Compare the2025 Porsche CayenneVS 2024 Lincoln Navigator

The Cayenne’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Navigator doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the Cayenne and Navigator have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Cayenne 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 Navigator’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.

A passive infrared night vision system optional on the Cayenne 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 Navigator doesn’t offer a night vision system.

Both the Cayenne and Navigator have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Cayenne has Rear Cross Traffic Alert (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Navigator’s Cross-Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Cayenne uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The Navigator uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Cayenne and the Navigator have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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, around view monitors, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

The Cayenne’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Navigator’s (12 vs. 5 years).

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Cayenne’s reliability 17 points higher than the Navigator.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Cayenne second among upper midsize premium suvs in their 2024 Initial Quality Study. The Navigator isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Porsche vehicles are better in initial quality than Lincoln vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Porsche above average in initial quality. With 52 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lincoln is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Porsche vehicles are more reliable than Lincoln vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Porsche above average in long-term dependability. With 15 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Lincoln is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Porsche vehicles are more reliable than Lincoln vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Porsche 15 places higher in reliability than Lincoln.

The Cayenne E-Hybrid’s standard 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid produces 23 more horsepower (463 vs. 440) than the Navigator’s 3.5 turbo V6. The Cayenne S’ standard 4.0 turbo V8 produces 28 more horsepower (468 vs. 440) than the Navigator’s 3.5 turbo V6. The Cayenne GTS’ standard 4.0 turbo V8 produces 53 more horsepower (493 vs. 440) than the Navigator’s 3.5 turbo V6. The Cayenne Turbo E-Hybrid’s standard 4.0 turbo V8 hybrid produces 289 more horsepower (729 vs. 440) and 190 lbs.-ft. more torque (700 vs. 510) than the Navigator’s 3.5 turbo V6.

As tested in Car and Driver the Porsche Cayenne turbo V6 is faster than the Lincoln Navigator:

On the EPA test cycle the Cayenne 3.0 turbo V6 running its gasoline engine gets better fuel mileage than the Navigator (17 city/23 hwy vs. 16 city/22 hwy).

Regenerative brakes improve the Cayenne’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Navigator doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The Cayenne has a standard locking fuel door and a locking charge port which lock and unlock with the power locks. The Navigator doesn’t offer a locking fuel filler door. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank and a locking charge port prevents tampering and damage.

The Cayenne’s optional launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The Navigator doesn’t offer launch control.

For better stopping power the Cayenne’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Navigator:

The Cayenne offers optional heat-treated ceramic brake rotors, which last ten to twenty times as long as conventional cast iron rotors, don’t rust, don’t fade during repeated high speed braking, and their lighter weight contribute to better braking, handling and acceleration. The Navigator doesn’t offer ceramic brake rotors.

The Cayenne Turbo has standard air brakes, which adjust the spoiler automatically during high-speed braking in order to shorten stopping distances. The Navigator doesn’t offer air brakes.

The Cayenne stops much shorter than the Navigator:

For better traction and acceleration, the Cayenne has larger standard rear tires than the Navigator (295/45R20 vs. 275/55R20). The Cayenne’s optional rear tires are larger than the largest rear tires available on the Navigator (315/40R21 vs. 285/45R22).

The Cayenne’s standard 295/45R20 rear tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Navigator Premiere’s standard 55 series tires. The Cayenne’s optional 285/40R22 front and 315/35R22 rear tires have a lower 40 series front and 35 series rear profile than the Navigator’s optional 45 series tires.

The Cayenne offers active sway bars, which help keep it flat and controlled during cornering, but disconnect at lower speeds to smooth the ride and offer greater off-road suspension articulation. This helps keep the tires glued to the road on-road and off. The Navigator doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

The Cayenne offers an available adjustable active suspension system, which counteracts cornering forces actively, limiting body roll and improving handling and stability. Lincoln doesn’t offer an active suspension on the Navigator.

The Cayenne has a standard automatic load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Navigator doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

The Cayenne handles at 1.02 G’s, while the Navigator Black Label pulls only .75 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Cayenne S executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 4.8 seconds quicker than the Navigator Black Label (23.6 seconds @ .83 average G’s vs. 28.4 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

The Porsche Cayenne may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 200 to 1200 pounds less than the Lincoln Navigator.

The Cayenne is 1 foot, 3.9 inches shorter than the Navigator, making the Cayenne easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Cayenne 4x4 is 10.4 inches shorter in height than the Navigator, making the Cayenne 4x4 much easier to wash and garage and drive off-road (lower center of gravity).

Unibody construction lowers the Cayenne’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The Navigator doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

The front step up height for the Cayenne is 4.3 inches lower than the Navigator (16.75” vs. 21”). The Cayenne’s rear step up height is 7 inches lower than the Navigator’s (16” vs. 23”).

The Cayenne has a much larger cargo volume than the Navigator with its rear seat up (27.3 vs. 19.3 cubic feet).

The Cayenne’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Navigator’s (7716 vs. 6200 pounds).

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Porsche service is better than Lincoln. J.D. Power ranks Porsche second in service department satisfaction. With a 41% lower rating, Lincoln is ranked 19th.

The Cayenne’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Navigator does not have an oil pressure gauge.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Cayenne to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Navigator doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The Cayenne offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Navigator doesn’t offer headlight washers.

To better shield the driver and front passenger’s vision, the Cayenne has standard dual-element sun visors that can block glare from two directions simultaneously. The Navigator doesn’t offer secondary sun visors.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Cayenne to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Navigator doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

When the Cayenne is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The Navigator’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Cayenne’s Active Parking Assistance can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Optional Remote ParkAssist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Navigator’s automatic parking system does not offer parking by remote control.

The Cayenne will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Cayenne will retain 51.28% to 57.99% of its original price after five years, while the Navigator only retains 46.45% to 49.93%.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Porsche Cayenne, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Lincoln Navigator isn't recommended.