Former Porsche CEO Wendelin Wiedeking long resisted using diesels, but now Porsche has finally embraced the compression-ignition engine. In Europe, the Cayenne and the Panamera are offered with the smooth and capable 3.0-liter V-6 TDI that’s also available in a number of other VW Group vehicles, from the Audi A4 to the VW Phaeton. With 240 hp and 406 lb-ft of torque on tap, it is a highly capable, autobahn-friendly engine. Here in the States, we get that diesel Cayenne, as well as its Audi Q7 and VW Touareg relatives.
But in the grand scheme of things, the V-6 Cayenne diesel doesn’t quite mesh with Porsche’s position as an eminently sporty brand. The 500-hp Cayenne Turbo and the 550-hp Turbo S do a better job of that, but they’re gas-powered. VW once offered a V-10 Touareg TDI and Audi a monstrous V-12 Q7 TDI, and both currently offer to customers on the Continent a 340-hp, 4.1-liter V-8 diesel with 590 lb-ft of torque. The Cayenne, however, has been conspicuously absent from the big-torque party—until now.

It’s too bad, then, that you can barely hear the powertrain inside, but you can definitely feel it. Mated to an eight-speed automatic, the two-and-a-half-ton SUV accelerates with vigor. We estimate 0 to 60 in 5.4 seconds and 0 to 100 mph in 13.8. Top speed is an ungoverned 155 mph, reached in seventh gear. In comparison, the V-6 diesel’s estimates are 7.2 and 25.4. Top speed for the V-6 is 135 mph. So, yeah, the V-8 delivers huge improvements. The difference between the diesels is noticeable at all speeds, but it is especially remarkable north of 80 mph.

The immense amount of low-end torque is addictive, but the most significant benefit of this diesel might be the incredible driving range; you can go nearly twice as far on a tank of fuel compared with the gas V-8s. In the optimistic European cycle, the Cayenne S diesel is rated at a combined 28 mpg, and 25 mpg in real-world driving seems quite plausible. The latter isn’t easy to achieve in a Cayenne gasoline hybrid, especially during the prolonged high-speed runs typical in Europe. And driving this diesel is a much simpler and more natural experience. No high-pitch whine, no artificial brake feel, no sudden surges of the internal-combustion engine—just sheer output that’s easy to control and modulate.

At current exchange rates, the V-8 Cayenne diesel runs $98,830 in Germany, or about $20,000 more than the V-6 diesel. We’re going to call the premium worth it, given the higher specification of the equipment and the powertrain. Porsche has not yet decided if it will offer the V-8 model in the U.S., preferring to first monitor the success of its lesser V-6 sibling. If there is sufficient demand, the V-8 might be added. Tell everyone you know to buy the V-6 now, so you can park the V-8 in your garage later.