Two tonnes? The question is answered primarily by the peak 850 Nm at 1,000 rpm! Let loose on the Bosch Proving Ground in Boxberg — first around the handling course and then on the high-speed oval — the Panamera 4S Diesel was a delight to experience. Sharp, precise power delivery and immaculate steering response only add to the experience of being in an agile grand-tourer for four that truly makes you feel alive. The peak 422 PS arrives from 3,500 rpm with the 850 Nm of tidal wave arriving between 1,000 and 3,250 rpm. Post 3,000 rpm is where it’s at! You begin to question the physics-defying performance. Powering down the straight at 130 km/h, braking down to 90, and into the bend. How can something that heavy tackle a tight bend at that speed? A few moments of tyre squeal and face almost on the side window later, it was foot hard on the right pedal, up the incline.
We’ve been there before, so it was familiar. As was the oval. Enter the loop at 140 km/h. Get on to the banking, doing 170. Lift off slightly to let some hyperactive nerves collect their thoughts, then back on the power. The V8 roars and gets up to 220 km/h in a couple of blinks. Scenery is flashing by and suddenly the world tips a half-quarter-circle as it’s back on to the banking. Another high-speed round, this time deliberately coming down to 70 and then stepping on it again just to see what it can really do. A few seconds later, 200 is back on the clock and the Panamera had almost half its gears left to go. Just for the record, Porsche say it will do 0-100 km/h in 4.3 seconds with the Sport Chrono pack, and go up to 285 km/h. That just happens to make it the fastest diesel-powered production car in the world.
It’s an incredible car; everything that Porsche wanted it to be, perhaps. It’s way more stylish now, and goes even better than it looks. It truly feels like a sports car for four that can also cope with pets and luggage far better than its legendary two-door sibling.
With the figurative war on diesel going on at present, let’s not forget which engines generate more torque at lower revs and have to work less to deliver the goods. True, all fossil fuels pollute, but singling one form of emission after another isn’t going to help. There are technologies to take care of all those aspects. What, indeed, regulators and manufacturers can’t manage is what a person does to their vehicle after its purchase. The array of emission control technologies employed are cutting-edge and the very least one can do is not modify the vehicle beyond reason, if not take proper care of its service schedule. With a number of nations still using coal, does it make sense to recharge electric cars using dirty power? Diesel can clean up its act if we let it, until we get our own act together. The tides will turn, the waves will crest. We hope to see them last.
Need to Know – Porsche Panamera 4S Diesel
Price: €118,977 in Germany (or Rs 89 lakh)
Engine: 3,956 cc, twin-turbo, V8, direct injection, diesel
Max Power: 422 PS @ 3,500-5,000 rpm
Max Torque: 850 Nm @ 1,000-3,250 rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed, automatic, all-wheel drive
Weight: 2,050 kg
