Compare the2023 Porsche CayenneVS 2023 Land Rover Discovery

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Porsche Cayenne are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Land Rover Discovery doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

The Porsche Cayenne has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Discovery doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Cayenne has a standard Multi-collision Brake System, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Discovery doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

A passive infrared night vision system optional on the Cayenne helps the driver to more easily detect people, animals or other objects in front of the vehicle at night. Using an infrared camera to detect heat, the system then displays the image on a monitor in the dashboard. The Discovery doesn’t offer a night vision system.

Both the Cayenne and the Discovery have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

The Cayenne’s corrosion warranty is 6 years longer than the Discovery’s (12 vs. 6 years).

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Cayenne’s reliability 20 points higher than the Discovery.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Porsche vehicles are more reliable than Land Rover vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Porsche above average in long-term dependability. With 30 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Land Rover is rated below average.

The Cayenne has more powerful engines than the Discovery:

As tested in Car and Driver the Porsche Cayenne turbo V6 is faster than the Discovery P360 3.0 turbo/supercharged 6-cylinder hybrid:

On the EPA test cycle the Cayenne running on electricity gets better mileage than the Discovery:

On the EPA test cycle the Cayenne E-Hybrid running its gasoline engine gets better fuel mileage than the Discovery 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder (20 city/22 hwy vs. 19 city/22 hwy).

The Cayenne can travel with zero emissions for 15 to 17 miles (dependent on model). The Discovery can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

Regenerative brakes improve the Cayenne’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Discovery doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certifies the Porsche Cayenne as an “Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle” (ULEV). The Land Rover Discovery is only certified to “Low Emissions Vehicle” (LEV) standards.

The Cayenne’s optional launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The Discovery doesn’t offer launch control.

For better stopping power the Cayenne’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Discovery:

The Cayenne offers optional heat-treated ceramic brake rotors, which last ten to twenty times as long as conventional cast iron rotors, don’t rust, don’t fade during repeated high speed braking, and their lighter weight contribute to better braking, handling and acceleration. The Discovery doesn’t offer ceramic brake rotors.

The Cayenne Turbo has standard air brakes, which adjust the spoiler automatically during high-speed braking in order to shorten stopping distances. The Discovery doesn’t offer air brakes.

The Cayenne stops much shorter than the Discovery:

For better traction and acceleration, the Cayenne has larger standard rear tires than the Discovery (275/50R19 vs. 255/55R20). The Cayenne’s optional rear tires are larger than the largest rear tires available on the Discovery (315/35R21 vs. 285/40R22).

The Cayenne’s standard 275/50R19 rear tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Discovery’s standard 55 series tires. The Cayenne’s optional 285/35R22 front and 315/30R22 rear tires have a lower 35 series front and 30 series rear profile than the Discovery’s optional 40 series tires.

The Cayenne offers active sway bars, which help keep it flat and controlled during cornering, but disconnect at lower speeds to smooth the ride and offer greater off-road suspension articulation. This helps keep the tires glued to the road on-road and off. The Discovery doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

The Cayenne offers an available adjustable active suspension system, which counteracts cornering forces actively, limiting body roll and improving handling and stability. Land Rover doesn’t offer an active suspension on the Discovery.

The Cayenne handles at .96 G’s, while the Discovery R-Dynamic S pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Cayenne Turbo executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 4.2 seconds quicker than the Discovery R-Dynamic S (23.9 seconds @ .83 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Cayenne w/Rear Wheel Steering’s turning circle is 5.6 feet tighter than the Discovery’s (35.1 feet vs. 40.7 feet). The Cayenne’s turning circle is .9 feet tighter than the Discovery’s (39.8 feet vs. 40.7 feet).

The Porsche Cayenne may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs up to about 300 pounds less than the Land Rover Discovery.

The Cayenne is 8.8 inches shorter in height than the Discovery, making the Cayenne much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

The Cayenne has 2 inches more front legroom and 2.9 inches more rear legroom than the Discovery.

The Cayenne has a much larger cargo volume than the Discovery with its rear seat up (27.2 vs. 9.1 cubic feet).

A standard locking glovebox keeps your small valuables safer in the Cayenne. The Discovery doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The Cayenne’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Discovery’s (7700 vs. 5925 pounds).

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Porsche service is better than Land Rover. J.D. Power ranks Porsche third in service department satisfaction. With a 64% lower rating, Land Rover is ranked 30th.

The Cayenne’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Discovery does not have an oil pressure gauge.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Cayenne offers optional adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Discovery doesn’t offer cornering lights.

To better shield the driver and front passenger’s vision, the Cayenne has standard dual-element sun visors that can block glare from two directions simultaneously. The Discovery doesn’t offer secondary sun visors.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Cayenne to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Discovery doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Cayenne’s optional Active Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Park Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Discovery’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park and it doesn’t offer remote control parking.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Porsche Cayenne, based on reliability, safety and performance.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Cayenne third among upper midsize premium suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Discovery isn’t in the top three.

The Porsche Cayenne outsold the Land Rover Discovery by almost 11 to one during 2022.