Refuting everything we assumed we knew about the North American car market, some Porsche dealers are claiming the Panamera Wagon is already getting a lot of positive attention. Could that could be down to Porsche offering a more practical seating configuration?
While the rear of the Sport Turismo does provide extra storage space and easier access, it’s not a game changer over the standard sedan. What it does offer is room for five, something the German carmaker couldn’t bring itself to implement on the standard Panamera. Of course, that was likely preordained. Porsche understands most people actually care about the ability to bring all and not just some of their children with them on a journey. By omitting a seat in the sedan, it gave consumers another reason to take a look at the wagon.
Dealers aren’t altogether fond of the seating configurations.
“It’s fair to say that dealers would like to see [five seats] also available in the sedan,” Joe Lawrence, COO of Porsche Cars North America, confessed to Automotive News at the New York auto show. “That’s something we’re discussing, and we’ll see what the future holds.”
Dealers have asked for a five-seater for a while. While the Sport Turismo models accomplish this, some aren’t satisfied with it being the company’s only offering. Still, this should be a good way to keep the two body styles from getting in each other’s way. With identical engines and similar trims, the Turismo needs something else to set it apart when it arrives.
It’s not like the updated sedan is garnering negative attention in the wagon’s shadow. Despite some unexpectedly late delivery dates, sales for the 2017 Panamara came back strong in March.
“It’s really taking off, and we’ve got a great order intake on it,” Lawrence said.
[Image: Porsche]
Saw a used Panamera for around $40-45k. Lack of a 5th seat was definitely A factor in not purchasing it.. Maybe not the dominant factor, but definitely A factor.. Not being a wagon was another one. So, this improves on 2 counts, at least for me. Will I ever purchase one new? Highly unlikely..
Take an S-Class Mercedes, put big stupid wheels on it, make it ride hard, shrink the interior, shape it like a bar of soap, and voila you have a Panamera.
About the same as the Hellcat Challenger, ZL1 Camaro or Shelby Mustang.
You’re insulting soap bars…
I’m a recovering Panamera fan, and a wagon man to boot; but man! That car, photographed from that angle, is ugly.
Approaches the uselessness as a concept car.
It’s a stunning car.
It *is* pretty kühn to clearcoat the primer and call it done.
Cattle are stunned. Chickens are stunned.
No stunning for me thank you.
Polarizing is my thought on the design.
So pretty.
So expensive when equipped as well as the competition.
It’s the best-looking car in the large car segment and priced like it.
You couldn’t even fit a harpsichord in the back.
Well, OK, I guess you could fold the rear seatbacks, take its legs off and bungie the hatch but all that’s like menial labor.
Come on now. This is for four people and their golf bags. If you’re carrying a harpsichord, just like every harpsichord (and timpani and bass drum) owner I know, you buy a full-size van.
The few sedans I know of are either daily driven for prestige or used to transport one tall dad and 3 very tall teens to basketball practice. There’s one up the way in the same garage as a Tesla S, that makes sense to me with the Panamera for longer trips.
The Panamera minivan is the next step in this weird automotive evolution.
The back is for your Louis Vitton luggage and/or designer poodles. You use the Range Rover for schlepping crap around, or more likely, have it delivered.
Agreed. When the new version came out I thought “oh, it finally looks good,” but the S550 is also a good looking car, and the Panamera is about $20k more than that. I get that the Porsche is the sportiest of its segment, but there’s just a limit on how ‘sporty’ something that big and heavy is going to be.
The 2018 Buick Wildcat Wagon is far better designed and half the price. Make Buick Great Again!
I’ve had bowel movements that look like this car.
The 911 design language simply does not translate to a sedan – no matter how hard Porsche tries.
While I agree with you about the 1st gen Panamera, the 2nd gen does look at least quite nice in most trim specs. This wagon even moreso, I want to not like it but it does look ok.
If they offer it with a diesel, manual trans, and in brown, I’ll buy one in a heartbeat.
Let’s give Porsche props for making a wagon and adding diversity to the market.
You know who doesn’t care about utility? Panamera buyers. They also have never heard of a Hellcat and don’t care.
I must be taking crazy pills. One, this looks more attractive than the other Panamera; two, it’s not another g#[email protected]#n suv.
Apparently the Panamera is indeed polarizing, even in our small sample size here. Me, I’ve tended to like them, and I like this latest iteration too. The price is neither here nor there for the market it addresses; people who pay that much for a car aren’t going to worry about $20 or $30 grand either way.
A friend of ours has a Panamera. She’s a wealthy widow in, I’d guess, her early 70’s. She rode in a couple of them while visiting her kids/grandkids in Dubai and bought herself one when she came home. Good on her I say!
Are they really calling the normal variant a sedan? It’s definitely not a sedan, but rather a liftback…like the A7 and the Model S and the Volt.