The German sports car manufacturer has just sent us news of its new diesel SUV from a computer powered entirely by Ferdinand Porsche spinning in his grave.

Yep, this is the Cayenne S Diesel, which now boasts the most pulling power of all the diesel Cayennes - its 4.2-litre twin-turbocharged V8 (as seen - albeit detuned - in the Audi A8) builds up 381hp and 850Nm of torque. Eight HUNDRED and fifty. That's more than a 911 Turbo S.

For a big old unit, it's pretty quick; 0-100kph takes 5.7 seconds, and it'll go up to 253kph. Fuel consumption and emissions? A not entirely shabby 14.45kpl, and 218 g/km CO2, helped by one of those fiendishly irritating auto start/stop systems (coincidentally, it's the world's only V8 diesel SUV to offer one). That lot - and a massive 100-litre fuel tank - means you only have to stop for diesel every 1200 kilometers if you're frugal.

There's also a special traction management system that only sends torque to the front wheels when it's strictly necessary - the rest of the time, according to Porsche, the Cayenne, "delivers the dynamic qualities of a rear-wheel drive car". Want more sportyness? You'll need to option the Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus add-on.

Outside, it looks just like a petrol Cayenne S. The brake system's been optimised to handle the car's power output - note the silver brake callipers. WE SAID NOTE THEM - and the black front intake grilles emphasise the open air inlets.

It does cost a lot of money. But you do get Porsche's Vehicle Tracking System chucked in, and a free course at the Porsche Experience Centre, Silverstone.

Reckon Ferdinand would approve, TopGear.commers?

Tags: porsche, cayenne, cayenne s diesel