If you are shelling out extra for a premium product like either of these German SUVs , it had better be premium. Perhaps the most important part of any luxury interior is the seats and the upholstery. As far as colors and materials are concerned, the BMW X5 beats the Porsche Cayenne in terms of value. The BMW X5 comes standard in BMW’s Sensafin, which is available in four color options. In comparison, the Porsche only offers a single standard Artificial Leather interior in black, where any other available option will cost you extra.
If you do want Extended Merino Leather (available in four colors) in your G05 BMW X5 as pictured above in the Tartufo color, that will run you an extra $1,950. If you want real leather in a Cayenne, prices start at $3,760 and up to $6,010 for Club Leather. As nice as the Club Leather looks, is there any way that it is worth three times the price of the X5’s Extended Merino Leather? Not a chance, especially considering even visually, BMW’s premium upholstery looks more pleasant.
4The BMW X5’s Tech
Remote Engine Start is one of the hottest features in modern vehicles and is a staple of the BMW X5’s $1,900 Premium Package, which also includes a HUD, upgraded 16-speaker Harman Kardon sound, and Gesture Control. Which expensive package do you need to select to get Remote Engine Start in a Cayenne? Well, none of them, because Porsche doesn’t offer this feature on the Cayenne or any of their vehicles. If you were to build a similar package for the Cayenne to match the BMW’s Premium Package, it would cost you $2,690 extra for the HUD and Bose Surround Sound system. Checkmate again, Porsche.
3The BMW X5 High Definition Display
BMW’s Curved Display which debuted with the 2022 BMW iX has been making its way into becoming the standard display for all future BMW models. This design effectively combines two separate displays into one flowing screen which floats in a curved fashion, with all the focus on the driver.
The crisp 4k resolution of this intelligently designed display works completely in sync with the HUD display, keeping only the info you need in focus when on the road. The Porsche Cayenne’s instrument cluster and central screen are by no means inadequate, but feel dated next to BMW’s comparatively futuristic interface.
2The BMW X5 Is More Fuel Efficient
We know that if you are balling out on a luxury German SUV , fuel economy is not in your top five considerations. Yes, 91 is expensive, but we know you can afford it! Despite this, going to the gas station is annoying and takes time which could be spent doing other activities. Which of these two German SUVs will have you at the pump less? Well, the clear winner is the BMW X5 xDrive40i, which offers 25 Combined MPG (23 City and 28 Highway).
The Porsche Cayenne’s weak efficiency at 19 Combined MPG (17 City and 23 Highway) is a bit embarrassing in comparison, considering the BMW also has more power and is more reliable. You can effectively go an additional 100 miles of range in a BMW X5 compared to a Porsche Cayenne, and that is a big difference no matter how you swing it.
The BMW X5 Offers More Electric Range On Hybrid Model
Both BMW and Porsche offer exclusively plug-in hybrid trims as the only electrified variants of their X5 and Cayenne models. Yet, which of these gets more all-electric range? Well, yet again, the BMW X5 beats out Porsche with 38 miles of all-electric range, compared to the 28 miles offered by the Cayenne. Many factors will affect these numbers in real-time, such as the regenerative effect of downhill braking.
Despite this, BMW still has a slight edge over Porsche in the electrified department. Can you really go wrong with either of these very capable and very expensive German SUVs? No, but if you want the best value for what you pay for, the obvious answer in this battle is BMW.
