Compare the2024 BMW iXVS 2024 Porsche Cayenne

The iX’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.

Both the iX and Cayenne have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The iX 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 iX’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 iX and the Cayenne have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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.

BMW pays for scheduled maintenance on the iX for 2 years and 26000 miles longer than Porsche pays for maintenance for the Cayenne (3/36,000 vs. 1/10,000).

There are over 80 percent more BMW dealers than there are Porsche dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the iX’s warranty.

The iX has more powerful engines than the Cayenne:

As tested in Motor Trend the iX xDrive50 is faster than the Cayenne S 4.0 turbo V8:

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

The iX can travel with zero emissions for 274 to 307 miles (dependent on model). The Cayenne can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

In an emergency stopping situation, many drivers don’t press the brakes with enough force to stop the vehicle in the shortest distance. The iX has a standard Brake Assistant 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 a smoother ride and more stable handling, the iX’s wheelbase is 4.1 inches longer than on the Cayenne (118.1 inches vs. 114 inches).

The iX’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (48.2% to 51.8%) than the Cayenne’s (56% to 44%). This gives the iX more stable handling and braking.

For greater off-road capability the iX has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Cayenne E-Hybrid (8.8 vs. 8.1 inches), allowing the iX to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The design of the BMW iX amounts to more than styling. The iX offers aerodynamic coefficients of drag from .25 to .26 Cd (depending on bodystyle and options). That is significantly lower than the Cayenne (.3 to .35) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the iX get better fuel mileage.

The iX has 2.5 inches more front headroom, 2.4 inches more front shoulder room, .5 inches more rear headroom and 1.8 inches more rear shoulder room than the Cayenne.

The iX has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Cayenne with its rear seat up (35.5 vs. 27.2 cubic feet). The iX has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Cayenne with its rear seat folded (77.9 vs. 60.3 cubic feet).

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

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

The iX 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 iX’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.

Laser headlights, optional on the iX, produce their light by firing blue lasers through phosphorus, a process that uses one-half the power of the Cayenne’s LED headlights. Laser headlights can have double the range of LEDs with a much smaller surface area.

The iX 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.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the BMW iX and the Porsche Cayenne, based on reliability, safety and performance.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the iX first among upper midsize premium suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Cayenne isn’t in the top three.