2018 Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo — European 'shooting brake'

By Christopher A. Sawyer
The Virtual Driver

(March 19, 2017) The production Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo broke cover at the Geneva show. Available in four versions — Panamera 4, Panamera 4S, Panamera 4 E-Hybrid and Panamera Turbo — the new model is every inch the sporting European “shooting brake” that combines attributes of a station wagon and coupe.


And in the same way purists never expected to speak of Porsche sport utilities, they are now having to come to grips with a long-roof four-door with a large tailgate, low load floor, and increased luggage carrying capacity.

All Panamera Sport Turismo models come equipped with Porsche Traction Management, an all-wheel drive system that actively manages torque via an electronically controlled multi-plate clutch, as well as adaptive air suspension. Rear Axle Steering and Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control also are available.

The Sport Turismo and standard Panamera share their sheetmetal from the B-pillar forward, but from there back, the differences are pronounced. The side window line is longer, as is the roof, and the D-pillar is more upright. At the roof’s edge sits a three-position adaptive spoiler. In everyday driving, the element stays retracted with an angle of attack of minus seven degrees to reduce drag and improve fuel consumption.

This changes to an angle of +1.0 degree at track speeds, and this performance position also is triggered at speeds above 55 mph when the car is in Sport or Sport Plus mode. When the panoramic sunroof is open at speeds above 55 mph, the spoiler is inclined to +26 degrees to reduce wind noise.

Unlike other Panamera models, the Sport Turismo comes standard with a five passenger seating arrangement, with the outer seating areas taking the form of individual seats bridged by a +1 seating surface. A four-seat configuration is available as an option.

Entry, exit and head clearance are all improved with the longer roof line, but the gain in cargo capacity is not as large as you might expect. Measured to the top edge of the rear seats, the Sport Turismo has cargo capacity of 18.4 cu. ft., just 0.7 cu. ft. better than the Panamera sedan. Loading to the roof and with the rear seats folded down adds approximately 1.8 cu. ft. for a total of 49 cu. ft. Load capacities for the E-Hybrid model are slightly smaller.

Four engines will be available at launch: a 330 hp 3.0-liter turbocharged V6 capable of accelerating the Panamera 4 Sport Turismo from 0-60 mph in 5.0 seconds, a 2.9-liter twin-turbo V6 that can accelerate the Panamera 4S Sport Turismo from 0-60 in 4.0 seconds, a 136-hp electric motor mated with the 3.0-liter turbo V6 to propel the Panamera 4 E-Hybrid Sport Turismo from 0-60 in 4.4 seconds, and a 550 hp 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 that pushes the Panamera Turbo Sport Turismo to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds.

Scheduled to arrive Stateside at the end of this year, prices start at $96,200 for the Panamera 4 Sport Turismo, $104,000 for the 4 E-Hybrid model, $109,200 for the 4S Sport, and $154,000 for the Turbo. These prices do not include the $1,050 delivery fee.

The Virtual Driver