Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo Review & Prices

Practicality is rarely cool – when was the last time you saw somebody wearing their pyjamas at the local nightclub? The Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo, however, manages to blend the two. It’s a hugely fast and fun-to-drive estate car with a hatchback boot.

It isn’t alone in combining space with speed, mind you. The Mercedes E63 S Estate and Audi RS 6 Avant are two more examples of this take on performance, plus there are now myriad performance SUVs on offer such as the Jaguar F-Pace SVR.

But even then the Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo is more fun to drive than most other cars its size. It feels nimble in bends and the steering makes it easy to judge exactly how much grip you have to play with – which tends to be quite a lot, because most models have four-wheel drive.

Adjustable suspension helps make the most of that grip and is fitted across the range. In their sportiest setting body lean in corners is all but eliminated, but they can also be softened to take the edge off bumpy roads. Having said that, the Panamera always feels on the firm side versus its alternatives – particularly the Mercedes.

The pricey optional rear-wheel steering helps the Porsche turn into corners like a smaller car and the even pricier but powerful carbon-ceramic brakes mean it stops harder – although both are unnecessary because the Panamera is close enough to perfect as it is.

There isn’t a diesel Panamera Sport Turismo, so the engine range starts with a 330hp 3.0-litre petrol and gets progressively quicker until you reach the top-of-the-range Turbo S Executive E-Hybrid, which fires from 0-62mph in 3.4 seconds and tops out at 193mph.

But the real party trick is that you can do it with the kids and the dog in tow, too. The sporty estate has a healthy 520-litre boot with room for four tall adults and a decent amount of smaller storage areas scattered around the cabin.

The interior feels as sporty as you’d expect from Porsche. All four major seats are body-hugging jobs that hold you and your passengers snugly around bends, and a huge hump runs down the centre of the car that helps you feel cocooned. There’s also a fairly narrow and hard middle rear seat which isn’t comfy for long journeys.

All the cabin materials feel as premium as anything you get in an Audi, BMW or Mercedes, but the low-set dashboard and the Panamera’s unique design make it feel more special than its alternatives. All models come with a super-sharp 12-inch infotainment screen, which is easy to use on the move using a fixed control knob located between the front seats.

There’s a price to pay for the Panamera’s exclusivity, though, and that’s a long and expensive options list, plus some safety options that would come fitted as standard in more mainstream models. Adaptive cruise control, for instance, which can match the speed of the car in front before returning to a preselected cruising speed, is expensive to add, while lane-change assist that warns of cars in your blind spots is extra too.

Still, if it’s luxurious space mixed with a sports car drive you’re after, few do it better than the Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo. Just go easy on the options list and bear in mind that you’ll need to go elsewhere if you want a diesel.. Make sure you check out our latest used Porsche cars for sale, and find out how you can sell your car through carwow.

The Porche Panamera Sport Turismo comes with a range of engines, but all are fast and fun to drive. It’s a bulky thing to drive in town, though

The Panamera range kicks off with the ‘4’ – a four-wheel-drive model powered by a turbocharged 3-litre V6 petrol engine with 330hp. That’s enough poke for it to sprint from 0-60mph in less than 5.5 seconds and return around 30mpg in normal driving conditions
The Panamera 4S comes with a smaller 2.9-litre turbocharged V6, but it produces 440hp so it’ll accelerate from 0-60mph in less than 4.2 seconds. Porsche claims it’ll use barely any more fuel than the standard 4, so you’ll probably see a figure close to 30mpg in normal driving conditions.

The GTS with its 4-litre turbocharged V8 petrol engine produces a little more power (470hp) and reaches 60mph from rest only a tenth of a second faster than the 4S as a result. It’s much thirstier though, so you’ll struggle to better 25mpg.

If you fancy something even faster, the 550hp Turbo S is worth a look. This comes with the same basic V8 engine as the GTS but completes the 0-60mph sprint in less than 3.6 seconds. Despite this turn of speed, it uses barely any more fuel than the GTS in normal driving conditions.

There’s also a pair of hybrid options in 4 E-Hybrid and Turbo S E-Hybrid guise. Both come with a set of batteries and a 130hp electric motor which boosts acceleration and also lets the Panamera cruise along in electric-only mode for up to 20 miles and at speeds up to 80mph.
The 4 E-Hybrid model reaches 60mph from rest almost a full second quicker than the standard 4, while Turbo S E-Hybrid versions cut just two tenths from the standard Turbo’s sprint time.

