The Porsche Cayenne Coupe 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 SQ5 Sportback doesn’t offer knee airbags.
Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Cayenne Coupe 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 SQ5 Sportback doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.
A passive infrared night vision system optional on the Cayenne Coupe 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 SQ5 Sportback doesn’t offer a night vision system.
Both the Cayenne Coupe and the SQ5 Sportback have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact 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, 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.
The Porsche Cayenne Coupe weighs 408 to 1387 pounds more than the Audi SQ5 Sportback. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.