HMM: Porsche considers selling diesel-engined Panamera, Cayenne in U.S. I like the Panamera, and if I were rich I’d consider buying one. But would I be more likely to buy a diesel? I don’t think so. Now a diesel Cayenne makes sense. Or am I missing something?
UPDATE: Reader Matthew Hennessy says I am:
On purely performance grounds, diesel doesn’t cause engine damage from ‘knocking’ (since diesel compression combustion is essentially controlled ‘knock’ already) you can crank up turbocharging.. Also, it can run leaner than gasoline engines, thus leading to better economy. In the US these days, most diesel performance tuning is done on truck platforms (Gale Banks Engineering is big on diesel) but a high-pressure turbo system on a modern common-rail diesel along with a huge # of gears in a multiclutch trans could be a real winner.
Well, stay tuned.