Compare the2024 Jeep WagoneerVS 2023 Porsche Cayenne

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 Wagoneer 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 Wagoneer has standard Active Headrests, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Headrests system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Cayenne doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Wagoneer has standard Park Assist with Rear Stop 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 Wagoneer 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’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Wagoneer’s standard Rear Cross Path Detection 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.

The Wagoneer’s optional 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 Wagoneer and the Cayenne 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, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, night vision systems, lane departure warning systems and around view monitors.

Jeep’s powertrain warranty covers the Wagoneer 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Porsche covers the Cayenne. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Cayenne ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

Jeep pays for scheduled maintenance on the Wagoneer for 4 years and unlimited miles longer than Porsche pays for maintenance for the Cayenne (5/unlimited vs. 1/10,000).

There are over 12 times as many Jeep dealers as there are Porsche dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Wagoneer’s warranty.

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

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

The Wagoneer has 6.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the Cayenne E-Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (26.5 vs. 19.8 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Wagoneer has 2.8 gallons more fuel capacity than the Cayenne’s standard fuel tank (26.5 vs. 23.7 gallons).

The Wagoneer 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.

For better stopping power the Wagoneer’s standard brake rotors are larger than those on 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 Wagoneer 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 doesn’t offer a brake assist feature.

For better traction, the Wagoneer has larger standard tires than the Cayenne (275/55R20 vs. 255/55R19).

The Jeep Wagoneer’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 Wagoneer 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 Wagoneer 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 Wagoneer’s wheelbase is 9 inches longer than on the Cayenne (123 inches vs. 114 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Wagoneer is 2.2 inches wider in the front and 2.5 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Cayenne.

The Wagoneer’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (51% to 49%) than the Cayenne’s (53.6% to 46.4%). This gives the Wagoneer more stable handling and braking.

For greater off-road capability the Wagoneer has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Cayenne (8.3 vs. 8.2 inches), allowing the Wagoneer to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Wagoneer Air Suspension’s minimum ground clearance is .4 inch higher than on the Cayenne Air Suspension (10 vs. 9.6 inches).

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

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

The Wagoneer has 2.3 inches more front headroom, 7 inches more front shoulder room, 1 inch more rear headroom, 2.4 inches more rear legroom and 8.7 inches more rear shoulder room than the Cayenne.

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

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

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

Maximum trailer towing in the Porsche Cayenne is limited to 7700 pounds. The Wagoneer offers up to a 10,000 lbs. towing capacity.

The Wagoneer 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 Wagoneer can be unhitched and driven around locally. The Cayenne can’t be towed flat on the ground.

The Wagoneer has a much higher standard payload capacity than the Cayenne (1510 vs. 1104 lbs.).

The Wagoneer 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 Wagoneer’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.

The Wagoneer’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 Wagoneer 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 Wagoneer’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 Wagoneer has standard extendable sun visors. The Cayenne doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The Wagoneer 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.

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

The Jeep Wagoneer outsold the Porsche Cayenne by over three to one during 2022.