Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo 2017 Review

With the advent of the Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo, we can stop griping about Panameras being ugly. Well, at least some Panameras anyway.

Simply put, the Sport Turismo does what wagons often do -- look better than the sedan upon which they are based (or hatch in this case). You might say that’s not a hard challenge, but that doesn’t mean the long and low Sport Turismo is anything but a good-looking vehicle.

The Sport Turismo is going into production now at Porsche’s Leipzig plant in Germany. Alas, Porsche Cars Australia (PCA) believes it might not get its first shipment until 2018.

It’s all about the look
Obviously, the big talking point here is the exterior. Working off the same 2950mm wheelbase and 5049mm overall length as the standard wheelbase version of the Panamera saloon, the Sport Turismo keeps the roofline horizontal longer to grow rear headroom and luggage space. The latter is boosted by 20 litres to 520 with the rear seats in-place and 50 litres to 1390 with the rear seat 40:20:40 folded.

The only exception to that is the 4 E-Hybrid which still grows but has marginally less space.

The luggage area is accessed more easily by a lower loading height.

Inside the cabin, the big change is in the second row where a centre seat is fitted for the first time in Panamera. It’s very much the short straw option, however, as the transmission tunnel is so wide. You can also option a two-seat second row.

The model line-up
The Sport Turismo omits the two bookends of the Panamera saloon range, the rear-wheel drive 3.0-litre V6 turbo-petrol base model and the new Turbo S E-Hybrid performance flagship. The latter, at least, will be added sometime soon.

The Sport Turismo entry-model therefore is the $232,500 3.0-litre V6 Panamera 4, which is $7300 more than its saloon equivalent. It’s the same story for the petrol-electric 4 E-Hybrid, 2.9-litre bi-turbo petrol V6 4S and 4S Diesel V8, while the 4.0-litre V8 Turbo adds $6200 to be $390,700 plus on-road costs.

Engine outputs are as per the saloon, while fuel economy is the same or fractionally higher.

Not surprisingly, the hybrid leads the way with its optimistic 2.5L/100km NEDC claim. Across the range, weight is up no more than 50kg compared to the saloon, with most models hovering near the 2000kg mark. Meanwhile, the aerodynamic Cd is also ever-so-slightly less efficient.

All Sport Turismos are PTM all-wheel drive, have eight-speed PDK dual-clutch gearboxes and auto start/stop and coasting.

They are underpinned by double wishbones up-front and a multi-link rear axle, air suspension, six-piston monoblock brakes up front and four-pistons at the rear. Most models get a 390mm/365mm composite disc combination, while the Turbo ups that to 410mm/380mm. Wheels size is a 19-inch for all models bar the 20-inch Turbo.

A cool feature is the active spoiler which automatically pops up at the rear of the roof to add downforce at 170km/h (we didn’t activate it).

What you get
As per drivetrains, the standard equipment baseline in Sport Turismo pretty much reflects the mainstream Panamera range.

Safety equipment is adequate without being class-leading. There are 10 airbags, an active bonnet, ISOFIX child seat mounts, park assist with an audible warning, reversing camera and surround view, adaptive cruise control and autonomous emergency braking. Like the saloon, the Sport Turismo suffers a dearth of high-end driver assistance systems such as lane keep and lane change assist, which are only standard on the top-spec Turbo.

Comfort equipment includes the new-generation ‘Porsche Advanced Cockpit’ with 12.3-inch haptic touch screen, a panoramic sunroof, four-zone climate control, 14-way power front seats with heating, auto hatch operation, partial leather trim, a wifi hotspot, Bose surround sound and two rear-mounted USB charge ports

LED headlights are standard for all models bar the Turbo, which upgrades to LED-Matrix. It also gets one-piece front seats with Turbo embossing, rear-seat heating and full leather trim

What’s it like to drive?
You won’t be shocked to hear the Panamera Sport Turismo offers a very familiar driving experience. Considering how technically similar it is to the Panamera saloon how could it be otherwise?

And that’s good news because while the saloon lacks exterior style, it’s got no lack of driving grace or pace.

We sampled the two V8 Sport Turismos, the 4S Diesel and the Turbo flagship on the busy and speed-restricted roads of Vancouver Island in Canada.

When we say speed-restricted, we mean lots of 60km/h and 80km/h open-road limits and lots of 30km/h and 50km/h restrictions in built-up areas. Caught going more than 30km/h over and your car is impounded on the spot. Needless to say our Porsche ‘minder’ was discouraging any excessive enthusiasm. That meant we spent a lot of time treating the Sport Turismo like a Gran Turismo cruiser.

Leave the steering-wheel mounted mode switch (an option as part of Sport Chrono in all models except the hybrid) in ‘normal’ mode and the air springs float over the surface while the throttle and gearbox require some encouragement to stir into any real action. Go to Sport and the engine growls into reactive life, shifters are crisper, quicker and occasionally clunky and the road’s imperfections come more sharply into focus.

There’s little doubt Sport Plus is racetrack focused. After some fiddling, around I found the Sport powertrains setting allied with normal suspension to be my favourite compromise for cruising.

Winding the speed up a bit made the sport suspension settings more appropriate. You also then tend to notice the weight and size of the Sport Turismo more.

Close to two tonnes is a lot to be hustling along. Having said that, we know from previous experience the Panamera is good for it.

The Panamera’s high-quality engagement comes at the cost of some road and tyre noise isolation. It’s not bad, but it’s not a Mercedes-Benz S-Class either. And in a sporting drive like this, connection counts in all its forms.

Engine performance was deep and strong in both cars. Yes, we know the Turbo can be seismic and spectacular, but this wasn’t a day for those types of antics.

The Turbo also has a livelier petrol ambience that makes it a more suitable luxury and sporting accomplice than the sometimes ‘vibey’ and rev-limited (to 5000rpm) diesel.

Inside the Sport Turismo’s changes are really concentrated in the backseat where there is a significant improvement in headroom for medium-to-tall people for the first time. It’s a pretty nice place to be, although the driver’s seat is best of all.

In that way Porsche’s first wagon is very typical of the breed, being very good to drive.

But best of all, it is a little more flexible than the Panamera saloon, a frag more expensive… And a whole lot better looking.

Porsche Panamera 4S Diesel Sport Turismo pricing and specifications:
Price: $325,900 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 4.0-litre bi-turbo V8 diesel
Outputs: 310kW/850Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel: 6.8L/100km
CO2: 178g CO2/km
Safety rating: N/A

Porsche Panamera Turbo Sport Turismo pricing and specifications:
Price: $390,700
Engine: 4.0-litre bi-turbo V8 petrol
Outputs: 404kW/770Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
Fuel: 9.5L/100km
CO2: 217g CO2/km
Safety rating: N/A