Porsche Cayenne models to get a diesel V8 in Europe

We learned at the 2012 New York Auto Show that the US market would soon get their hands on a diesel V6 powered Porsche Cayenne and now it looks like there will be a more powerful oil burning V8 as well – but we shouldn’t expect to be seeing that in American dealerships any time soon.

Nothing has been made official as far as confirmation of a Porsche Cayenne Diesel with a V8 engine but according to the folks at Car and Driver – a mightier V8 diesel is destined for the upcoming Cayenne Diesel S. There is no clear indication as to what diesel V8 would be used but the most obvious option would be the 4.2L engine used in a variety of Audi models. That engine currently offers 346 horsepower and 590lb-ft of torque so it would present a vast power advantage over the V6 diesel that will make 240 horsepower and 406lb-ft of torque but that engine has been around for some time and could be a little long in the tooth for a new, higher end Porsche model.

The other possible V8 diesel engine option that could come to the future Porsche Cayenne Diesel S is a new engine rumored to be in the development stages with the folks from Bentley. If the Cayenne Diesel S went the route of an all-new diesel V8 engine, we would expect that it would offer better output than the 346/590 offered by the Audi 4.2L diesel mill. Something in the area of 400 horsepower and 650lb-ft of torque would certainly be nice, offering similar horsepower to the gasoline powered Cayenne S with the gobs more torque that you would expect from a high performance diesel V8 engine. This would also leave plenty of space between itself and the high end performance trimlines for the Cayenne including the 420 horsepower Cayenne GTS and the 500 horsepower Cayenne Turbo.

The bad news is that we are just about guaranteed not to see the Porsche Cayenne Diesel S in the United States in the foreseeable future. The C&D report on when the Diesel S will hit the European market seems a bit foggy so those who want an oil burning Cayenne in the US should be happy with the 240 horsepower diesel V6-powered Cayenne Diesel (shown above on the right) that is arriving in American dealerships later this year.

Car and Driver also reports that when the Porsche Macan hits European dealerships it will include a diesel engine option but for American buyers – the new compact Macan will only be available with a gasoline engine.

Source: Car and Driver