Porsche Panamera Diesel - The New Oil Burner Is Revealed

I do like the Porsche Panamera. It may look like a very large toad and if you parked it beside an Aston Martin Rapide, a Maserati Quattroporte or a Mercedes Benz CLS you would find that it is actually very ugly in that sort of company. But that hasn’t stopped Porsche from selling a whole lot of them. The reason for this is presence. It has bus-loads of road presence and if one suddenly pulled up right behind you, you’d be slightly intimidated and move over in an instant. Unless you’re in something as equally rapid, that is. And with that little thought out of the way I’d like to introduce the new Porsche Panamera Diesel.

The oil burning Panamera Diesel is obviously catered to those who believe in all the looks of the Panamera but want the efficiency of a diesel powered vehicle. In markets all over Europe, diesel is a very sensible choice especially when fuel prices are soaring. And no, the announcement of a leading terrorist’s death isn’t going to cause a downward spiral of fuel prices any time soon.

Anyway, this new diesel powered toad of a car is powered by Volkwagen’s 3.0-litre turbodiesel V6 engine. Being a modern day diesel it features common rail injection that has an extremely high 2000bar injector pressure as well as a variable geometry turbo unit. Couple these two with some decent ECU tuning and a fabulously crafted engine you get 247bhp and 406lb-ft of torque. But note that this is a diesel engine. You get all that torque between a very low 1,750rpm to around 2,750rpm.

Porsche claim that this power output is similar to the Porsche Cayenne Diesel but over a wider rev range. Yes, it is hard to fathom how wide is wide when peak torque happens so early in the rev range for a good 1,000rpm spread and that the car has a red line somewhere in the region of 4,800rpm. It’s isn’t a 8,500rpm screaming 911 GT3 RS 4.0 if you want some sort of comparison. This car could be like Mike Tyson with a killer punch but without the stamina like a young Muhammad Ali. He would tire out after round 5 while the young Ali may just carry on till round 10 of the match.

The best thing is even with 4,800rpm to play with, Porsche has mated this slugger with an eight speed Tiptronic automatic transmission. Imagine the closeness of the gear ratios and how so many gears figure out what’s best for the car.

So what does this combo of high torque and a lot of gears get you? It will basically get you from 0 to 62mph in 6.8sec and on to a top speed of 150mph. Porsche also claims CO2 emissions of 172g/km and combined fuel economy of 43.5mpg. With its 80 liter fuel tank it is theoretically enough for the Panamera Diesel to travel about 745 miles on a single fill. And that’s not all. The car will also be offered with optional low-resistance tires that help to extract an extra 1.5mpg and cut CO2 emissions to 167g/km. But I’d stick with the normal tires, as firstly they still don’t allow you to sneak under any congestion charges in London (if you happen to commute over there) and secondly, if you can afford a Panamera Diesel please live a little. Low resistance tires usually have less grip than normal tires, regardless of what manufacturers tell you. You shouldn’t be seen to be such an obsessive fuel saving anorak as you’ve bought yourself a Panamera in the first place for goodness sake!

So what else do you get in the diesel Panamera? You get some badging to tell people that you’re doing your part in trying to save the environment. Your front doors get ‘diesel’ badges. Don’t worry. They look tasteful and people will hardly notice it when you drive by.

Other standard stuff include the PASM suspension management system, bi-xenon headlights, the usual LED driving lights, park assist on the front and rear, engine stop-start, tire pressure sensors and touch screen Sat-Nav for those itching to touch something during those long commutes. The option list also includes air suspension over the stock steel springs if you feel the need for a more cosseting ride.

Prices start at £62,134 over in the UK and I’ve even heard that Porsche is currently offering buyers a free Porsche driving experience session at Silverstone where you’ll get to drive the 911 and the Cayman for a day and then when you drive home in your Panamera diesel you may have wished you bought something else. Just a thought folks, just a thought.