May 3 2011

Porsche launches Panamera Diesel just for Europe

The four-door gets a Porsche-tuned version of Volkswagen’s 3.0-liter common-rail turbo-diesel (packing variable-vane turbochargers just like the 911 Turbo), here producing 247 horsepower but a far more prodigious 406 lb-ft of torque – similar to the Cayenne diesel’s output, but tuned for delivery over a wider band.

Mated to an eight-speed automatic with stop-start capability, that’s enough to drive this latest Panamera variant to 62 miles per hour in 6.8 seconds. Which isn’t bad for a diesel, but what Porsche is emphasizing is the car’s range of 745 miles from a full tank of fuel. That’s enough juice to drive from Los Angeles to San Francisco and back, blissfully whizzing by every gas station along the way.

[Source: Porsche]