Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo hybrid boot space & seating

The Panamera Sport Turismo is the practical Panamera, but that doesn’t mean it rivals a Range Rover Sport for outright space and versatility, and even more logical alternatives such as the Audi A7 are roomier. Having said that, the Panamera Sport Turismo hybrid does get a 418-litre boot that’s long enough to challenge a shorter person trying to retrieve something from its furthest depths, while a pair of adults will be comfortable in the two back seats. It's a pain that there’s no dedicated cable storage, though.

Porsche Panamera Sport Turismo hybrid interior space, storage & comfort

The Panamera is impressively practical for a shooting-brake-style, four-door GT. Anybody can get comfortable in the front seats, and even leggy adults will be comfy in the back once they’ve ducked through the low door aperture and settled into the fairly low, sculpted seats. You can, technically, seat a third person in the middle, but even Porsche describes the Panamera Sport Turismo as a '4+1' and we’d say it’s more like a '4+0.5' – it’s an emergency-only situation, even for kids.

In fact, if you add the power-adjustable rear seats, you forgo the middle seatbelt and raised, flat cushion altogether in favour of a central storage area and posh touchscreen system to control the seating, for a more executive feel to the back seats. Given the likely demographic of those lucky enough to be buying the Panamera Sport Turismo, the storage up front – two large, fixed cup-holders, door bins, a small glovebox and central storage for your phone – should do the trick nicely.

The back seats will be convenient storage for your posh Italian leather laptop case and cashmere coat. Don’t forget to add the upgraded powered seat adjustment up front; this brings adjustable lumbar, which is worth it despite the expense, as it usefully improves your seating position, especially on long journeys.

Boot space

The Panamera Sport Turismo has a boot capacity of 418 litres. It’s a long, fairly narrow boot, and the rear seats fold down and extend it should you need to get skis in. You can, of course, add a ‘load space management system’ that brings two rails with sliding lashing eyes and separating rail, to keep your groceries from suffering under g-forces.

Most annoying is the fact that there’s no cable storage, so you have a bulky suitcase getting in the way if you want to take your cables with you. Porsche does, however, give you a standard wall mount that you can screw to the wall in your garage to keep your cables hung tidily.

More encouragingly, you can fold the seats down to free up 1,287 litres of space. It's more practical than its hatchback alternative, but not by as much as you'd think – picking the Sport Turismo over the hatch is as much a decision made on looks as anything else.