Porsche Unveils 2018 Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo
Porsche brings back sexy back to the wagon with the new Panamera
With the exception of the occasional monster AMG estate car and the Cadillac CTS-V of recent years, station wagons seldom get much love as “attractive cars,” but Porsche seem dead-set on changing that with the Panamera Sport Turismo unveiled at the New York International Auto Show. Redesigned with an emphasis on “sport,” the fresh Panamera looks more contemporary with Porsche’s current sports car and grand touring than the previous. That look applies to the front, but more importantly, the Porsche wagon carries a much more seemly rear hatch treatment than the previous Panamera.
Original sketched as a 2013 concept car, the Sport Turismo includes four models, two hybrid and two non-hybrid. The base Panamera 4 will be powered by a 3.0-liter V6 that makes 330 horsepower with a single turbocharger while its hybrid counterpart, the Panamera 4 E-Hybrid, adds a 136-horsepower electric motor to the mix. That gives the single-turbo models 0-to-60 performance of 5.0 and 4.4 seconds, respectively. Up from the Panamera 4 is the Panamera 4S with a twin-turbo, 440-horsepower 2.9-liter V6 and a 0-to-60 time of 4.0 seconds. Top trim is the Panamera Turbo with a 550-horsepower twin-turbo V8 capable of sending the long-roof to 60 miles per hour in just 3.4 seconds.
Porsche expects the new Panamera Sport Turismo to reach dealerships by the year’s end with prices starting around $96,200 for the Panamera 4. The Panamera 4 E-Hybrid is expected to start at $104,000, the Panamera 4S at $109,200, and the Panamera Turbo at $154,000.
The company also has plans for a Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid that pairs the 550-horsepower twin-turbo V8 from the Panamera Turbo with the E-Hybrid electric motors for a combined 680 horsepower. An Executive version of this super wagon would add 5.9 inches to the wheelbase. Porsche expects the Turbo S E-Hybrid to be available by the end of 2017 with prices starting at $184,400 for the “normal” Turbo S E-Hybrid and another $10,000 for the Executive version.
