Let’s face it. The one thing that Porsche are very well known for is their motorsport spirit. Every Porsche to ever roll out of the factory has had its test on the racetrack, and there is no reason for Porsche to not give the Panamera Sport Turismo the same treatment, right? Obviously, the pop-up spoiler on the regular Panamera didn’t just come out of nowhere! So, while you would never take your so-called estate wagon to the track, it is still built to take the corners well enough for a wagon. Well, there’s a contradiction here. Porsche calls the Panamera Sport Turismo a ‘more practical’ Panamera in comparison to the sedan. Now, practicality and performance don’t exactly go well together, do they?

No, they don’t. However, Porsche being Porsche, they've proved us wrong once again. The only major difference between the Sport Turismo and the sedan is that the Sport Turismo features a higher roofline, which gives better headroom at the back, about 25 litres of extra boot space, and a little extra space at the back. Speaking of the back, another difference is the addition of a fifth seat in the rear, but then that middle seat is just as good any rear seat of a convertible. However, don’t let that ruin your image of the Sport Turismo. The estate can fit 4 adults comfortably. Very comfortably, at that. One wouldn’t expect anything less from an automaker like Porsche anyway, right? The interior, while simplistic also has a very rich and somewhat futuristic look to it. The centre console features a sleek looking black glass panel with all your controls and the gear lever in the middle. The dashboard has multiple screens that undoubtedly give out a proper Porsche vibe. And of course, the best part about driving a Porsche is having that Porsche logo sitting proudly on a rather aesthetic looking steering wheel. Porsche are known for their build quality, and a family friendly estate certainly wouldn’t disappoint.

The exterior of the car is just as good as the interior. Panameras have had a reputation for a low sleek looking sedan with a hint of sportiness to it. But then the previous generation didn’t exactly suit that description, at least not from the back. One of the biggest complaints of the previous generation Porsche Panamera was the bulky blob like looking rear, and headlights that complement the same. However, for the 2018 version, the Panamera has a sharper, crisper, sportier look to it while maintaining hints of a luxury powerhouse all around. The rear-end of the car is now blunt and sharp looking and even though the estate still low-key has a similar body shape compared to the previous generation Panamera, it is certainly nice to look at. The rear taillights are slim and contrasting to the gloss black accents around them, as well as on the mirrors and the front bumper. A small lip-spoiler also sits beautifully at the edge of the roofline. The sides now have sharper lines, making the front vents look sportier, and more aggressive, as a result of making the estate look fast even when it isn’t moving. Also contributing to this look is the long hood and low presence of the car. The, of course, there some very nice looking quad titanium pipes at the back to round up the sporty look.

Speaking of quad pipes, let’s take a look at the numbers. 0 – 60 in a quick 3.8 to 4.5 seconds depending on the engine variant. Basically, even with the slowest engine variant, you still get a sportscar like acceleration. Porsche offers the slowest variant as a 330 HP V-6 and the quickest variant being a 4.0L V-8 pushing out a whopping 550 horses. This particular example belonging to Muralidhar Saranala is the turbo, quite a heavily loaded turbo at that! Finished in a shade of jet Black Metallic and complete with the Porsche Sports Exhaust, this is probably the most practical sportscar money can buy in India. The transmission comes with the best in class 8-speed Porsche PDK for a rather amazing driving experience for such a heavy, bulky car.

 So coming back the point. A more practical car than the usual Panamera? It doesn’t exactly feel like it since there’s not much of a difference between the Turismo and Sedan. However, is it still a sporty car to drive? Absolutely! After all, you don’t just randomly have your family wagon go from 0 – 60 in 3.8 seconds, those are very close to proper supercar numbers. The Sport Turismo is something that only someone with a penchant for wagons would put their money down on. To some, the Sport Turismo is a much better-looking car than the usual Panamera. That is something that is debatable but one cannot deny the 'cool' factor the Sport Turismo carries! So to conclude let us just say that Porsche will always be Porsche. Regardless of the body type of the car, you will always be welcomed with luxury and a good boost of performance.