How far can you stretch an automotive brand?
If you’re Audi the answer seems to be into every niche on the market from sub-compact A1 to super sports car R8. But then again Audi has come from virtually nowhere, it didn’t have a great design or product legacy.
But if you’re a brand with an iconic history it’s a different story altogether. Take Porsche as an example. It will always be anchored to the original 911, an iconic sports car design that has an enduring legacy. Yet, with the introduction of, first, the Cayenne and now the Panamera it appears to breaking free of the 911s’ shackles and branching out into unknown territories.
I’ve spent this past week driving the metallic Yachting Blue Panamera diesel pictured here. A four-seater, front-engined diesel powered four-door coupe couldn’t be further removed from the original 911 if you tried, Cayenne apart that is.
When I first drove the Panamera it left me somewhat ambivalent; yes it had distance crushing performance and dynamics that belied its girth and mass, but it was an experience that didn’t make me yearn for more.
So I approached this version with intrigue and curiosity.
I suppose familiarity is softening my views on its design, but I still think it looks bulky rather than muscular. From the rear three-quarters there’s a hint of Cayman about the rear lights, but I am still of the opinion that trying to force 911 design cues onto a four-door coupe is contrived.
And it looks and feels big, you can barely slot it into a standard British parking bay. It can be done, but like trying to squeeze yourself into that sweater you first had a decade ago at 10 pounds lighter, it’s a bit tight. Threading it through the narrow lanes that criss-cross the British Isles can be daunting at times and I was pleased to have the electrically-powered folding mirrors to hand on more than one occasion.
Power comes from a three-liter turbocharged V-6 diesel producing 250 bhp from 3800 to 4400rpm, but it’s the 405 lb.-ft. of torque developed from 1750 rpm through to 2750 rpm that delivers the performance. OK, so 6.8 seconds to 62 and a 150 mph top speed won’t exactly break any records, but averaging 36.6 UK mpg (30.4 US mpg) is pretty acceptable in these straitened times. While cruising at 80 mph with barely 2000 revs on the tacho is quiet, refined and effortless.
Off the motorway and onto flowing ‘B’ roads, the optional adaptive air suspension set to ‘Sport’ and the eight-speed auto operated via the steering wheel paddles and the big coupe can be hustled along at a deceptively brisk pace. You need to modify your driving style to keep the revs within that torque band by flicking through the ratios, but once that is mastered then the Panamera delivers a genuinely pleasing drive.
The downside is that the ride can become harsh and jittery on scarred roads although the body is kept in check. Selecting the comfort setting for slower drives or motorway cruising results in a gentler ride, you’ll just have to forgive the occasional thump as rougher surfaces are traversed.
Come Monday when the car is due to be collected and I will be sorry to see it go. Has the Panamera won me over, or was it the less pummeling performance the diesel delivered? I suspect it’s a little bit of both.
Related posts:
- Porsche Panamera Diesel Bringing 37 mpg to Europe
- Driven: 2010 Porsche Panamera V-6
- 2010 FAB Design Porsche Panamera
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