Toyota Highlander vs Porsche Cayenne

The 2022 Toyota Highlander showcased a modern and somewhat aggressive front-end design, with flared fender arches and a distinctive third-row window that gave it a compact appearance despite its spacious interior. Inside, it offered ample cabin space with clever storage solutions for family essentials like iPads and juice boxes. The XSE trim, in particular, stood out with its bold red leather interior, contrasting with a sedate navy blue exterior. This trim also featured unique exterior styling, ambient interior lighting, and a sport-tuned suspension, making it a fun and stylish choice for families.

In contrast, the 2025 Porsche Cayenne was available in both standard SUV and sporty Coupe forms, each with distinct exterior touches. The GTS trim, which was the focus of our review, boasted high gloss black trim, bronze exhaust tips, and a unique front fascia with larger air intakes. The interior was highly customizable, with options for everything from seat colors to trim materials. While the base model offered standard features like eight-way power-adjustable seats and two-zone climate control, the options list was extensive, allowing buyers to personalize their Cayenne to their liking. However, the Cayenne only accommodated five passengers, lacking a third-row option.

The 2022 Toyota Highlander was powered by a 3.5-liter V6 engine, delivering 295 horsepower and 263 pound-feet of torque. This engine was paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, offering both front-wheel drive and all-wheel drive options. The Highlander featured a drive-mode button with Sport, Normal, and Eco modes, as well as an AWD system with Mud/Sand, Rock, and Normal modes. While the V6 provided better pickup at cruising speeds, it was less lively from a standstill. The XSE trim's sport-tuned suspension improved handling, reducing body roll while maintaining comfort over bumps. The Highlander could tow up to 5,000 pounds, with a max payload of 1,685 pounds in the FWD L and LE trims.

The 2025 Porsche Cayenne offered a range of engines, starting with a base 3.0-liter V6 producing 348 horsepower and 368 pound-feet of torque. The GTS trim, however, featured a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 with 493 horsepower and 486 pound-feet of torque, paired with an eight-speed transmission and all-wheel drive. The Cayenne GTS could accelerate to 60 mph in 4.2 seconds, with a top speed of 171 mph. Its agile handling was enhanced by components borrowed from the Turbo GT, including stiffer roll bars and an active suspension. The GTS offered a thrilling driving experience, with Sport and Sport Plus modes for spirited driving and a more relaxed Normal mode for daily commutes.

The 2022 Toyota Highlander provided up to 84.3 cubic feet of cargo space with the second- and third-row seats folded. With the second-row seats in use, there was 48.4 cubic feet of cargo space, and 16 cubic feet with all seats deployed. The Highlander's interior was designed for practicality, with deep cargo pockets, multiple storage compartments, and cupholders throughout. The XSE trim featured second-row captain's chairs, creating a center aisle to the third row, which was more suitable for children than adults.

The 2025 Porsche Cayenne, on the other hand, offered a more limited cargo capacity. The standard Cayenne had 27.3 cubic feet of space behind the second row, expanding to just over 60 cubic feet with the seats folded down. The Coupe version had slightly less space, with 20.9 and 53 cubic feet, respectively. The Cayenne could tow over 7,700 pounds and accommodate over 1,400 pounds of payload. While it lacked a third-row option, the second row provided ample headroom and comfort, even in the Coupe body style.

The 2022 Toyota Highlander came equipped with a WiFi hotspot, five USB ports, and an 8-inch touchscreen supporting Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Amazon Alexa. The infotainment system was user-friendly, with hard buttons complementing the touchscreen. The XSE trim featured a wireless charging pad and additional USB ports, with an optional 12.3-inch touchscreen and an 11-speaker JBL premium stereo system available.

In contrast, the 2025 Porsche Cayenne boasted a 12.6-inch digital gauge cluster and a 12.3-inch touchscreen running the Porsche Communication Management system, which included wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. An optional 10.9-inch passenger screen allowed for media control and video streaming. The Cayenne also featured a head-up display, night-vision assist, and four high-speed USB-C charging ports, along with a cooled wireless charging area.

The 2022 Toyota Highlander came standard with the Toyota Safety Sense suite, including forward collision avoidance, automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control, traffic-sign recognition, and automatic high beams. Higher trims added features like blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and a surround-view parking monitor. However, the lane-departure warning and lane-keeping assist systems were noted to be overly active at times.

The 2025 Porsche Cayenne offered standard parking sensors, forward collision warning, and blind-spot monitoring, but adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, and lane-departure warning were optional. Porsche's InnoDrive adaptive cruise control system was advanced but not tested during our review. Neither the NHTSA nor the IIHS had rated the 2025 Cayenne for safety.