Porsche reveal new twin-turbo V8 engine

Porsche will equip the next generation of the Cayenne and Panamera with a new twin-turbo engine. Until now, the petrol versions of Porsche’s flagship luxury SUV Cayenne, used a range of engines from the 3.2-litre V6 to 4.8-litre V8 capacities. The Panamera used to sport a similar range of petrol versions from the entry-level 3.0-litre V6 to 4.8-litre V8. The twin-turbo engine until now was the one powering the Cayenne and Panamera Turbo and Turbo S variants. The new engine delivers similar outputs to the Turbo S.

Since it is a new engine with similar levels of performance as its predecessor, we assume the new engine will be a smaller capacity block. The entire automotive industry is following a downsizing trend with development of new technology and ability to deliver higher levels of performance and efficiency with smaller blocks.

While details of the engine are yet to be revealed, as of now, Porsche has disclosed its power and torque outputs – 548bhp and 768Nm. The company also reveals that the new-gen Cayenne and Panamera powered by this new engine will get cylinder deactivation technology. Called half engine mode, it functions when the engine is constant between 950-3500rpm in a bid to reduce fuel consumption. Porsche claims an improvement of 30 per cent. Furthermore, keeping compatibility of the engine with different platforms of vehicles in mind, features like the start/stop system and hybrid applications can also be incorporated on both FWD models based on VW group company Audi’s MLB platform as well as RWD models based on Porsche’s MSB platform.