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Porsche Cayenne Diesel

Expert Rating: 4 out of 5

Introduction

Porsche is on record saying that it would never sell a car with a diesel engine. Well that's turned out to be a bit of an untruth, as underneath this Cayenne's bonnet is a 240bhp 3.0-litre V6 turbodiesel. It's an intriguing mix, the Cayenne's decent ride and handling mated to an engine that is - at best - only brisk when compared to its petrol siblings.

What are its rivals?

For the £40,000 or so you'll pay for Porsche's black-hearted Cayenne you'll be pitching up against rivals like the Range Rover Sport and Mercedes-Benz ML as well as the Cayenne's Volkswagen Touareg cousin. The Porsche wears the most sporting badge in this company, but with the diesel engine under the bonnet, the Cayenne is like putting Usain Bolt in wellies. The basic aspects of the Cayenne's sporting appeal remain under the skin; it's just not very fast.

How does it drive?

It may not be particularly fast in diesel guise but really, who actually needs an SUV that's quicker than the 133mph, 8.3-second 0-62mph recording Cayenne Diesel? Fitted with Porsche's optional suspension management system you can pick a cosseting or stiffer ride depending on your mood, the normal mode striking a nice balance between composure and comfort. The six-speed automatic shifts smoothly, the diesel engine is pleasingly refined and pulls strongly from low revs. The steering shares much of the sharpness and precision of its faster relatives and the brakes fill you with confidence with their massive stopping ability. An enjoyable car to drive, albeit without the pace of its more fleet of foot relatives, the Cayenne Diesel might upset some of Porsche's more hardcore customers, but the thousands it attracts into the showrooms will help ensure the company's continued success.

What's impressive?

Refinement is good, the V6 diesel engine also punching above its weight in the performance front. Relatively speaking of course. Economy is excellent, the Cayenne Diesel returning 30.4mpg on the official combined economy cycle. That's not beyond the realms of believability either, the trip meter on our test car regularly sitting around 28-29mpg despite driving it with little mind to economy. Space is good inside for four adults and the boot offers decent capacity, too. It rides well, handles beautifully and is even beginning to look good since its mid-life facelift, the Cayenne maturing nicely with age.

What's not?

Economy might be on the right side of acceptable, but the CO2 emissions of 244g/km still put it in the highest VED tax band. The Tiptronic shifter buttons on the steering wheel are hopeless to operate and although improved the cabin still has a few too many cheap feeling pieces of plastic around for a car wearing a Porsche badge. Equipment is acceptable rather than generous, the £40,000 car we tested actually having around £12,000 worth of additional kit added to it. We'd want at least half of that equipment too, so it's not going to be cheap in reality.

Should I buy one?

It's easy to dismiss the Cayenne Diesel if you look at it solely from a performance perspective, but you shouldn't. It rides and handles well, that ability allowing you to use what speed it delivers from its engine through the bends to maintain momentum. That's unlikely to concern the majority of owners who'll use it to run around town and take it for the odd run up the motorway. Economy, added to well-rounded ability makes it really rather appealing - just don't take part in any traffic light grand prix in it...

Kyle Fortune