Porsche Panamera Turbo Sport Turismo and S E-hybrid Sport Turismo have been launched in India with prices starting from Rs. 2.08 crores.
Porsche has added two more products to its Panamera brand in India with the launch of the Panamera Turbo ST and S E-Hybrid ST. Panamera, is a popular (not by volumes, but by recognition) four-door luxury sedan from Stuttgart-based manufacturer and the new additions are estate versions of the same. The Panamera Turbo ST is priced at Rs. 2.03 crores and the Panamera Turbo S E-Hybrid ST retails for Rs. 2.38 crores (ex-showroom, India).
The ST in the name stands for Sport Turismo and both the offerings are claimed to offer a sporty shooting-brake design while being well-suited as a practical daily drive. Well, there are no doubts about the sleek, low slung and clean aesthetics of the vehicles but the estate body style is sure to divide opinions because it is a fairly new concept in India. Clearly, it is a brand building exercise from Porsche than a market penetration move.
Powering the Panamera Turbo ST is a 4.0-litre turbocharged V8 engine which spits out 541 BHP of power and 770 Nm of torque. The Panamera Turbo S E-hybrid ST, which is essentially a hybrid version of the former, additionally uses battery power to take the combined power and torque output to 677 BHP and 850 Nm respectively. Both the vehicles come with a Porsche-exclusive 8-speed dual clutch automatic transmission.
Power is sent to all the four wheels and the Panamera Turbo ST breaches the 100 km/hr mark in mere 3.6 seconds. The hybrid version, with its additional power, does the sprint even faster in 3.4 seconds and has a top speed of 310 km/hr. Adaptive roof spoiler, Porsche advanced cockpit, air suspension and four wheel drive are notable inclusions to the feature list while customers can also opt for rear-axle steering functionality which will provide improved handling dynamics.
The two cars do not have any direct competitor in sight due to their body style but the Audi RS6 Avant comes very close even though it is priced considerably lower. This duo doesn’t offer significant benefits over the Panamera Turbo except improved seating space and a more accomodating boot with a low loading height. The next offering from Porsche is going to be the third-generation Cayenne which is set for a mid-2018 launch.
Porsche Panamera Turbo ST
– Launched in India, priced at Rs. 2.08 crores, hybrid for Rs. 2.38 crores (ex-showroom, India)
– Powered by 4.0-litre turbo V8, E-Hybrid gets additional 136 BHP electric motor
– 0-100 km/hr time of 3.4 seconds, top whack of 310 km/hr for hybrid model
– Porsche advanced cockpit, adaptive spoiler and air suspension are standard equipment
