Porsche Finally Gives Us The Panamera We Deserve

The Porsche Panamera was an ugly duckling among supermodels. Porsche’s sports sedan with the weird trunk and questionable proportions divided the car community. Some thought it was hideous while others liked it, I thought it looked like a pregnant 911. Although the old Panamera wasn’t the beautiful car we’ve come to expect from Porsche, there’s a new one that has righted these wrongs. It’s called the Panamera Sport Turismo and it’s gorgeous.

Before I get into the philosophical realm of wagons let’s review the stats. Sport Turismos will start arriving in the US at the end of 2017 in a variety of flavors. The base 330 horsepower Panamera 4 Sport Turismo starts at $96,200, followed by the 462 horsepower $104,000 Panamera 4 E-Hybrid Sport Turismo. Those who want more power can opt for either the $109,200 440 horsepower Panamera 4S Sport Turismo, or the 550 horsepower $154,000 Panamera Turbo Sport Turismo, These prices exclude the $1,050 delivery, processing, and handling fee.

The performance will remain on par with its sedan counterpart. This means the Panamera Turbo Sport Turismo should have a 0-60 time of only 3.4 seconds. The Sport Turismo will only be available in all-wheel drive, unlike the Panamera sedan that can be had with rear-wheel drive. The cargo capacity gains from the wagon body style are minimal. With the seats up cargo capacity only grows by a small 0.9 cubic feet. With the seats folded down cargo capacity swells by 3 cubic feet to 49 cubic feet overall.

Looks are subjective, I can’t quantify the beauty of the Sport Turismo, but let’s be honest, the Sport Turismo looks very good. So good in fact that I find this a fitting tribute to the wagon gods. The wagon gods have grown sad as of late, as companies abandon them for SUVtology.  The thinning offering of wagons might be mistaken for our president’s hair as fewer companies build wagons. Thankfully Porsche has seen the light.

Although Porsche builds some of the best SUVs in the world, they’re going to build a wagon. That’s because Porsche knows that wagon shoppers have a passion and SUV shoppers have a mall parking lot to tackle. I want the Sport Turismo to sell well, but I have my doubts. It’s a niche product in a small market place making customers hard to come by. Although it only offers slightly more cargo capacity, Porsche’s first wagon is a thing of beauty.