Compare the2024 Lincoln NavigatorVS 2024 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 Navigator 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 middle row seatbelts optional on the Navigator Reserve/Black Label inflate when a collision is detected, helping to spread crash forces over a much larger area of the body and limiting head and neck movement. This can help prevent spinal and internal injuries. The Cayenne doesn’t offer inflatable seatbelts.

The Navigator’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 Navigator 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, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras and rear cross-path warning.

Lincoln’s powertrain warranty covers the Navigator 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 Lincoln dealers as there are Porsche dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Navigator’s warranty.

The Navigator 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 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.

The Navigator’s 3.5 turbo V6 produces 92 more horsepower (440 vs. 348) and 142 lbs.-ft. more torque (510 vs. 368) than the Cayenne’s standard 3.0 turbo V6. The Navigator’s 3.5 turbo V6 produces 31 lbs.-ft. more torque (510 vs. 479) than the Cayenne E-Hybrid’s standard 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid. The Navigator’s 3.5 turbo V6 produces 68 lbs.-ft. more torque (510 vs. 442) than the Cayenne S’ standard 4.0 turbo V8.

On the EPA test cycle the Navigator gets better fuel mileage than the Cayenne S 4.0 turbo V8 running its gasoline engine (16 city/22 hwy vs. 15 city/21 hwy).

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Lincoln Navigator 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 Navigator has 5.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Cayenne S E-Hybrid/Turbo E-Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (23.6 vs. 18.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Navigator 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 standard on the Lincoln Navigator, 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 Navigator 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 Navigator has larger standard tires than the Cayenne (275/55R20 vs. 255/55R20).

The Lincoln Navigator’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 Navigator’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Cayenne doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Navigator’s wheelbase is 8.5 inches longer than on the Cayenne (122.5 inches vs. 114 inches).

The Navigator’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (49.2% to 50.8%) than the Cayenne’s (56% to 44%). This gives the Navigator more stable handling and braking.

For greater off-road capability the Navigator has a 1.5 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Cayenne E-Hybrid (9.6 vs. 8.1 inches), allowing the Navigator to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Navigator’s minimum ground clearance is .1 inch higher than on the Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid (9.6 vs. 9.5 inches).

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

The Navigator has 2.8 inches more front headroom, 2.8 inches more front legroom, 6.1 inches more front shoulder room, 1 inch more rear headroom, .8 inches more rear legroom and 8.6 inches more rear shoulder room than the Cayenne.

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

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Navigator easier. The Navigator’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 29 inches, while the Cayenne’s liftover is 31 inches.

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

Pressing a button automatically lowers the Navigator’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 Navigator’s rear cargo window opens separately from the rest of the liftgate door to allow quicker loading of small packages. The Cayenne’s rear cargo window doesn’t open.

Maximum trailer towing in the Porsche Cayenne is limited to 7700 pounds. The Navigator offers up to a 8300 lbs. towing capacity.

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

The Navigator 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.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Navigator’s exterior PIN entry system. The Cayenne doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Porsche Connect can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Navigator has a standard rear variable 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.

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

The Navigator 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.

Both the Navigator and the Cayenne offer optional massaging front seats. The Navigator also offers optional massaging second row seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging rear seats aren’t available in the Cayenne.

The Navigator 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.

Insurance will cost less for the Navigator owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Navigator will cost $350 less than the Cayenne over a five-year period.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Navigator as the 2018 North American Truck of the Year. The Cayenne has never been chosen.