Porsche Cayenne Diesel

What is it?

The second-generation Cayenne has only been on sale for a year, but Porsche has already made a few tweaks to the money-spinning performance SUV. There’s a 533bhp turbo power kit for, well, the Turbo, while the Hybrid now runs in electric-only mode more often. Most significantly, though, and tested here, is a modified diesel with more power and lower emissions.

Okay, so power is only up by 5bhp, to 242bhp, but coupled to it is a decrease in fuel consumption, which is now 39.0 rather than 38.2mpg, with emissions down from 195 to 189g/km.

What's it like?

That doesn’t sound a lot because it isn’t, but it’s enough to knock the Cayenne diesel down to a 30 per cent benefit in kind tax rate, from 32 per cent. No, that doesn’t sound like much either but, given that the Cayenne diesel costs £46,338, and given that the top-spec Volkswagen Touareg TDI costs £44,295 and also emits 189g/km, it’s a couple of per cent worth having. It also gives the Porsche an advantage, unusually, over BMW’s 195g/km X5 3.0d.

The engine modifications include a new turbo, a new, lighter crankshaft and an increase in injection pressure; all-in, the new engine is 20kg lighter than the old one.

Aside from what it’ll cost a business user, most significant is that the new variable-vane turbocharger improves the throttle response. Without trying the two back to back it’s hard to say precisely by how much, but with memory from the last time I drove one, I can say it’s “a bit”. Certainly, response is very strong (0-62mph falls by 0.2sec to 7.6), while refinement stays very high.

A lot of the time you’d be pushed to tell you’re in a diesel; sometimes turbodiesels have some pre-2000rpm lag, but the Cayenne’s response is crisp even from low revs, while the eight-speed auto keeps things ticking along nicely. Amusing though the turbo petrol is, the Cayenne doesn’t need more grunt than this.

Should I buy one?

It could do with a slightly better ride, mind you, which is made for high-speed stability rather than for good absorption over town lumps. The pay-off is that body control is keen and roll minimal; the Cayenne is still unique among proper 4x4s in being able to deliver astonishing levels of grip and cross-country pace. If that’s your bag, the Cayenne is the big SUV of choice.

Matt Prior

Porsche Cayenne 3.0 V6 Diesel

Price: £46,388; Top speed: 137mph; 0-62mph: 7.6sec; Economy: 39.0mpg; CO2: 189g/km; Kerb weight: 2080kg; Engine: V6, 2967cc, turbodiesel; Power: 242bhp at 3800rpm; Torque: 405lb ft at 1750-2750rpm; Gearbox: 8-spd automatic