For those that think Volkswagen was kidding when it said it was time to start expanding Porsche’s->ke1 lineup, this may come as a surprise to you, but Porsche is again expanding the Cayenne->ke212 lineup. For those of us that anticipated the changes, this new addition might come as a surprise – particularly to U.S. buyers that see diesel-powered vehicles as sloth-like utility buggies.

Porsche has just released that it is ready to unveil the all new Porsche Cayenne S Diesel. Yes, that’s right, a diesel-powered Cayenne S. This isn’t your relatively slow Cayenne Diesel with its 3.0-liter turbocharged V-6 diesel powerplant. Rather this is a true performance model in every sense of the word.

We expect to see this model show its face in public at the 2012 Paris Motor show, which kicks off later on this month. We also expect this to be a huge deal in Porsche’s lineup, given it can perform as an S-badged Porsche should, yet still provide the fuel economy and emissions benefits afforded by switching to this gasoline-refinement byproduct as its fuel.

Click past the jump to read our full review and find out if this is just another rapitty-tapitty diesel or if this is truly a performance vehicle worthy of the S designation.

2013 Porsche Cayenne Diesel S

Specifications
  • Make: Array
  • Model: 2013 Porsche Cayenne Diesel S
  • Horsepower: 382
  • Torque: 626
  • Transmission: 8-Speed Automatic
  • [do not use] Vehicle Model: Array
Pros
Cons

Exterior

On the outside, the Porsche Cayenne S Diesel is wearing the same body you would expect to find on a gasoline-powered Cayenne S, including the black fins on the front diffuser and the air inlets on each side of the diffuser. At the corners, the Cayenne S Diesel boasts a set of 10-spoke rims, but there is no confirmation that the S Diesel will feature these rims.

The only way to identify this buggy as a diesel model is the “Diesel” badge on the front and rear. Short of that, you only see the typical “Cayenne S” badging.

We definitely appreciate the fact that Porsche decided to go with leaving the Cayenne S body as it is, giving this diesel machine a sporty, yet refined, look. We’ll release more details on the exterior once we hear more information from Porsche.

Interior

Unfortunately, Porsche did not release any information on the interior. For now, we will assume that it boasts the same stylish interior as the Cayenne S. Just like with the Cayenne S, the only part of the interior we don’t care for is the center console and center stack – it is overloaded with buttons and knobs.

Engine and Performance

Under the hood of the 2013 Porsche Cayenne S Diesel is a 4.2-liter twin-turbo engine that pumps out an impressive 382 horsepower and an astounding 626 pound-feet of torque. This gives the S Diesel just 18-horsepower less than the gasoline-powered Cayenne S, but a massive 257 pound-feet increase in torque over the gasoline version.

There is no mention of what gearbox will transfer the power to the wheels, but we assume it will be the same 8-speed shiftable automatic found in the base Cayenne S.

The 2013 Cayenne S Diesel can launch to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just 5.7 seconds, which translates out to a 0-to-60 mph time of about 5.6 seconds. This makes the Cayenne S Diesel 0.2 seconds faster to 100 km/h than the gasoline-powered Cayenne S. It can reach a top speed of 156.6 mph, which is extremely impressive for a diesel engine.

The purpose of a diesel engine is to provide efficient and low-emission power and the Cayenne S Diesel certainly delivers. It gets an impressive 28.34 mpg and when combined with its optional 26.4-gallon fuel tank, the Cayenne S Diesel can travel up to 748 miles on a single fill up. This makes the Cayenne S Diesel more efficient and faster than the 2013 Cayenne S Hybrid, which gets to 60 mph in 6.1 seconds and gets 24 mpg highway. The Cayenne S Diesel also emits just 218 grams of CO2 per kilometer. To boot, this Cayenne S Diesel is built to haul, as it can tow up to 7,716 pounds when properly equipped.

Needless to say, this is one bad-ass machine under the hood.

Handling and Braking

We assume, due to the lack of information given, that the Cayenne S Diesel uses the same suspension and braking system as the standard Cayenne S. That’s not a bad thing, as the Cayenne S is an impressive handler, for an SUV. Of course it is no 911 or Cayman, but the 911 and Cayman can’t tow a boat either.

The Porsche Cayenne S Diesel uses PTM active all-wheel drive, which gives the SUV the driving characteristics of a rear-wheel-drive vehicle, but adds in the front wheels when needed for added stability and traction. The optional Porsche Torque Vectoring Plus (PTV Plus) helps add stability by automatically braking the inside rear wheel and adding torque to the outside rear wheel to allow the Cayenne S Diesel to corner in sports-car-like fashion.

Pricing and Release Date

Porsche anticipates releasing the Cayenne S Diesel in January 2013, but there is no information on whether the S Diesel will be available in the U.S. or not. This performance diesel SUV will carry a €77,684 ($100,414 at the current exchange rates) price tag. In the UK, the Cayenne S runs £56,788 (€71,036 at current rates), making the S Diesel €6,684 ($8,639 at current rates) more than the base Cayenne S. In all, that sounds like a good deal.

Keep in mind, however, that the Cayenne is far less expensive in the U.S. than in the UK. For example, the base model Cayenne in the UK runs £44,397 ($71,541 at current rates) and in the U.S., the base Cayenne is only $48,850. This means that if the Cayenne S Diesel comes to the U.S., it will likely bear a price nearer to $74,000.

Competition

Currently, there is no performance diesel SUV that competes with the Cayenne S Diesel. Every diesel SUV that we have reviewed, like the BMW X5->ke326 xDrive35d can match up in luxury and utility, but always falls far short in raw performance. With all of this high 6-second and low 7-second diesel SUVs, but no sub-6-second models, we are left grabbing at air. Soon enough, BMW->ke178 or Mercedes->ke187 will develop an SUV to compete with the Cayenne S Diesel.

Conclusion

With its sweet combination of power, speed, utility, efficiency, and low emissions, the Cayenne S Diesel is absolutely awesome. If it comes to the U.S. with the anticipated $74,000 price, it should sell very well and we definitely give it our seal of approval. So few SUVs drop under the 6-second mark to 60 mph, but none hit that number and get 28 mpg. It definitely earns the S badge that it bears!