2025 Porsche Cayenne vs 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander

The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander was a significant addition to Toyota's lineup of crossovers and SUVs, positioned between the Highlander and the Sequoia. Built on the TNGA-K platform, it shared its underpinnings with models like the RAV4 and Camry, distinguishing itself from the body-on-frame Sequoia. The Grand Highlander was notably larger, with a length of 5,115 millimetres and a wheelbase of 2,950 millimetres, offering a spacious interior that rivalled and even surpassed competitors like the Kia Telluride. Its design, while conservative, drew inspiration from rugged vehicles, featuring a blockier style akin to the Ford Explorer and Honda Pilot. The interior offered a range of trims, from the XLE with black Softex synthetic leather to the Platinum with real leather and optional Portobello upholstery. The vehicle was well-equipped for comfort, with features like a 10-way power-adjustable driver seat, heated front seats, and a large centre console.

The 2025 Porsche Cayenne, available as a standard SUV or a sporty Coupe, offered a range of trims from the base model to the high-performance Turbo E-Hybrid. The GTS trim, which was the focus of this review, featured high gloss black trim, larger air intakes, and tinted headlights. The Cayenne's interior was highly customizable, with options for different colours, trims, and even seat belts. While the base model had standard features like eight-way power-adjustable seats and two-zone climate control, higher trims like the GTS offered upgrades such as a GT Sport steering wheel and Race-Tex headliner. The Cayenne could accommodate five people comfortably, with ample headroom in the second row, even in the Coupe version. Despite its luxurious offerings, many features were optional, requiring additional expenditure.

The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander offered three engine options, starting with a 2.4-litre turbo four-cylinder engine producing 265 horsepower and 310 pound-feet of torque. For those prioritizing fuel efficiency, a 2.5-litre four-cylinder hybrid option delivered 245 combined net horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque. The top-tier Hybrid Max powertrain combined a 2.4-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine with electric motors, generating 362 horsepower and 400 pound-feet of torque. All models came with all-wheel drive, and the Hybrid Max boasted a zero-to-60 time of 6.3 seconds. While the Grand Highlander was not designed for sporty performance, it offered solid acceleration and a comfortable ride. The vehicle featured three drive modes—Sport, Eco, and Normal—with additional off-road modes for gas-only and Hybrid Max models.

The 2025 Porsche Cayenne offered a range of powerful engines, starting with a 3.0-litre V6 producing 348 horsepower and 368 pound-feet of torque. The Cayenne S featured a V8 with 468 horsepower, while the Turbo GT, available only as a coupe, delivered 650 horsepower. Plug-in hybrid options offered up to 729 horsepower. The GTS trim, with a twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8, produced 493 horsepower and 486 pound-feet of torque, paired with an eight-speed transmission and all-wheel drive. The Cayenne GTS was quick, with a 0-100 km/h time of 4.4 seconds and a top speed of 275 km/h. The vehicle's handling was precise, with components borrowed from the Turbo GT, and it featured an active suspension and Pirelli P Zero tires for enhanced agility. The GTS offered a balance between sporty performance and daily driving comfort, with drive modes like Sport and Sport Plus for spirited driving and Normal mode for a more relaxed experience.

The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander was larger than most of its rivals, with a length of over 5 metres and a wheelbase of 2,950 millimetres. This translated to a spacious interior, with a total cargo capacity of 2,761 litres, surpassing competitors like the Kia Telluride. With the second-row seats up, it offered 1,640 litres of space, and with all three rows up, 583 litres were available. The Grand Highlander provided ample headroom, legroom, and shoulder room in every row, making it comfortable for adults, even in the third row.

The 2025 Porsche Cayenne, while luxurious, offered fewer standard features. The base model included eight-way power-adjustable seats and two-zone climate control, with options for upgrades like heated rear seats and a panoramic roof. The Cayenne could accommodate five people, with a comfortable second row and ample headroom. The standard Cayenne offered 772 litres of cargo space behind the second row, expanding to 1,708 litres with the seats folded down. The Coupe version had slightly less space, with 576 litres behind the second row and 1,486 litres overall. The Cayenne's towing capacity was impressive, with the ability to tow 3,500 kilograms and accommodate over 635 kilograms of payload.

The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander featured a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system, a significant improvement over previous models. It offered dual-device Bluetooth connectivity, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and an 11-speaker JBL stereo on higher trims. An intelligent assistant and cloud-based navigation were available via a connected-services subscription. While the tech offerings were advanced, some features required additional subscriptions.

The 2025 Porsche Cayenne boasted a curved 12.6-inch digital gauge cluster and a 12.3-inch touchscreen display with the Porsche Communication Management system. It included wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Spotify, Apple Music, satellite radio, and a Wi-Fi hotspot. An optional 10.9-inch passenger screen allowed for navigation and media control. The Cayenne also featured a head-up display, night-vision assist, and four high-speed USB-C charging ports, with a cooled wireless charging area as standard.

The 2024 Toyota Grand Highlander had not yet been crash-tested by the NHTSA or IIHS, but it came with an impressive suite of standard safety features under Toyota Safety Sense 3.0. This included automatic emergency braking, lane-departure alert with steering assist, lane-tracing assist, automatic high beams, road-sign recognition, and blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert. Adaptive cruise control was also standard, with four following-distance settings.

The 2025 Porsche Cayenne offered standard safety features like parking sensors, forward collision warning, and blind-spot monitoring. However, adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, and lane-departure warning were optional. Porsche's advanced adaptive cruise control system, InnoDrive, was not available for testing. The Cayenne had not been rated by the NHTSA or IIHS.