At first glance, one would say there is nothing in common between the Porsche Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo and the monster truck, except for the wheels, tires and accommodations for people. And actually, the truck only has one seat, whereas the Taycan has room for five. Porsche also has plenty of room in the back to carry earplugs and giant foam spokes for a night of car-smashing action at Monster Jam events.
However, Porsche sees this comparison differently. Yes, we’re talking about road-legal EVs versus methanol-fueled monster trucks that can jump the bus and drive on. But the dual-motor powertrain in the Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo gives Porsche a long roof of power-to-weight ratio similar to that of a monster truck. In this case, we’re talking 750 horsepower hauling 5,199 pounds for the Taycan Turbo S versus 1,500 hp in the 12,000 pound monster truck. It works out to 6.9 pounds per hp in the Porsche, with the race trucks carrying 8 pounds per hp.
Apparently, that was enough for Porsche to stage a race in a 72,000-seat stadium against Monster Jam racer Linsey Read. He has a slight advantage here, considering that the course consists of large jumps that the truck can easily perform. Porsche also reminds us that the Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo has rear steering like a monster truck, but that doesn’t really matter on dirt floors. A quick throttle boot lets the Porsche neatly hover behind the truck, moving on without issue despite the speedometer approaching triple-digit speeds in restricted areas.
Predictably, everything goes sideways when the truck jumps. We don’t mean that literally (although monster trucks often end up sideways in freestyle events), but as the truck cruises over a big jump, the Taycan’s driver clearly comes to a halt. Instead, it’s the perfect opportunity to take a sweet video of a monster truck jumping over a Porsche. We bet you didn’t see that coming. By the way, that is sarcasm.
Porsche describes the contest as “chaotic fun” and we couldn’t agree more there. It’s a neat way of reminding us how capable the Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo can be when the pavement ends. Just don’t try to follow the monster truck while jumping. Somehow, we doubt such a situation would arise during daily commuting.
Looking for more fun content on the off-road Porsche? Look Rambling About Cars podcast, available below.
