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Porsche Panamera diesel review

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Porsche's four-seater Panamera gets a diesel engine in a bid to blend performance and luxury with economy.

What we have here represents a fairly stern test of Porsche's brand identity. An enormous, five-metre long car with divisive styling and a diesel engine; not perhaps what you'd expect from one of the world's most renowned sports car manufacturers.

Capacity of the Audi-supplied six-cylinder, common rail direct injection unit is 2,967cc, with performance boosted by a turbocharger. The same engine can be found in the Cayenne SUV (not to mention the Audi A4) and in this particular application produces 247bhp between 2,800-4,400rpm and 406lb ft of torque from 1,750-2,750rpm. Examining those figures might lead you to believe that there's a flat-spot between where peak torque ends and peak power begins, but in reality the torque curve falls away so gently that no such thing exists.

You don't of course buy the diesel version of the Panamera purely for its speed, but it's reassuring to know that there's enough grunt on tap to haul this 1,880kg car from 0-62mph in 6.8 seconds and to a 150mph maximum. Those figures are almost identical to what you get from the petrol Panamera V6.

What the diesel throws into the box of tricks is the ability to travel in the region of 750 miles between fuel stops. Porsche quotes an official EU Combined consumption figure of 43.5mpg, which is not too difficult to achieve. An excellent stop-start system plays a part, as does the gearing: in the top ratio of Porsche's eight-speed torque-convertor automatic 70mph equates to about 1,500rpm. This engine couldn't be less stressed if it was lying on a beach sipping a cocktail.

As a result, the Panamera diesel munches miles like few others; the spacious cabin (it'll accommodate four six footers with ease), generally comfortable ride and lack of noise from the engine, wind or tyres means that you can cover big distances with minimum effort. Only on the noisiest road surfaces is it anything other than supremely refined.

It's not just the space in the cabin that impresses, but the quality too. Choose the right trim level and colours and it's a real joy, feeling as solid as any BMW or Audi. The way the buttons for functions such as the Sport mode and heated seats are arranged on the wide transmission tunnel remains a neat touch, too.

The drawbacks are the same as with any other Panamera; at 1.9 metres wide this car never feels anything but enormous to drive and visibility out of the small rear screen is poor.

A complaint must also be directed at the gearbox's manual mode, which ditches the conventional logic of having a right-hand paddle for upshifts and a left-hand one for downshifts in place of an ergonomically dubious push-pull arrangement, whereby either of two identical buttons mounted at three and nine o'clock on the steering wheel can be pushed to go up a gear or pulled to go down a gear. For Porsche, a brand known above all else for the quality of its engineering, to have come up with such an illogical system and then for that system to make it through to production is staggering.

Diesel specific gripes are that you have to put up with an uninspiring engine note (it might sound smooth in diesel terms, but there's still a slight rattle at tickover and little to be gained from venturing beyond 3,000rpm) and the slight look of disappointment on your friends' faces when they realise that your Porsche is no faster than their BMW 3-series.
Being a Porsche the Panamera also carries with it certain dynamic expectations that the diesel can't quite live up to.

Yes, the steering is responsive and the rear-wheel drive chassis changes direction faithfully, but this is not a car that encourages you to drive on the door handles. The size and weight of the thing are partly to blame, but it's mainly the laid-back character of the engine. Activating Sport mode stiffens the optional £1,052 active dampers and means the gearbox holds on to ratios for longer, but neither makes much of a difference.

This car isn't going to set your pants on fire in the same way that a Panamera Turbo might, but it does have its charms. It's big, swift, smooth and competent, but rarely exciting. If you've got an appointment in Monaco and £62,134 burning a hole in your pocket then you could do a lot worse.

THE FACTS
Porsche Panamera diesel
Tested: 2,967cc turbodiesel V6, eight-speed automatic gearbox driving the rear wheels
Price/on sale: £62,134/now
Power/torque: 247bhp @ 2,800-4,400rpm/406lb ft @ 1,750-2,750rpm
Top speed: 150mph
Acceleration: 0-62mph in 6.8sec
Fuel economy: 43.5mpg (EU Combined)
CO2 emissions: 172g/km
VED band: H (£265 first year, £190 thereafter)
Verdict: A surprisingly likeable package. If you need an enormous, economical car with only four seats they don't get much better than the Panamera diesel.
Telegraph rating:
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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring...e/8827201/Porsche-Panamera-diesel-review.html
 

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