PORSCHE HAS NEATLY top-and-tailed its already extensive Panamera offering by adding a beastly Turbo S and a miserly diesel at opposite ends of the range. You can now have the controversially styled but fast selling Panamera in eight different configurations – from naturally aspirated rear wheel-drive to all-wheel drive turbo, plus a hybrid and now the diesel thrown in for good measure.

Choosing the right car from the plethora of Panameras depends as much on your personal preference as it does on your wallet. The diesel manages to push most of the Porsche buttons, and more, but costs only R766 000. Bargain. The Turbo S costs R2 110 000, but roars from 0 to 100kph in only 3.8 seconds and on to 200kph in 12.9 seconds – that’s only one second slower than the Carrera GT. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

We drove both cars back-to-back at launch in Germany, on stretches of gloriously unrestricted Autobahn but also on some narrow, twisting forest roads where the sheer size of the Panamera coupled with the bravura of German truck drivers plays havoc on the nerves.

A decade ago the idea of a diesel Porsche would have been dismissed as ludicrous. Now it just seems like common sense, even though the engineers and designers have done their best to disguise the fact you are actually driving a diesel. There’s no diesel badge on the back, and the ones on the front doors can be deleted as an option. Start the Panamera Diesel, prod the throttle and it sounds suspiciously like a petrol-engined Porsche. Apparently the brief from the bosses was that diesel clatter was verboten - it shouldn’t sound like a diesel from the inside or the outside. Mission accomplished.

You’ll be reminded that you’re in a diesel every time you fill up at the pumps though, but with a range of more than 1200km on a tank and a claimed fuel consumption of 6.5 litres per 100km on the combined cycle, it won’t be that often. The diesel uses even less juice than the teetotal hybrid, which claims consumption of 7.1 litres per 100km.

While the interior is standard Porsche fare (quality cowhide and an overload of buttons expertly screwed into place), the engine and transmission definitely isn’t. As in the Cayenne diesel, the 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel and eight-speed Tiptronic transmission is sourced directly from Audi. Keep the revs in the sweet spot between 1750rpm and 2750rpm where the torque maximum of 550Nm is available, and the big diesel pulls eagerly. Crest the sweet spot and it’s less fun.

Leave the transmission in Normal and the optional three-stage damper settings in comfort and the diesel will cruise comfortably. Up the ante by selecting Sport mode, or even better yet, Manual, where the Tiptronic will obediently shift at every pull of the paddle (yes, you can now opt for conventional paddles instead of the counterintuitive rocker switches of Porsche’s past).  This works best with the damper in its second setting – ride comfort is still good while the suspension firms up noticeably and responds quickly to the nicely weighted steering.

So while the diesel is a frugal, comfortable and responsive cruiser, it’s no dynamic missile. That moniker belongs to the Turbo S, a car for Panamera lovers who believe that the 368kW and 700Nm of torque of the standard Turbo just isn’t enough.