Pay attention to the extreme... squatting session the second-generation Porsche Panamera 4S Diesel shows in the piece of footage at the bottom of the page and a lot of questions will follow.
Why is Porsche still testing the V8 oil burner? Does that blitz pace of the Panny mean the engineers behind the wheel are trying to set a lap time?
As improbable as Porsche aiming to grab a diesel record might sound, this is actually a very interesting perspective. As those of you keeping track of Nordschleife shenanigans know, the Panamera and the Alfa Romeo Giulia are currently engaged in a more or less accurate Ring sedan record battle.
The hostilities kicked off with the 502 hp (510 PS) Italian machine delivering a 7:39 minutes lap, but the 550 hp 2017 Panamera Turbo one-upped the Giulia Q by one second.
The Alfa recently returned to the Green Hell in 8-speed auto trim, pulling a tail-happy 7:32 minutes lap. Mind you, the brawl is far from over, since Zuffenausen still hasn't introduced the Turbo S flavor of the second-gen Panamera.
It's worth noting the German automaker never claimed to compete with the Italians - while the manual Giulia Quadrifoglio had set a sedan record, Porsche claimed the right to the "premium sedan record".
Returning to the Panamera 4S Diesel, it's difficult to get over the mental conflict involving the flying laps we see here and the 2,050 kg DIN weight (make that 4,519 lbs) of the thing. Heck, as we pointed out back in July, a simple comparison also involving the gas-fed 2017 Panamera 4S shows the oil-burning model is a massive 180 kg (397 lbs) chunkier.
That's the price one has to pay for the Audi SQ7-borrowed 4.0-liter diesel V8 under the hood. Aided by an electric compressor and a pair of conventional turbos, the mill churns out 422 PS and 850 Nm (lb-ft) of twist.
And while we may have lost you at "oil burner", you might be sorry for this model not coming to the US when checking out the performance numbers of the machine. These mix the average European cycle efficiency of 6.7l/100 km (35 US mpg) with 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 4.3 seconds and on to a top speed of 285 km/h (177 mph).
But enough with the figures - it's time to let the Nurburgring clip do its job.
In his quest to bring you the most impressive automotive creations, Andrei relies on learning as a superpower. There's quite a bit of room in the garage that is this aficionado's heart, so factory-condition classics and widebody contraptions with turbos poking through the hood can peacefully coexist. Full profile
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