Porsche has come up with a new treatment for the V8-powered Panamera models to make them a little bit more economical, or should we say a little bit less of a gas guzzler! After all, Mercedes is making more powerful V8s these days which have much better consumption than Porsche engine, and that’s not good for their image!

So they’re introducing the new brake energy recuperation system featured as standard, together with optional 19-inch all-season tyres offering reduced roll resistance. These changes help the 500-hp Panamera Turbo which before this had average consumption of 12.2 liter per 100 km (23 mpg) to do 11.3 litres per 100 km or 25 mpg. That’s an improvement of 0.9 liter per 100 km. CO2 emissions are also reduced by 21 grams per kilometre.

And the normally-aspirated Panamera S and 4S are now rated at 10.3 ltr/100 km and, respectively, 10.6 ltr/100 km (equal to 27.4 and 26.7 mpg). So they are not still what you call economical, but for a car with this level of performance these figures are astonishing.

This increase in efficiency results primarily from brake energy recuperation, with the battery being charged primarily during application of the brakes and, respectively, in overrun. When accelerating, on the other hand, the field current in the alternator is reduced, minimising the load acting on the combustion engine since it is now required to deliver even less energy for charging the battery, instead making this energy available for even faster acceleration. In conjunction with further improvements, this battery charging strategy on the Panamera Turbo saves no less than 0.7 litres on 100 kilometres, while newly developed, optional all-season tyres measuring 19 inches in diameter likewise serve to reduce fuel consumption by another 0.2 ltr/100 km on each model in the Panamera range. Together with the enhanced tread of the tyres, a special rubber compound serves to reduce roll resistance while at the same time increasing the mileage covered by the tyres. The Auto Start Stop function has also been optimised, now allowing the driver to set off again even faster and more comfortably after coming to a halt.

Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (PTV Plus) now available as an option together with Porsche Dynamic Chassis Control (PDCC) and a fully controlled rear axle differential lock enhances the driving qualities of the Panamera V8 models. PTV Plus optimises steering behaviour by intervening in the brakes on the inner rear wheel in a bend and generating an additional rotational force acting in the same direction as the steering wheel. The result is even more direct and dynamic steering when entering a bend – and at the same time PTV Plus, in conjunction with the rear axle differential, improves traction on the rear wheels when accelerating out of a bend on the road.