Compare the2023 Lincoln NautilusVS 2023 Porsche Cayenne Coupe

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Nautilus are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Cayenne Coupe doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Nautilus’ standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Cayenne Coupe.

The Nautilus has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Cayenne Coupe’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Nautilus has standard Cross-Traffic Alert, helping the driver avoid collisions. Porsche charges extra for rear cross-path warning on the Cayenne Coupe.

Both the Nautilus and the Cayenne Coupe have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Nautilus the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 53 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Cayenne Coupe has not been tested, yet.

Lincoln’s powertrain warranty covers the Nautilus 2 years and 20,000 miles longer than Porsche covers the Cayenne Coupe. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the Cayenne Coupe ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 4 times as many Lincoln dealers as there are Porsche dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Nautilus’ warranty.

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 Nautilus’ reliability 23 points higher than the Cayenne Coupe.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Nautilus first among midsize premium suvs in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Cayenne Coupe isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Lincoln vehicles are better in initial quality than Porsche vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Lincoln above average in initial quality. With 33 more problems per 100 vehicles, Porsche is rated below average.

On the EPA test cycle the Nautilus gets better mileage than the Cayenne Coupe running its gasoline engine:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Lincoln Nautilus uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The Cayenne Coupe requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Nautilus has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Cayenne Coupe doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Lincoln Nautilus higher (6 out of 10) than the Porsche Cayenne Coupe (3 to 5). This means the Nautilus produces up to 23.4 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Cayenne Coupe every 15,000 miles.

In an emergency stopping situation, many drivers don’t press the brakes with enough force to stop the vehicle in the shortest distance. The Nautilus has a standard brake assist system to detect emergency braking situations (by how hard and how quickly the brake pedal is pressed) and then automatically apply maximum braking immediately in order to help prevent a collision. The Cayenne Coupe doesn’t offer a brake assist feature.

The Lincoln Nautilus may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 500 to 1150 pounds less than the Porsche Cayenne Coupe.

The Nautilus is 4.2 inches shorter than the Cayenne Coupe, making the Nautilus easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Nautilus uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Cayenne Coupe doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Nautilus has 1.7 inches more front headroom, 1.7 inches more front legroom, .9 inches more rear headroom and 2.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Cayenne Coupe.

The Nautilus has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Cayenne Coupe with its rear seat up (37.2 vs. 22 cubic feet). The Nautilus has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Cayenne Coupe with its rear seat folded (68.8 vs. 54.3 cubic feet).

Pressing a button automatically lowers the Nautilus’ rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Cayenne Coupe doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Nautilus 2.7 Turbo can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Nautilus can be unhitched and driven around locally. The Cayenne Coupe can’t be towed flat on the ground.

The Nautilus has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Cayenne Coupe doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The Nautilus’ standard easy entry system raises the steering wheel and glides the driver’s seat back, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. An easy entry system costs extra on the Cayenne Coupe.

If the windows are left open on the Nautilus the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can also lower the windows the same way. The driver of the Cayenne Coupe can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Nautilus’ exterior PIN entry system. The Cayenne Coupe doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Porsche Connect can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Nautilus has a standard rear wiper. The Cayenne Coupe doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Nautilus has standard extendable sun visors. The Cayenne Coupe doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The Nautilus Reserve/Black Label offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet in the cargo area, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Cayenne Coupe doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Nautilus is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Cayenne Coupe doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Insurance will cost less for the Nautilus owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Nautilus will cost $6275 to $14750 less than the Cayenne Coupe over a five-year period.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Lincoln Nautilus will be $34399 to $99773 less than for the Porsche Cayenne Coupe.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Lincoln Nautilus and the Porsche Cayenne Coupe, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Lincoln Nautilus outsold the Porsche Cayenne by 42% during 2022.