I don't like the V8 Panameras, but this guy finally did it for me. This isn't a modest vehicle. No, it isn't a raging beast, as was the Turbo Sport Turismo version, and it does weight in at close to 5,000 pounds. But the V8, the snappy transmission, and especially the dynamic chassis feature and the torque-vectoring combined to fill me with confidence on both freeways, byways, and some twisty asphalt.
My time with the GTS Sport Turismo was brief but joyful. And it was a full test, including a variety of different types of driving in the Bay Area, plus some basic cargo hauling. No, this car isn't as much fun as a 911. Yes, it does argue for a suitably grand four-door experience. Yes, you do want to make this puppy go fast. And yes, it does go fast. Real fast. At any given time, you're likely to be the fastest thing in your immediate vicinity. Making space on San Francisco's crowded freeways was no problem.
So, in the end ... shocker! I cozy up to the slightly less powerful and in my view more fun wagonized version of the Porsche I probably like least.
Nothing wrong with that, and props to Porsche for creating a Panamera, almost literally, for everyone.