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FORGET SUVS, WRITES JON WALL. IF YOU WANT A CAR THAT DOESN’T DRIVE LIKE A TRUCK YET WILL CARRY EVERYTHING YOU NEED WHILE ALSO TRAVELLING VERY FAST INDEED, LOOK NO FURTHER THAN THESE THREE EPIC WAGONS

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Hybridisat­ion generally conjures up warm and fuzzy notions of eco-friendline­ss; rarely does it mean oodles of power for its own sake. But in Porsche’s answer to the RS6 and E 63 S, which goes under the name of (deep breath) Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid Sport Turismo, electric assistance is all about ooomph – and ridiculous amounts of ooomph at that. Porsche starts with 542bhp, four-litre, twin-turbocharg­ed V8 petrol engine and then adds an electric motor good for 134bhp.This boosts total output to a monstrous 676 horses, not to forget 880Nm of torque. So even though this unusually corpulent Porsche weighs around 2.3 tonnes before you load anything into it, that still means 0-100km/h accelerati­on in 3.4 seconds and a maximum that’s knocking at the door of 310. As the Sport Turismo is less a station wagon than a shooting brake, total load space is restricted to 1,400 litres; nor does the weight of the electric motor and batteries translate into an especially nimble chassis either. But ride comfort on air suspension is superb and as Porsche’s take on spoprting luxury makes for an especially cabin, this is an extraordin­arily pleasant car to spend time in. Moreover, compared with the regular car’s 911-inspired fastback, the Sport Turismo’s elegantly elongated roofline and rear – plus an added degree of usability – make it the default Panamera in our eyes, as well as a thoroughly desirable and lunaticall­y fast automobile.

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