Techart Porsche Cayenne

The onslaught continues. After Gemballa’s tuned Panamera and the Speedart Cayenne diesel comes Techart’s efforts on the more controversial end of the Porsche range.

It’s another tweaked Cayenne diesel – there’s an engine pack that lifts power and torque to 290bhp and 465lb ft respectively (from the standard car’s 236bhp and 405lb ft), enough to cut the 0-60mph time by over a second to 7.7sec. That’s doubtless thanks to the mountain of low-down torque – 370lb ft upwards available from 1100rpm.

Inevitably there’s an exterior kit to shout about the power gains, too, with typically unsubtle bumpers and skirts and an abundance of air intakes up front.

If you want a Techart Cayenne with the whole hog – power and looks – then it’ll set you back £55,500. If you already own a diesel Cayenne, you can retro fit the styling pack for £15K and the power kit for £2500.

So what’s it like to drive? Well, better than the standard diesel Cayenne because it actually delivers a reasonably decent hit of performance, enough to dispatch an unwary hot hatch, at least. It’s smooth, tractable and unobtrusive under load but also utterly uninteresting. Two plus points – 28mpg and automatic gearshifts that are now snappier. £2,500 sounds a bit steep, but if you already have a diesel Cayenne, an ECU upgrade is a good idea. If not, this isn’t enough to persuade you that you now need one.

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