Frankfurt show: Porsche’s quickest Panamera diesel yet
BY TIM NICHOLSON | 3rd Sep 2013
The German sportscar-maker has released Australian pricing for the oil-burning four-door, confirming a $7900 increase from $196,700 to $204,600 when it arrives in local showrooms in March next year.
However, for the money, Panamera buyers get a radically different car. Porsche has replaced the old powerplant with a completely new 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine, providing the four-door coupe with a substantial 37kW boost in power from 184kW to 221kW.
Torque figures are also up compared with the outgoing model, rising from 550Nm to 650Nm between 1750rpm and 2500rpm.
The sleek sportscar is good for a 0-100km/h sprint time of 6.0 seconds, with Porsche claiming an improvement of eight-tenths of a second. The top speed is also boosted from 244km/h to 259km/h.
The boost in performance has not translated to an increase in fuel use, with official fuel use figures of 6.4 litres per 100km on the combined cycle, marking a 0.1L/100km improvement.
Porsche has re-tuned the eight-speed 'Tiptronic S' transmission by giving the first four gears a shorter gear ratio for improved acceleration.
The controlled rear-axle differential lock with 'Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus' (PTV+), previously only available on petrol Panameras, is now standard on the diesel variant.
Porsche says all moving parts in the engine are new, and the powerplant is now combined with a water-cooled turbocharger for the first time, providing better airflow and a higher boost pressure of 3.0 bar, up from 2.5 bar.
Petrol versions of the facelifted Panamera landed in Australia in late July, while the Panamera 4, GTS and plug-in Hybrid S-E variants are scheduled for a local berth in November, ahead of the diesel in March.
Porsche made significant price cuts across almost all its sportscar and SUV range in April this year, with the Panamera the only model in the German manufacturer's range not to gain one.
The most affordable Panamera is currently the V6 petrol, priced from $201,400 plus on-road costs, before moving up to the Panamera S for $287,100 and all-paw 4S from $299,300.
Porsche says that diesel variants make up around 15 per cent of all Panamera sales globally, and the grand tourer has sold 8500 oil-burners globally since launch.
