What is it?
Time was not kind to the outgoing Panamera Diesel. By the time Porsche took it for a long walk at the end of last year, comparisons with other high-priced super-saloons were rendered near senseless; a BMW 125d could comfortably outrun it to 62mph.
Privately, the firm’s engineers had been less than charitable about the 3.0-litre V6 that they’d inherited for some time. It was necessary and so-so, but faces were made, shrugs tendered and the truth plain to see: no Porsche this big should come with an output starting with a ‘two’.
If you squint a bit, its replacement fixes that. Metrically, the updated common-rail motor now sends 300hp (296bhp) to the rear wheels, in conjunction with a reworked eight-speed automatic gearbox.
The substantial 20 per cent hike in power has been rendered the old-fashioned way: by disassembling its moving parts and remaking them better, apparently preserving only the dimensions of its predecessor. As well as changing out the crankshaft and pistons, there’s a water-cooled turbocharger working at half a bar higher boost pressure, helping to extract 74lb ft more twist from 1750rpm.
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