Compare the2023 Land Rover DefenderVS 2023 Porsche Cayenne

Both the Defender 110/130 and Cayenne have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Defender has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Cayenne’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Defender’s 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.

The Defender 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 and moves the vehicle back into its lane. A system to reveal vehicles in the Cayenne’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Defender’s standard Rear Traffic Monitor uses sensors in the rear to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side and Rear Traffic Braking automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. The Cayenne doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.

The Defender’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Cayenne doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Defender and the Cayenne 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 and rearview cameras.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Land Rover vehicles are better in initial quality than Porsche vehicles. With 7 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Land Rover higher than Porsche.

As tested in Motor Trend the Defender V8 5.0 supercharged V8 is faster than the Porsche Cayenne turbo V6:

On the EPA test cycle the Defender 110/130 gets better mileage than the Cayenne running its gasoline engine:

The Defender 90’s standard fuel tank has 3.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Cayenne E-Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (23.4 vs. 19.8 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

In an emergency stopping situation, many drivers don’t press the brakes with enough force to stop the vehicle in the shortest distance. The Defender has a standard Emergency Brake Assist 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 doesn’t offer a brake assist feature.

The Defender has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Cayenne; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which has mileage and speed limitations, or roadside assistance and a tow-truck.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Defender 110’s wheelbase is 4.9 inches longer than on the Cayenne (118.9 inches vs. 114 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Defender is .8 inches wider in the front and 1.2 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Cayenne.

For greater off-road capability the Defender 90 has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Cayenne (8.9 vs. 8.2 inches), allowing the Defender to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Defender 110 Air Suspension’s minimum ground clearance is 1.9 inches higher than on the Cayenne Air Suspension (11.5 vs. 9.6 inches).

The Defender 130 has standard seating for 8 passengers; the Cayenne can only carry 5. The Defender 90 offers optional seating for 6.

The Defender 110’s cargo area provides more volume than the Cayenne.

The Defender 130’s cargo area provides more volume than the Cayenne.

The Defender’s cargo area is larger than the Cayenne’s in almost every dimension:

Maximum trailer towing in the Porsche Cayenne is limited to 7700 pounds. The Defender offers up to a 8201 lbs. towing capacity.

The Defender has a much higher standard payload capacity than the Cayenne (1760 vs. 1104 lbs.).

The Defender has a much higher maximum payload capacity than the Cayenne (1870 vs. 1657 lbs.).

The Defender 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 doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are optional on the Defender to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Cayenne doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Defender has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Cayenne only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

Consumer Reports rated the Defender’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Cayenne’s headlights, which were rated “Good.”

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Land Rover Defender has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the Cayenne.

The Defender 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 doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Insurance will cost less for the Defender owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Defender will cost $1550 less than the Cayenne over a five-year period.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Land Rover Defender will be $9936 to $25267 less than for the Porsche Cayenne.

Motor Trend selected the Defender as their 2021 Sport Utility of the Year. The Cayenne has never been chosen.

The Land Rover Defender outsold the Porsche Cayenne by 339 units during 2022.