Endowed with the gift of creativity and the soul of an aesthete with a heart for all things that excite the senses, our A-Lister Daniel Lim has led a diverse career path, venturing from fashion design to now running his own restaurant, Apollo Dining, with a menu designed to explore the limits of contemporary Asian cuisine, served in a relaxed, aesthetic milieu.
Fond of travel, horse-riding, cycling and driving, the dynamic entrepreneur has also revealed the need for keeping on the move, for new experiences and adrenaline rush, “Inspiration can come from anywhere. As a creative person, I need to constantly be on the go, be open to new ideas and keep my senses stimulated.”
“Momentum helps the flow of creativity, productivity and new perspectives.”
When it comes to driving, the restaurateur derives the most pleasure from his personal Porsche, in keeping with his style and personality – sleek, fluid and instantly recognisable, packed full of vigour, “Like the car, I can be crazy fun once on the move. The fact that Porsche is designed to be driven by yourself, it feels more closely connected to who I am.”
Daniel added that sustainability is critical to his creative mind, “Creativity and business are alike; each has a life of its own.”
“Creativity needs to be constantly stimulated and ‘electrified.’ In order to keep it running, it needs to be constantly charged, and the key to this constant source of power is sustainability.”
When Porsche recently presented its latest breakthrough in electric mobility, the Taycan Cross Turismo, along with an opportunity to review the car, we took it to Daniel for his maiden drive in an all-electric vehicle and for his personal insight as a Porsche fan.
Watch Daniel Lim officially get electrified by the Porsche Taycan 4S Cross Turismo in the video below:
PORSCHE TAYCAN CROSS TURISMO
Porsche took its first step into the electric age back in 2015 when it debuted the Mission E electric concept car at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The innovation boasted an ultra-sleek design with a clear mission in mind: to create the 911 of e-cars, with everyday practicality and a sustainable purpose.
Bringing the concept of Mission E to life was the first-series production all-electric car from Porsche, the luxury sports saloon Taycan, and more recently, its more rugged crossover sibling, the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo.
Based closely on the Mission E Cross Turismo presented at the Geneva International Motor Show in 2018, the Taycan Cross Turismo’s design and silhouette is characteristically Porsche, with its sporty roof line sloping towards the rear. Offroad design elements include wheel-arch trims, unique lower aprons at the front and rear and its side sills. In combination with the Offroad Design Package, the Taycan Cross Turismo has special flaps at the corners of the front and rear bumpers, as well as at the end of the sills. These make for a striking exterior and provide protection from stone impacts. The Cross Turismo also features stylish elements such as the glass-effect Porsche lettering in the ultra-sleek light strip that runs across the rear.
ROOM FOR ADVENTURE & MORE
The new Taycan Cross Turismo features the same strengths of the Taycan such as superior performance and long range. In addition, there is more headroom for rear-seat passengers and a maximum luggage compartment capacity, making it the ideal vehicle for the adventure-seeker, especially with travel restrictions lifted.
HIGH PERFORMANCE MEETS VERSATILITY
Considering its all-electric performance, the Taycan 4S Cross Turismo boasts 420kW of overboost power, a top speed of 240km/h, and a long range of 388km to 452km, with the ability to accelerate from 0 to 100km/h in just 4.1 seconds. The vehicle handles cornering, parking and tight spaces in a breeze and cruises with velvet smooth stability for unparalleled comfort in every journey, be it an adventurous road trip or on your daily urban commute around the city.
Offering 20mm more ground clearance than the Taycan, the Taycan Cross Turismo is equipped with the integrated Porsche 4D Chassis Control, which analyses and synchronises all chassis systems in real time. Porsche uses a centrally networked control system for the chassis of the Taycan Cross Turismo. Adaptive air suspension with three-chamber technology including the PASM (Porsche Active Suspension Management) electronic damper control system is fitted as standard in all Taycan Cross Turismo models. The air suspension includes a Smartlift function as standard. This allows the customer to easily programme the system so that the ride height is automatically raised at certain recurring locations such as road humps or garage driveways.
OFF THE BEATEN PATH
The Taycan Cross Turismo comes as standard with the additional Gravel Mode driving programme for journeys on light off-road terrain such as gravel tracks or muddy road surfaces. In this mode, the ride height is raised by 30mm compared with the saloon. Gravel Mode also influences the Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), Porsche Traction Management (PTM), Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (PTV+) and Porsche Stability Management (PSM) chassis systems, as well as the rear-axle transmission. The shift operations of the latter are optimised to ensure maximum traction. The car’s throttle characteristics have also been designed specially for off-road driving in terms of power delivery and control precision.
ACTIVE AERODYNAMICS
Thanks to optimised airflow characteristics, the aerodynamic design, which features a Cd value from 0.26, makes a significant contribution to low energy consumption, and therefore to long range. The measures relating to Porsche Active Aerodynamics (PAA) include the adjustable air intakes at the front. The air suspension also allows the frontal area and Cd value to be reduced at higher speeds by lowering the Taycan Cross Turismo in two stages.
COCKPIT OF THE FUTURE
The highly praised design contours familiar from the Taycan sports saloon can be found in the interior: the wing-shaped upper and lower sections of the dashboard stretch across the entire width of the vehicle. The free-standing 16.8-inch curved instrument cluster forms the highest point on the dashboard. A central 10.9-inch infotainment display and a further, optional front passenger display are combined to form an integrated glass band in a black-panel look.
NICE TO SEE, NICE TO TOUCH
For a neater, cluster-free and streamlined appearance, Porsche has nearly replaced all mechanical buttons with digital ones. By touching the screen, you can operate the vehicle’s extensive features, configurations and connectivity, including lighting, chassis, navigation, telephone, media, comfort, etc. The front passenger also has the option of their own touch display, allowing him/her to easily adjust settings without distracting the driver. The elevated centre console, which intensifies the feeling of a low, sporty seating position, features a large 8.4-inch touch panel with haptic feedback. This allows the air-conditioning settings to be adjusted directly.
INTELLIGENT CHARGING MANAGEMENT
The Taycan Cross Turismo operates with a system voltage of 800 volts instead of the 400 volts that is usual for electric cars. Drivers can charge their vehicles at home with up to 11 kW of alternating current (AC) as standard. An on-board charger with a capacity of 22 kW is now available as a standard equipment with your purchase of the Taycan Cross Turismo.
Travelling long distance between Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Penang has also become even more convenient with the first cross-border high performance charging (HPC) station launched in Tangkak, Johor. These 180kW high-performance chargers are equipped to provide a charge from zero to 80% in around 30 minutes – more than enough to grab a cup of coffee and stretch your legs before you continue your journey.
Starting from 2022, all new Taycan models will come equipped as standard with Premium Package options that enhances overall driving comfort and pleasure in this uniquely versatile all-electric vehicle.
New pricing for the Taycan Cross Turismo starts from RM 555,000.
CLICK HERE for more information on the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo.