Compare the2024 Porsche CayenneVS 2024 Audi Q4 e-tron

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 Q4 e-tron doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Cayenne offers optional Maneuver Assist that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Q4 e-tron doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Cayenne. But it costs extra on the Q4 e-tron.

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 Q4 e-tron doesn’t offer a night vision system.

Both the Cayenne and the Q4 e-tron have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear 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, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

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 19 points higher than the Q4 e-tron.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Porsche vehicles are better in initial quality than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Porsche above average in initial quality. With 54 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is rated below average.

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 Audi 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, Audi is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Porsche vehicles are more reliable than Audi vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Porsche 11 places higher in reliability than Audi.

The Cayenne has more powerful engines than the Q4 e-tron:

For better stopping power the Cayenne’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Q4 e-tron:

The Porsche Cayenne has standard four-wheel disc brakes for better stopping power and improved directional control in poor weather. Only rear drums come on the Q4 e-tron. Drums can heat up and make stops longer, especially with antilock brakes that work much harder than conventional brakes.

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 Q4 e-tron 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 Q4 e-tron doesn’t offer air brakes.

For better traction, the Cayenne has larger standard tires than the Q4 e-tron (F:255/55R20 & R:295/45R20 vs. F:235/55R19 & R:255/50R19). The Cayenne’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Q4 e-tron (F:285/45R21 & R:315/40R21 vs. F:235/55R19 & R:255/50R19).

The Cayenne’s standard 295/45R20 rear tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Q4 e-tron’s standard 50 series rear tires. The Cayenne’s optional 285/40R22 front and 315/35R22 rear tires have a lower 40 series front and 35 series rear profile than the Q4 e-tron Quattro’s optional 50 series front and 45 series rear tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Cayenne has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 19-inch wheels are standard on the Q4 e-tron. The Cayenne’s optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels optional on the Q4 e-tron Quattro.

The Cayenne Base/S has a standard space-saver spare (not available on E-Hybrid) so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Q4 e-tron; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

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 Q4 e-tron 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. Audi doesn’t offer an active suspension on the Q4 e-tron.

The Cayenne has a standard automatic load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Q4 e-tron doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Cayenne’s wheelbase is 5.3 inches longer than on the Q4 e-tron (114 inches vs. 108.7 inches).

The front grille of the Cayenne uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Q4 e-tron doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Cayenne has .5 inches more front headroom, 2.4 inches more front shoulder room, .7 inches more rear headroom, 3.1 inches more rear legroom and 1.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Q4 e-tron.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Cayenne’s rear seats recline. The Q4 e-tron’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Cayenne has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Q4 e-tron with its rear seat up (27.2 vs. 24.8 cubic feet). The Cayenne has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Q4 e-tron with its rear seat folded (60.3 vs. 53.1 cubic feet).

The Cayenne’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Q4 e-tron’s (7700 vs. 2205 pounds).

Standard trailer sway control on the Cayenne uses the Porsche Stability Management sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Q4 e-tron doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Cayenne uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Q4 e-tron uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Porsche service is better than Audi. J.D. Power ranks Porsche third in service department satisfaction. With a 14% lower rating, Audi is ranked 8th.

Unlike the driver-only memory seat and mirrors optional at extra cost in the Q4 e-tron, the Cayenne offers an optional passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position, outside mirror angle and climate settings and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Cayenne offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Q4 e-tron doesn’t offer cornering lights. The Cayenne also offers optional adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

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 Q4 e-tron 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 Q4 e-tron doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

Both the Cayenne and the Q4 e-tron have standard heated front seats. The Cayenne also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Q4 e-tron.

Optional air conditioned front and rear seats keep the Cayenne’s passengers comfortable and take the sting out of hot leather in summer. The Q4 e-tron doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Cayenne offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Q4 e-tron.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Porsche Cayenne has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the Q4 e-tron.

The Cayenne’s optional Active Parking Assistance can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote ParkAssist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Q4 e-tron Premium Plus/Prestige’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park and it doesn’t offer remote control parking.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Porsche Cayenne and the Audi Q4 e-tron, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Porsche Cayenne outsold the Audi Q4 e-tron by almost two to one during 2023.