► Porsche Panamera shooting brake
► Goes on UK sale in October 2017
► Panamera Sport Turismo: what we know
The new Porsche Panamera range is about to grow a whole load more practical. This new, roomier Sport Turismo shooting brake is being unveiled at the Geneva motor show, with UK sales slated for October 2017.
And the good news is it looks very like 2012’s concept car. Which is to say, it adds a whole load of gangster-swagger to the swollen Panamera sports saloon.
Everything from the driver’s door B-pillar and back is different and there’s an extending roof spoiler – the first of its kind on an estate car – to generate up to 50kg of downforce at the rear axle for better roadholding.
Porsche Panamera estate: what you need to know
At 5049mm long and 1937mm wide, this is a big car (those 21-inch alloys almost look dinky). Note the raised roofline and estate-style tailgate, although at pushing £100k for top-end models, this is not going to be taking too many bag loads of rubbish to the local tip.
The power-operated tailgate lifts to reveal a 520-litre boot. Hardly Merc E-class Estate-challenging levels of volume, but pretty big nonetheless.
All three rear seats can topple individually, raising the bootspace to 1390 litres (or 1295 in the Panamera 4 E-Hybrid Sport Turismo, whose batteries gobble up boot space with seats up – 425 litres – or down).
Porsche calls it a 4+1 seating arrangement. Shorthand, we presume, for a four-seater with a perch middle pew.
The boss on the new Panamera Sport Turismo
Porsche’s CEO Blume believes the new limousine’s design translates successfully into a five-door wagon, in the mould of the Ferrari GTC4 Lusso (née FF). ‘It will have a very sharp design,’ Blume told CAR. ‘I think we will offer the first bodystyle in this segment, with even higher usability.’
See Porsche Panameras for sale.
Although globally, the Panamera is a big seller in China, Porsche believes the Sport Turismo will be more European in appeal.
Our full A-Z preview guide to the Geneva motor show.
What’s next for the Panam?
Although the new variation will answer one criticism of the fastback Panamera – the boot is too small – it won’t be ditching its strict four-seater layout. At least not initially.
The Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo will share the same engine line-up as its saloon brother, but won’t be offered in long-wheelbase Executive form. At least not initially.
The launch line up includes:
- Panamera 4 Sport Turismo 330hp
- Panamera 4 E-Hybrid Sport Turismo 462hp
- Panamera 4S Sport Turismo 440hp
- Panamera 4S Diesel Sport Turismo 422hp
- Panamera Turbo Sport Turismo 550hp
All the wagons come with Porsche Traction Management all-wheel drive for better traction. S models have adaptive air suspension for variable ride height.
See all our spy photos of the Panamera estate.
What about a SWB Panamera coupe?
Porsche executives wouldn’t be drawn on whether a two-door short-wheelbase coupe version is on the cards, but the spiritual successor to the 928 did raise a knowing smile from one source close to the company.
‘We’ve not ruled it out, but our focus is firmly on the electric cars we have in development,’ he told CAR.
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