Happenings

Thrilling Contradictions - The All New Panamera

BY Keegan Gan

The sports car that unites contradictions without compromises, the new Panamera makes its debut in Singapore.

Porsche is expanding its impressive model line-up with the new Panamera range, launched at Porsche Centre Singapore on 5th September, 2013. Three exciting models were unveiled at the launch event—the Panamera, Panamera Diesel, and Panamera S. Porsche is always actively seeking to expand boundaries and continuously find new ways to progress, and the new Panamera is a direct result of this ongoing journey towards improvement.

First debuted in April 2013 at Auto Shanghai, the leading auto show in Asia, the new Panamera is more efficient, sporty, comfortable, and elegant. Part of the Porsche Principle is increasing power and performance while maintaining efficiency and sustainability — a concept that seems to go against logic but is brought to life in the new Panamera range. This idea led to the development of an entirely new engine based on the notion of downsizing — a V6 engine with a three-litre displacement and bi-turbo charging.

This newly developed engine replaces the previous 4.8-litre naturally-aspirated V8 engine in the Panamera S and Panamera 4S. The fundamental parameters of the new V6 engine are themselves indicators of progress. The car delivers 20 hp more power and 20 Nm more torque, while also boasting an 18 percent improvement in fuel economy compared to the V8 engine in the previous model. This not only gives the driver an engine that is all at once more powerful and efficient; turbocharging results in a maximum torque of 520 Nm being available over a very broad range of engine speeds for a superior and uniform power curve, even at low revs.

The new Panamera and Panamera S are equipped with the seven-speed Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK), while the comfortable eight-speed automatic Tiptronic S resides in the Panamera Diesel. As a result of the constant pursuit for progress in efficiency, all models with PDK offer a coasting function in which the clutches open in overrun, the engine idles, and the vehicle coasts freely. This function can significantly improve fuel economy, particularly when travelling on the highway.

The new Panamera generates an additional 10 hp resulting in a total output of 310 hp and is capable of reaching a top speed of 259km/h in 6.3 seconds, with combined fuel consumption of 8.4 l/km (C02 196g/km). The new Panamera S produces 420 hp that allows it to run from standstill to 100 km/h in 5.1 seconds. It can reach a top speed of 287 km/h, and its combined fuel consumption is 8.7 l/100km (CO2 204 g/km). The new Panamera Diesel, meanwhile, achieves 250 hp and is capable of completing the sprint from 0 – 100 km/h in 6.8 seconds. With a top speed of 244 km/h, the Panamera Diesel consumes the least fuel of the three model variants—6.3 l/100 km (CO2 166 g/km).