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  1. Five of the best Le Mans round-trippers
  2. Porsche Cayenne Diesel, Perfect Porsche
  3. Peugeot 407 Coupé Sport HDI 136, Suave Gallic
  4. Audi A6 2.0 TDI Avant S-Line, Load-lugging loveliness
  5. Jaguar XF 3.0 V6 Diesel, Smooth sophisti-cat
  6. Mercedes-Benz E 250 CDI Coupé, Fuel-sipping Class

Porsche Cayenne Diesel, Perfect Porsche

The badge on the Cayenne's bonnet gives it serious credibility around Le Mans, Porsche among the most successful brands ever to compete at the French 24-hour race. The 911 might be responsible for that, but no 911 has the range to get to Le Mans and back on one tank. The Cayenne Diesel does, thanks to both a massive 100-litre fuel tank and a parsimonious 3.0-litre turbodiesel engine. Drive it at less than Gendarme-attracting speeds and the Cayenne should deliver its claimed combined fuel consumption figure of 35.8mpg. That gives this chunky Porsche a potential range of 784.48 miles, easily enough to get from London to Le Mans and back again without stopping for fuel.

With a smooth auto, decent performance and room for three mates plus yourself and lots of camping gear/beer, the Cayenne Diesel is perhaps the perfect Le Mans car. Its four-wheel drive is handy too if the campsite gets deluged by rain. Okay, so a 911 would be more fun, but the Cayenne gets the vote for comfort, and after being up 24 hours to watch its RS Spyder relatives racing on track you'll appreciate the Cayenne's qualities even more.

Kyle Fortune