Compare the2024 Acura ZDXVS 2025 Porsche Cayenne

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Acura ZDX have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Porsche Cayenne doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

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 ZDX 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.

Both the ZDX 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, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

There are over 37 percent more Acura dealers than there are Porsche dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the ZDX’s warranty.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Acura vehicles are more reliable than Porsche vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Acura fourth in overall reliability. Porsche is ranked 8th.

As tested in Motor Trend the ZDX Type S electric motors is faster than the Cayenne S 4.0 turbo V8:

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

The ZDX can travel with zero emissions for 278 to 313 miles (dependent on model). The Cayenne can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

For better traction, the ZDX has larger standard tires than the Cayenne (265/50R20 vs. 255/55R20).

The ZDX A-Spec’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Cayenne’s standard 55 series front tires.

The Acura ZDX’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 ZDX has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Cayenne doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Having a flat tire is dangerous, inconvenient and expensive. The self-sealing tires standard on the ZDX can automatically seal most punctures up to 3/16 of an inch, effectively preventing most flat tires. The Cayenne doesn’t offer self-sealing tires.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the ZDX’s wheelbase is 7.8 inches longer than on the Cayenne (121.8 inches vs. 114 inches).

The ZDX Type S executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Cayenne S (25.1 seconds @ .75 average G’s vs. 25.6 seconds @ .75 average G’s).

The ZDX has .3 inches more front legroom and 1.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Cayenne.

The ZDX has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Cayenne with its rear seat up (29.7 vs. 27.3 cubic feet). The ZDX has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Cayenne with its rear seat folded (63 vs. 60.3 cubic feet).

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

The ZDX 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.

On a hot day the ZDX’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Cayenne can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The ZDX’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 ZDX has standard extendable sun visors. The Cayenne doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The ZDX Type S 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.

The ZDX is available in both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Cayenne doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.