Compare the2024 Cadillac EscaladeVS 2023 Porsche Cayenne

The Escalade Premium/Platinum/Sport’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Cayenne doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

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 Escalade are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Cayenne doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Escalade has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Cayenne doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Escalade offers optional Reverse Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Cayenne doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Escalade’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.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Escalade Premium/Platinum/Sport’s standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert uses sensors in the rear to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The Cayenne doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.

Both the Escalade and the Cayenne have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact 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, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, night vision systems and blind spot warning systems.

Cadillac’s powertrain warranty covers the Escalade 2 years and 20,000 miles longer than Porsche covers the Cayenne. 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 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 3 times as many Cadillac dealers as there are Porsche dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Escalade’s warranty.

The Escalade has a standard “limp home system” to keep drivers from being stranded if most or all of the engine’s coolant is lost. The engine will run on only half of its cylinders at a time, reduce its power and light a warning lamp on the dashboard so the driver can get to a service station for repairs. The Cayenne doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Escalade first among large premium suvs in their 2023 Initial Quality Study. The Cayenne isn’t in the top three in its category.

The Escalade’s 6.2 V8 produces 85 more horsepower (420 vs. 335) and 128 lbs.-ft. more torque (460 vs. 332) than the Cayenne’s standard 3.0 turbo V6. The Escalade’s 6.2 V8 produces 55 lbs.-ft. more torque (460 vs. 405) than the Cayenne S’ standard 2.9 turbo V6. The Escalade’s 6.2 V8 produces 3 lbs.-ft. more torque (460 vs. 457) than the Cayenne GTS’ standard 4.0 turbo V8.

The Escalade’s 3.0 turbo diesel produces 128 lbs.-ft. more torque (460 vs. 332) than the Cayenne’s standard 3.0 turbo V6. The Escalade’s 3.0 turbo diesel produces 55 lbs.-ft. more torque (460 vs. 405) than the Cayenne S’ standard 2.9 turbo V6. The Escalade’s 3.0 turbo diesel produces 3 lbs.-ft. more torque (460 vs. 457) than the Cayenne GTS’ standard 4.0 turbo V8.

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

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Escalade V8’s fuel efficiency. The Cayenne doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Cadillac Escalade uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The Cayenne requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Escalade has 4.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Cayenne E-Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (24 vs. 19.8 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Escalade 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 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

A 10-speed automatic is available on the Cadillac Escalade, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Cayenne.

In an emergency stopping situation, many drivers don’t press the brakes with enough force to stop the vehicle in the shortest distance. The Escalade has standard Intelligent 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.

For better traction, the Escalade has larger tires than the Cayenne (275/50R22 vs. 255/55R19).

The Escalade’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Cayenne’s standard 55 series front tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Escalade has standard 22-inch wheels. Smaller 19-inch wheels are standard on the Cayenne.

The Cadillac Escalade’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Porsche Cayenne only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Escalade has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Cayenne doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Escalade 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 Escalade’s wheelbase is 6.9 inches longer than on the Cayenne (120.9 inches vs. 114 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Escalade is 2.1 inches wider in the front and 2.3 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Cayenne.

The Escalade’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (50.1% to 49.9%) than the Cayenne’s (53.6% to 46.4%). This gives the Escalade more stable handling and braking.

For greater off-road capability the Escalade Air Suspension has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Cayenne Air Suspension (10 vs. 9.6 inches), allowing the Escalade to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Escalade offers optional seating for 8 passengers; the Cayenne can only carry 5.

The Escalade has 3.3 inches more front headroom, 3.4 inches more front legroom, 6.4 inches more front shoulder room, 1.4 inches more rear legroom and 8.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Cayenne.

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

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

Pressing a switch automatically lowers the Escalade’s second and third row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Cayenne doesn’t offer automatic folding second row seats.

The Escalade’s minimum standard towing capacity is much higher than the Cayenne’s (8000 vs. 7700 pounds).

The Escalade 4WD with optional equipment 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 Escalade can be unhitched and driven around locally. The Cayenne can’t be towed flat on the ground.

The Escalade has a much higher standard payload capacity than the Cayenne (1636 vs. 1104 lbs.).

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Cadillac service is better than Porsche. J.D. Power ranks Cadillac second in service department satisfaction. With a 1% lower rating, Porsche is ranked third.

The Escalade 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.

The Escalade’s 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.

If the windows are left open on the Escalade the driver can close them all 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 can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Escalade’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The Cayenne’s cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Escalade 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 Escalade’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Cayenne’s headlights, which were rated “Good.”

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

The Escalade has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the Cayenne.

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

The Escalade has a 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, 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.

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

The Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV outsold the Porsche Cayenne by almost three to one during 2022.