The common-or-garden sport wagon has by no means seen a lot love within the US. Low, lengthy sensible automobiles with massive engines able to massive speeds have by no means captivated the minds of many right here, and so when Porsche introduced the Panamera Sport Turismo on the New York Auto Show in 2017, I used to be frankly astonished that they promised to promote the factor right here. And now, a yr later, right here it’s.

The Sport Turismo taste of the Panamera provides a number of key inches to the rear roofline, making a extra upright silhouette than the bottom automotive. Name it a sport wagon, name it a taking pictures brake, hell you possibly can name it Nancy if you need, these few added inches create a surprising form that may flip heads. And, as I’d be taught, when this automotive is paired with the outrageously quick and but strikingly frugal plug-in hybrid powertrain, the $188,400 Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid Sport Turismo is a nigh-unbeatable mixture.

The bundle

The Panamera is the closest factor to a sedan that Porsche makes, a front-engine, four-door hatchback that brought on many loyalists to name blasphemy when it was launched in 2009. Considerably ungainly styling in that first technology did not assist the automotive’s case, however few questioned its efficiency capabilities.

The brand new Panamera, unveiled in 2016, did a lot to silence the critics of its visible design, but it surely’s the Sport Turismo variation that basically clicked with me. I’m, you see, an proprietor of a few canine, and I need nothing greater than to load up the pups and a bunch of drugs and head into the hills on the weekend. And you may make sure I will be taking the twistiest route I can discover.

Nevertheless, being frugal by nature, I confess that I might wrestle to load a pair of muddy, post-hike pups right into a $210,940 as-configured automotive. Past that, Sport Turismo is not precisely a leap ahead over the bottom Panamera in relation to practicality. That further room within the rear solely provides 5 cubic ft of cargo area, and naturally that is all up excessive. So it is extra in regards to the look, then, plus a bit extra headroom in your back-seat passengers.

Even so, the Sport Turismo efficiently swallowed sufficient baggage for my in-laws’ three-month journey overseas, the one complication was having to maneuver the automotive’s large onboard charger. As soon as every part was loaded, the Sport Turismo grew to become precisely the form of automotive you may wish to slot into after stepping off an limitless collection of flights.

The entrance seats are comfy but supportive sufficient for spirited driving, and the (non-compulsory) therapeutic massage readily makes actually lengthy hauls extra bearable. The rear seats are relaxed and enveloping, and a separate touchscreen infotainment interface ensures passengers again there can nonetheless be in management.

Actually, although, in a automotive like this, you may wish to be within the driver’s seat.

Frugal efficiency

It is uncommon that I focus an excessive amount of on gas effectivity when reviewing a automotive that prices in extra of $200,000, however I will begin there as a result of it is a part of what makes this machine so particular. The Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid Sport Turismo is rated for a frankly astounding 49 MPGe. This from an all-wheel-drive automotive that delivers 680 horsepower from its mixture of a four.Zero-liter, twin-turbocharged V8 and electrical motors.

Granted, you will not see anyplace close to that MPG determine if you happen to’re making an attempt to match the automotive’s rated three.2-second Zero-to-60 time, however if you happen to make good use of the 20 miles of all-electric vary supplied by the 14.1 kilowatt-hour battery pack, you may discover this to be a surprisingly frugal companion.

I did my greatest to withstand, however with frequent dips into the go-pedal throughout my week of testing, I averaged 27 mpg. Sure, that is far in need of the utmost, however much better than another automotive I’ve ever examined providing this sort of efficiency. It is a full 10 greater than we noticed on the 2018 Mercedes-AMG E63 S Wagon.

Curiously, the automotive’s effectivity shines by in one other manner. In the event you hit a twisty street within the automotive’s Sport+ mode, its highest efficiency, the automotive very aggressively works to recharge the battery pack. I discovered that after a 20-mile blast by the countryside in Sport+ the automotive had recaptured 10 miles value of electrical energy. That is spectacular stuff.

Nonetheless, it is not excellent on the powertrain entrance. The transition from electrical drive to gasoline generally is a bit abrupt and unsettling, and certainly easy duties like accelerating cleanly at low pace from a cease require a bit finesse.

Regardless, the automotive is a outstanding performer, a machine that handles much better than any automotive this measurement has any proper to. With its all-wheel drive and big, 325/30ZR21 tires on the rear, it has grip in spades — sufficient to make me need one other go within the winter time. (Ideally, although, on one thing extra winter-friendly than the summer-focused Michelin Pilot Sports activities.)

Tech test

The brand new Panamera affords Porsche’s newest infotainment system in a stupendous, wide-aspect-ratio show that measures 12.three inches on the diagonal. It is snappy to reply and never missing in any performance save one obvious omission: Android Auto. Apple CarPlay is, at the least, current.

Most bodily buttons within the automotive have been changed by an extended, sweeping, piano-black capacitive contact interface. Contact any “button” and also you get a bit haptic buzz that feels for all of the world like a click on. It seems nice and works nicely, however boy is it a fingerprint-magnet. A kind of buttons toggles the $1,200 Encompass View bundle, delivering a crisp, clear overhead view of the automotive, which makes parallel parking a breeze.

Being a top-shelf luxurious automotive, the Panamera additionally affords a complete adaptive security system, together with Porsche’s InnoDrive, as a part of a $5,370 bundle. This mixes adaptive cruise plus superior lane-keep departure, and a system that may (optionally) mechanically regulate pace based mostly on posted pace limits. I discovered the auto-steer performance to be on par with one of the best on the street right this moment, which is to say, very useful on the freeway and a bit questionable on secondary roads.

Choices and configuration

For a lot of, the great thing about a automotive like that is within the customization, and certainly the choices record right here is a couple of mile lengthy. For instance, you may have your selection of 9 separate coloration combos for the centrally mounted tachometer and the dashboard-mounted Sport Chrono clock. Extreme? Completely not.

I am going to maintain it fairly easy and, actually, I would not stray too removed from the configuration within the automotive I examined. $1,340 for the rear-axle steering bundle is worth it in a automotive this lengthy, and whereas $three,490 feels a bit extreme for the game exhaust system, if you need the flexibility to go loud or go stealthy, it is a must-have.

Summer time tires on the 21-inch wheels are a no-cost possibility, however you may need the $1,200 Encompass View bundle to make sure you do not curb them whereas parallel parking. Eight-way energy seats are $2,310, and whereas the separate $2,040 therapeutic massage possibility is a giant egregious, you may want that for air flow.

I might skip the Premium Package deal Plus, which provides lane-change help and soft-close doorways, however the $5,370 for the Help Package deal is nicely value the price. That stunning Sapphire Blue Metallic paint comes customary, at the least, and enhances the chartreuse calipers.

All that, plus a number of different odds and ends, would have me clocking in at $208,150 after a $1,050 vacation spot cost. It appears I might higher begin saving.

Wrap-up

I had very excessive expectations going into my week with the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid Sport Turismo, and admittedly the automotive exceeded even these. It is an eminently comfy electrical automotive, a ballistic long-distance cruiser and the form of comfy, sensible household hauler that goals are made from. That it may be all these issues and nonetheless mild up my life on my favourite roads is a really great factor.