Porsche Cayenne diesel news - Boys from the black stuff - 2008

If you’re the sort of person who’s sent into anaphylactic shock by the words ‘diesel’, ‘Porsche’ and ‘SUV’ in the same sentence, you might want to look away now.

Yes, the diesel Cayenne is nearly here.

In February next year, the first-ever oil-burning Porsche will go on sale in the UK: a Cayenne equipped with an Audi-sourced turbocharged three-litre V6.

It’s the same engine as in the Audi Q7 3.0 V6 TDI – and one of our very favourite diesels into the bargain – and puts out 240bhp and a meaty 405lb ft of torque. It’ll return just over 30mpg and emit 244g/km of CO2 – in comparison, even the entry level V6 petrol Cayenne only manages 21mpg with 310g/km of emissions.

Though we don’t have performance figures for the diesel Cayenne yet, that Q7 will hit 60mph in 8.5 seconds and reach a maximum speed of 134mph. The Cayenne is smaller and lighter, though, so expect it to be a fair bit quicker.

The Cayenne TDI (if that’s what they’ll call it) will come with Porsche’s Tiptronic-S automatic gearbox as standard, with prices starting at just over £40,000.