This is how Porsche says plug-in wagon
Porsche uses a lot of words to introduce its first plug-in hybrid wagon: Panamera 4 E-Hybrid Sport Turismo. The method to the word madness is such: The Panamera is the full-size 2+2 sedan, but the wagon gets a fifth seat; four is all-wheel drive; E-Hybrid is plug-in hybrid with a modest, if not meagre, 26-kilometre all-electric range; Sport Turismo is Porsche for wagon.
Introduced a year after the second-generation Panamera, the Sport Turismo wagon has several functional advantages over the sedan. Rear headroom is better, it has a larger and lower hatch opening for easier cargo loading and it looks sharper, more proportional than the jelly-bean butt of the sedan.
Price is where it gets confusing, because Porsche seemingly wants to have as many Panamera variants (18) as there are 911 variants (24): Starting at $104,000 US, it has more cargo volume than the E-Hybrid sedan ($99,600), but less cargo volume than the Panamera 4 gasoline sedan ($89,600). The plug-in wagon comes better equipped and with a much better boost in power than the gas wagon, and it’s only $7,800 more instead of the $10,000 upcharge from the gas sedan to the plug-in sedan. By that math, it would seem Porsche wants you to buy the Sport Turismo.
Most importantly, it’s not a crossover, but has the crossover functionality at the rear. And the steeper hatch with the adaptive roof spoiler, along with the short overhangs and 20-inch wheels ($2,180), make it look like it’s ready to pounce.
So why get the plug-in instead of the gas wagon?
Power. Performance. Efficiency.
The electrified wagon pounces on the gas version, using a 14.1 kWh lithium ion battery and 462-horsepower 2.9-litre twin turbo V-6 — not a flat 6 — to hit 97 kilometres per hour in 4.4 seconds and a top speed of 273 km/h. A similarly equipped gas wagon hits 60 in five seconds and tops out at 257 km/h.
And there are so many modes to suit so many moods!
Accessing the drive modes comes from the wide and clear 12.3-inch touch-screen display. Fortunately, Porsche streamlined all the buttons that were in the console into a double horizontal line at the base of the stack. Press the hybrid or the car button, for instance, and the screen will present the options. As your hand approaches the screen, a vertical side menu will appear for deeper dives in that particular function. It keeps the screen uncluttered, but takes time to learn. Best to play with it in the driveway.
The default mode is E-Power, or all-electric mode for up to an estimated 26 km of range. The display can show up to 41 km of range, which is an estimate based on driving history and conditions. It’s like the estimate for how many miles are left in the gas tank, Porsche spokesman Luke Vandezande said. All-electric mode is smooth and silent around town, with the kind of grace and sophistication you’d expect for such civilized driving.
We had about five miles on and off the highway on either end for our usual commute, so as soon as we approached the on-ramp, we hit the E-Hold button to conserve battery power at its current level. We overrode that to Sport mode for the on-ramp, and my goodness, all that 516 pound-feet of torque generated by the twinturbo V-6 rockets the wagon to triple digits before we could check the speedometer or check the stupid smirk on our face.
It is important to use the modes as intended, however. If, for instance, you hammer the throttle while in E-Power mode, hoping for some of that linear torque delivery that slingshots electric cars forward, you’ll be disappointed. There is a pause in power as the system shifts from electric motor to gas engine. Unlike the Tesla Model S, the electric power is “not designed to be a performance mode,” Vandezande said.
If you want performance, hit the Sport button. It’s excellent. Otherwise, the system gracefully dances between gas and electric, and the driver can pick and choose the dance or let it do its own thing.
The handling is supreme, as is the Porsche way. It is not a crossover. The cargo area is long, but shallow at the rear. The feel of the steering wheel with the sport chrono package is sublime, too.
Sport Turismo is an excellent antidote to crossover fatigue, and it gives Porsche fans a boosted powertrain with an efficient around-town option.