These hybrid models come with a selection of driving modes which let you choose how to use the available power from its batteries. You can cruise along using electric power alone, switch over to petrol power or even use the engine as a generator to brim the batteries for later on in your journey – perfect if you’re heading into town and fancy slinking around almost silently.

Porsche claims these 4 E-Hybrid and Turbo S E-Hybrid models will return around 85mpg and 75mpg respectively, but you close to these figures you get will depend on how charged the car’s batteries are when you set off and how sedately you drive.

While these hybrid versions of the Porsche Panamera might sound like just the thing if you regularly head into built-up areas, there’s no getting around their sheer size. Every Panamera feels pretty massive, especially when you’re squeezing through tight streets, and visibility through the narrow rear windows is very poor.

As a result, parking can be pretty stressful – an issue not helped by lower-spec cars lacking a standard reversing camera. Even if you pay extra to have it fitted you’ll probably be disappointed by its rather so-so graphics.

Another option worth considering is the rear-wheel-steering system – available on its own or as part of the Executive pack. This makes the Panamera’s turning circle a little tighter to help you manoeuvre it through town and comes with the added benefit of making the car feel more stable at motorway speeds.

Speaking of motorways, it’s on long journeys where the Porsche Panamera excels. It soaks up bumps in the road pretty well as standard and floats over them even better with the optional air suspension fitted. Sure, it isn’t quite as comfortable as a Mercedes S-Class and you’ll hear a slight rumble from the wide tyres, but it’s still a very relaxing car to drive for long periods.

The Porsche Panamera feels much sportier to drive than the likes of the Mercedes S-Class on a twisty road, however. It’s far more agile than you’d expect such a large car to be and the direct steering and firm suspension serves up masses of grip when you turn into a particularly tight corner.

E-Hybrid models feel slightly less responsive thanks to the extra weight of their batteries and electric motor, but even these are very good fun to drive. They are a little more difficult to drive smoothly in town, however – where the regenerative braking system (which helps recharge the batteries every time you slow down) can make the brakes feel a little grabby.

The standard automatic gearbox, on the other hand, is an absolute joy to use. It’s super smooth in automatic mode and blends gears together so effortlessly that you’ll hardly notice, yet it responds almost instantly when you pull on the metal paddles to choose when to change gear yourself.

Every Porsche Panamera comes with cruise control as standard, but you’ll want to pay extra to get yours fitted with adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assist. Together, these systems accelerate, brake and steer for you to keep you between the lines on a motorway – just the thing to make long drives feel like popping to the shops.

As Porsches go, the Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo is a practical choice. You’ll find bigger boots and more room for passengers in alternatives though

Practicality

The Porsche Panamera isn’t exactly awash with clever cubbies, but there are enough storage spaces to help you keep its cabin looking neat and tidy. The glovebox is a decent size and there’s space for a few bits and bobs in the centre console.

None of its four door bins is particularly roomy, but you get a couple of decent-size cup holders in the front and there are two more in the back under a folding cover. Here there’s also a pair of USB ports for keeping passengers’ phones charged.

Space in the back

There’s no denying the Porsche Panamera is a large car, so it should come as no surprise that its cabin is pretty roomy, too. You get plenty of space to stretch out in the front, even if you’re very tall, and the standard leather sports seats get eight-way electric adjustment. You also get an electrically adjustable steering column which you can position for height and reach to find your ideal driving position.

The Porsche Panamera comes with front and rear doors as standard, so you don’t have to climb out to let passengers get in the back. The door openings aren’t particularly large, but at least the doors open nice and wide. Once passengers are inside, they’ll find there’s absolutely loads of knee room and easily enough headroom for them to get comfortable if they’re rather lofty. The only slight downside is that they can’t push their feet all the way under the seats if the driver fancies having their seat as low as it’ll go.

If you’ll be carrying passengers in the back regularly, you’ll want to consider paying extra for the Executive pack. This adds a panoramic glass sunroof, which doesn’t cut into rear-seat headroom, and electrically reclining rear seats so your passengers can stretch out and have a bit of a snooze. This also lets you fold the back seats in a three-way split to carry two passengers and some long items, such as skis, poking through from the boot.

