Video: Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo vs. Audi RS6 Avant
Some people prefer their sport sedans with D-pillars. This video is for those people.
Station wagons are, for our money, the best general purpose vehicles there are. They combine the space of a sport utility vehicle with the performance of a sport sedan, with a bare minimum of drawbacks. Needless to say, we’re over the moon for Porsche’s first-ever station wagon, the Panamera Sport Turismo. The Sport Turismo is devilishly stylish, and delightfully quick, to boot.
While in our hearts it immediately dethroned our previous favorite wagon, the Audi RS6 Avant, we needed some ammunition to placate the jilted Audi fanatics we know. Thankfully, MrJWW on YouTube had the same idea as us, and decided to see how the two stacked up.
Of course, the intangibles are there: despite being a station wagon with the engine up front, it still drives like a Porsche. MrJWW refers to the acceleration as “monumental savagery.” But statements like that will be waved off as blatant fanboyism by our Audi-loving friends. So what else separates the two?
Well, for one thing, the Panamera Sport Turismo dwarfs the RS6. That means more space for antique end tables, drum sets, Newfoundland Terriers, and enough Trader Joe’s to feed a family of four for a week. That also means a car that feels heavier and, as MrJWW says, “chunkier.” However, he says that doesn’t translate to lumbering numbness — quite the opposite, in fact. “When you’ve got it in your hands, you do feel a little bit more as one with the car, despite the fact that it is such a big vehicle.”
ALSO SEE: It’s Finally Here – The Panamera Sport Turismo
The interior quality is similar, although the Panamera gets the edge. We would hope so, as the Sport Turismo costs about 33% more than the RS6 as tested. As an owner of an RS6 Avant, MrJWW feels that that car encourages mischievous behavior behind the wheel far more than the Panamera. While the RS6 Avant has a more rough n’ tumble persona, the Panamera Sport Turismo seems more content to send you to your destination in a dynamically engaging, remarkably fast earthbound spacecraft.
Interestingly, he also feels that the Panamera Sport Turismo feels like it accelerates faster. While the overall driving experience of the RS6 Avant garners schoolboy laughter, the Panamera Sport Turismo engenders feelings of wide-eyed admiration. Seeing those reactions with our own two eyes — and from an Audi RS6 Avant owner, no less — is all the evidence we need that the Panamera Sport Turismo is the new king of the station wagon hill.
