Compare the2024 BMW XMVS 2024 Porsche Cayenne

The XM’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.

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 XM 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 XM’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 XM and the Cayenne have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front 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 and rear cross-path warning.

The BMW XM weighs 430 to 1416 pounds more than the Porsche Cayenne. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

BMW pays for scheduled maintenance on the XM 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 76 percent more BMW dealers than there are Porsche dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the XM’s warranty.

The XM has more powerful engines than the Cayenne:

As tested in Car and Driver the BMW XM (base engine) is faster than the Porsche Cayenne turbo V6:

The XM can travel with zero emissions for 31 miles. The Cayenne can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

For better stopping power the XM’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 XM 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 better traction, the XM has larger tires than the Cayenne (F:275/35R23 & R:315/30R23 vs. F:255/55R20 & R:295/45R20).

The XM’s standard 275/40R22 front and 315/35R22 rear tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series front and 35 series rear profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Cayenne’s standard 55 series front and 45 series rear tires. The XM’s optional 275/35R23 front and 315/30R23 rear tires have a lower 35 series front and 30 series rear profile than the Cayenne’s optional 40 series front and 35 series rear tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the XM has standard 22-inch wheels. Smaller 20-inch wheels are standard on the Cayenne. The XM’s optional 23-inch wheels are larger than the 22-inch wheels optional on the Cayenne.

The rear suspension of the XM uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the Cayenne, which uses coil springs. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the XM’s wheelbase is 8.2 inches longer than on the Cayenne (122.2 inches vs. 114 inches).

The XM’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (48.9% to 51.1%) than the Cayenne’s (56% to 44%). This gives the XM more stable handling and braking.

For greater off-road capability the XM has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Cayenne E-Hybrid (8.7 vs. 8.1 inches), allowing the XM to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The XM has 1.4 inches more front headroom, 1.2 inches more front shoulder room and 1 inch more rear shoulder room than the Cayenne.

The XM has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Cayenne with its rear seat folded (64.3 vs. 60.3 cubic feet).

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

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

The XM 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.