Porsche unveils its latest fuel miser

Porsche has released the first official images and details of its new Panamera Diesel, which appears set to broaden the model's appeal to include a more value-conscious buying demographic.

Powered by a Porsche-tuned version of the VW Group's 3.0-litre turbodiesel V6, the car's trump card is the ability to cover 1200km on a single 80-litre tank of fuel. On paper, this translates to the ability to transport four passengers from Sydney to Melbourne, and still have about 10 litres left in the tank.

The V6 oiler churns out 184kW in the Panamera (compared with 176kW in the Cayenne Diesel), and the peak figure is on tap between 3800-4400rpm. The maximum torque figure of 550Nm is identical to that of the Cayenne Diesel, but it's available across a wider rev range – from 1750-2750rpm.

Porsche claims the Panamera Diesel copes "effortlessly with short bursts of speed and cross country touring" and the manufacturer quotes a 0-100km/h split of 6.8sec, along with a top speed of 240km/h.

These are pretty handy stats for a large luxo-laden car that returns an overall consumption figure of 6.5L/100km while emitting 172g/km of CO2. And it doesn't end there as specifying the optional low-rolling-resistance tyres trims consumption to 6.3L/100km.

The Panamera Diesel is offered exclusively in rear-drive format, and the only transmission offered is an eight-speed Tiptronic S automatic.

The 3.0-litre powerplant features electrically controlled variable-geometry turbochargers (VGTs) and common-rail direct injection with piezo valves that generate a pressure of 2000bar. Further enhancing efficiency, an auto start/stop function is fitted as standard.

The Panamera Diesel comes as standard with steel springs, but adaptive air suspension is available for buyers seeking a wider range of settings that enable the car to be tailored to a variety of road surfaces.

Measuring 1931mm across the bows and 1418mm tall, the Panamera Diesel is no different in girth to its petrol siblings, but it does sit wider and lower than most of its four-door rivals. The only visual clue that this is the oiler rather than a petrol sucker comes via the ‘diesel' lettering on the front doors.

Although Australian specifics are yet to be announced, the Panamera Diesel is expected to be available with a leather interior, Porsche Active Suspension Management (PASM), Bi-Xenon headlights, front and rear ParkAssist, tyre pressure monitoring and automatic dimming rear-view mirrors.

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