taycan part makes sense. It’s what Porsche called its high-performance EV, so that needs no explaining. This car is also an EV. I think you’re following.

The Cross Turismo bit, that’s more of a head-scratcher. It seems Porsche is designing this version of the Taycan for light off-roading and for those that want to travel further afield — that explains the Cross and Turismo part.

Ok, so that’s not totally insane. Especially considering the current Taycan is very much a performance oriented vehicle.

But then we get to how it looks. Seriously, just look at the thing.

Is it a fast-back, a station wagon, a shooting brake? I can’t quite put my finger on it, so let’s just say that it’s all three. According to Porsche though, it’s a CUV (cross utility vehicle). The company says it’s raised its suspension and even fitted it with a special driving mode for gravel, and so that qualifies it to be classed as some kind of crossover.

Whatever class of vehicle it’s in, it’s still kinda ugly. Despite Porsche being responsible for some of the world’s most iconic designs, the Taycan Cross Turismo doesn’t appear to be one of them… yet.

When the German automaker first brought out its Panamera, I had to carry a little bucket around with me just in case I saw one and had to throw up. Over time, it’s grown on me to the point I question my former self and consider the Panamera quite the looker.

I suspect the same will be of the Taycan Cross Turismo. Its bulky haunches, and squatted dog rear end, might be a little hard to stomach now, but in time, it’ll age well… hopefully.

[Read: How do you build a pet-friendly gadget? We asked experts and animal owners]

Things start to make a lot more sense when we move from the exterior to the interior. Sadly, there don’t seem to be any proper interior images, but that’s beside the point. We can assume it’ll be exactly like the original Taycan when it comes to the interior hardware.

What matters about the interior is its space.

With the Taycan Cross Turismo, Porsche says it has developed an entirely new roofline, added roof rails, made the second row of seats more generous, and made the trunk bigger.

In other words, you can take your adult friends, on long distance road trips, and not have to sit with bags on your knees.

The original Taycan isn’t exactly a small car on the outside, but given its low slung roofline and saloon boot its interior dimensions can be a bit limiting. It seems the Cross Turismo is set to remedy that. Now it’s making sense.

The Taycan Cross Turismo, unlike its sibling, is not a hardcore performance focussed EV eager to be unleashed on the race track, it’s a car designed for actual humans that have friends and families, and might occasionally drive on roads that are a bit slippy.

I take it back, the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo isn’t as confusing as it seems on first impressions. It makes perfect sense, so long as you can deal with how it looks.