If you have a few much younger passengers to ferry about, you’ll find it’s pretty easy to lift in a large child seat but locking it into position using the hidden Isofix anchor points is a bit of a pain. The Porsche Panamera’s low roof means you have to stoop down low to strap in a child, too.

Boot space

The Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo has a 520-litre boot, which is good for a Porsche and bigger than the standard Panamera, but quite a bit smaller than the boot on a Mercedes E63 S Estate and Audi RS6 Avant.

Still, the Sport Turismo’s boot is quite wide and its square shape means it’ll have no trouble carrying a few large suitcases on their side, but the sloping rear windscreen means there isn’t quite enough space to carry tall cardboard boxes.

Turbo, GTS, 4S and entry-level 4 models come with some handy underfloor storage, but in Hybrid versions, this space is occupied by the Panamera’s batteries. All models come with some tie-down hooks and a 12V socket should you need to plug in a portable drinks cooler.

If you need to carry bulkier luggage, the back seats fold down in a two-way (60:40) split, but you have to lean all the way forward and push some buttons beside the rear headrests before they’ll lie flat.

With the optional Executive pack fitted, the back seats fold down in a more practical three-way split which lets you carry two back-seat passengers and some long luggage at once.

The Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo has a very high-quality interior and one of the best touchscreens around. Some options are pricey, mind you

The Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo has a simple, understated, yet very sporty interior. The broad dashboard and raised centre console make you feel like your sitting in a lovely leather-clad cocoon and there’s plenty of adjustment to help you find your ideal seating position.

Unlike in some sporty cars, the Sport Turismo doesn’t come with a chunky flat-bottomed steering wheel. Instead, it gets a lovely thin one which is complemented by a pair of metal shift paddles and a few knurled metal drive-mode switches. It all feels very classy indeed.

Every model comes with lots of lovely glossy plastic and real polished metal trims on the doors, dashboard and even around the cupholders in the centre console. Every surface – even those you’ll rarely touch – feels super solid and there aren’t any scratchy plastics to spoil the show.

All cars come with leather sports seats in black or grey, but you can pay extra to have them trimmed in a range of brown, cream, burgundy and even two-tone designs. You can replace almost all of the interior’s soft-touch plastic pieces with leather or suede-like Alcantara, too, but these plush upgrades aren’t exactly cheap.

The optional wood, aluminium and carbon fibre interior upgrade packages are even more expensive.

Every Sport Turismo comes with a 12-inch central infotainment display and two extra screens positioned either side of a traditional analogue rev counter.

The central touchscreen is one of the sharpest in any car and it comes with some physical shortcut buttons and a scroll wheel to help you sift through the various menus, but these are all hidden behind the Panamera’s large and rather awkwardly placed gear lever.

The system makes a clicking sound to let you know you’ve pressed an icon, but it doesn’t deliver any haptic feedback such as you get in an Audi S7 so it isn’t particularly easy to use on the move.

Unlike Audi’s rather fiddly on-screen system, the Porsche Panamera comes with physical buttons for the heating and ventilation controls. But, you have to mess around with some touchscreen menus to adjust the position of the air vents in the centre console which seems a bit daft.

On a brighter note, the maps that are displayed as part of the standard satellite navigation system are super crisp and easy to read, and entering an address using the on-screen keyboard is pretty easy to do – when you’re parked, at least.

You can also view the map screen on the smaller digital display to the right of the rev- counter, or swap this out for an analogue-style speedometer using shortcut buttons on the steering wheel.

If you aren’t a fan of Porsche’s own navigation system, you can use the built-in Apple CarPlay feature to mirror your phone’s screen on the Panamera’s infotainment display instead. This is easy to set up and a doddle to use, but it doesn’t make the best use of the car’s widescreen central display and leaves a rather unsightly blank patch on one side.

This feature does let you play music from apps such as Spotify through the Porsche Panamera’s stereo without resorting to a conventional Bluetooth connection. The standard stereo’s a fairly beefy 10-speaker system, but you can upgrade to a 14-speaker Bose system for some added punch. If that’s not enough, there’s a (much) more expensive Burmester system with a whopping 21 speakers and a subwoofer to really rattle your fillings.