Dreaming Up A Pre-Panamera Sport Turismo With The Least Loved 911

Making The Case For A 996 Wagon

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First impressions? Well, I’m impressed. While Porsche’s relationship with wagons can be traced back to the 928-4 concept, I’m particularly a fan of two aspects of this digital rendering. First, the glasshouse along the side and how it tries to mimic the window-line of a 911, and second, the wide rear end with those 911-esq haunches. Details like the handles on the rear door, and the sporty side sill part of the body make it a lot more appealing and frankly realistic. The subtle roof spoiler and quad-exhausts are exactly what I would have imagined Porsche would have done, had such a car existed in real life.

Now let’s try and make the case for such a vehicle. If I were a middle-aged dad in the early 2000s with a lead foot, a sporty wagon would have certainly been on my shopping list. Remember, the performance SUV still wasn’t a thing back then. But even as far as practical performance wagons go, you didn’t really have much choice. At the time, the wagon space was dominated by Japanese automakers, but you still had some sporty models from BMW E39 (540i) and Audi (C5 RS6). Volvo had its range of R-designated wagons like the V70R.

My only gripe with this rendering would be at the business end, i.e. the potential cargo room on offer, as the design seems to convey space more akin to an Impreza Wagon (25 cubic feet) rather than a boxy Volvo. (37.4 cubic feet) I know that there are folks who despise the 996 for the fried-egg headlights, but there are plenty of cheap fixes available for it. Personally, I don’t get what the fuss is all about. Okay, perhaps the cabin was a bit low-rent, but beyond that, even folks like Doug DeMuro have gone on record to say that the 996 is one of the most underrated 911 generations.

Also, since the 996 debuted much before we ever got the (controversial) first-gen Cayenne, (and I’m not even talking about a fast one: the Turbo), a 300+ horsepower 911-derived wagon with room for the family and luggage with AWD, and a sub $80k price tag with sportscar credentials, would have made for the ultimate 2000s performance estate.

While this rendering showcases a 911 wagon, the engineering is obviously a lot more complicated as Porsche themselves found out when they introduced the four-door Panamera in 2009, which was followed up with the Panamera Sport-Turismo. Unlike in a 911 where the engine sits at the rear, a wagon or a sedan requires the engine to sit upfront and Porsche also took the opportunity to introduce other powerplants in place of the legendary flat-six, including V8s, V6s, and hybrids. More recently, Porsche has really embraced the wagon format (both Sport Turismo and off-road Cross-Turismo) with the introduction of the all-electric Taycan, and I’m a fan. But coming back to a 996 wagon, is it something you would have considered in the early 2000s, and crucially, do you think the 996 looks better as a wagon?