BMW X3 vs Porsche Cayenne

What's the difference?

If a BMW X3 is for you, then we have no quarrels with that. It’s a better all-round vehicle than the one it replaces and represents better value. And even though BMW mandates a hybrid driveline, there are still some significant choices within that framework.

By all means buy the M50 if you crave the rush of acceleration that almost 300kW can provide. And if efficiency is your altar of choice, then the plug-in 30e makes a lot of sense, too.

But even if you can afford either of those two more expensive variants, whatever you do, don’t dismiss the entry-level 20 model. At least drive it alongside the others and then make a decision based on all the facts, and not the assumption that entry-level equals the car you afford rather than the car you want.

It might be cheaper, but there’s absolutely no doubt that the 20 model is the one that shines and arguably makes the most of the opportunities BMW’s latest tech offers.

Sometimes less really is more.

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with accommodation and meals provided.

Of all the super SUVs I've piloted, the Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT is the best all-rounder in terms of performance, comfort, cabin technology and style.

As a family car it's roomy, practical and easy to use and drive daily.

As a performance car the Turbo GT is stupidly quick, with the agility of a sports car. Sure, a 911 would leave it behind on a twisty race track, but this SUV is close to having that sportscar experience and keeping your family, as well.

It might be badged an X3, but this is no small vehicle. In fact, it’s bigger than the original BMW X5 (which set the tone for this entire market segment) with a length of 4755mm (4667mm for the first X5) and a width of 1920mm (1872mm). That said, it’s 25mm lower than the outgoing X3 in a move to emphasise its sportiness. Shorter it may be, but it’s also 16mm wider on the front track and 45mm wider on the rear than the outgoing model.

BMWs latest styling cues also appear in the new car, including the large, split-kidney grille that, for Australian-delivered cars, is also lit around its edges. The short overhangs that characterised the original X5 (and soon characterised this whole BMW genre) remain, and the T-graphic LED tail-lights round out the stylistic touches.

The other thing we noticed (and we’ve seen it on other cars recently) is a panoramic sunroof that doesn’t actually open.

This might be a personal thing but to me nearly all Porsches look better from the back than the front.

It's the wide stance and powerful haunches, the hunkered down suction-capped-to-the-road look that does it for me and the Cayenne Turbo GT, despite being an SUV, passes this important Porsche checklist item.

The GT aero kit only serves to make this SUV look more of a beast, and the gold-bronze looking satin Neodyne wheels are a Porsche theme that I've not always been a fan of, but I get the historic connection.

If only the Turbo GT could look a little less like other Cayennes from the front. This is the king of the SUV range and despite the apron and bumper already being exclusive to this model, there should be more.

Vents in the wheel arches, carbon bonnet with nostrils GT3-style perhaps? Or is that going too far? If you do want something more lairy then there's always the Urus.

The Cayenne Turbo GT's cabin is stunning in its plushness and modern surprises such as the passenger display, the hoodless instrument digital cluster, the lashings of Race-Tex upholstery everywhere. It's perfectly Porsche. High-performance meets high-end.

It's also highly practical. Let's talk about that.

Cabin space is plentiful in the X3 with loads of room in the front, possibly thanks to the dashboard that is pulled back from you with only the twin screens and steering column offering themselves up to the driver. Even the air-vents are somewhat hidden. There’s good vision out and the seats themselves are lovely. The step into the cabin feels to be at just the right height, too; not too high, not too low.

Rear seating is good, too, although the X3 will always be better as a four seater than five thanks to the shape of the rear bench, but the glass roof opens the space up and there’s plenty of charging points and storage nooks. The sun blinds on the rear-side windows of the more expensive versions should be standard kit on every car sold in Australia.

We’ll take exception to the new gear-selector which doesn’t have a defined Park position and instead relies on applying the park-brake to engage Park. But the ambient light and contrasting cabin colours are a bit of a breath of fresh air.

There are levers in the cargo area to quickly fold the rear seats (60:40) at which point luggage space jumps from 570 litres in the mild hybrid cars to 1700 litres. The battery-pack of the 30e model means that luggage space starts at 460 litres and can be expanded to 1600 litres.

The latest version of BMW’s sometimes controversial iDrive operating system is simpler and easier to use than before and supported by a new operating system, but there’s still some familiarisation necessary. One improvement has been the addition of QuickSelect which works somewhat like the old favourites button system and gets around the need to drill into menus to access the functions you want.

A head-up display is a terrific addition, although where some displays are more tolerant of polarised sunglasses, the HUD in the BMW didn’t like mine and went dark at the most inconvenient angles.

None of the X3 variants feature a spare tyre of any sort. The 19-inch tyres on the base grade are run-flats, while everything else gets a repair kit for roadside emergencies.

If you want to tow, the good news is that all X3 variants can do so. But you will need to purchase the $2200 towing package which enables the X3 to haul a trailer weighing up to 2000kg with a maximum tow-ball down-weight of 200kg.

The Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT only makes one compromise on practicality and that's the removal of the middle seat in the back, which, with just two kids isn't used all the time but on average we might need it once a week for school mates and cousins.

Instead of a middle seat there is a shallow tray, which will fit a phone or in our case leaves and rocks found at the park.

So, yes, the Turbo GT is a four-seater only, but this is a spacious, large SUV with good head and legroom, wide-opening doors for easy entry and exit, and air suspension which can raise and lower the height for easy access.

Storage is excellent with enormous door pockets in the front and back and there are four cupholders.

There's a wireless phone charger in the front and two USB-C ports as well, plus two USB-C sockets in the back.

Four-zone climate control means the kids in the back can set their own temperatures. They also have heated seats.

I was disappointed to see there aren't sunshades for the rear windows - pretty vital in Australia where it feels like we're only about 50 metres away from the sun.

The Turbo GT's 576-litre boot just managed to fit our pram and a week's shopping, which is our minimum standard for living. Any more space is a bonus.

The Turbo GT is the king of Cayennes, so it shouldn't surprise anybody that it's also the most expensive with its list price of $364,700.

Lamborghini's Urus lists for $409,744  and is the Cayenne Turbo GT's not-so-subtle Italian cousin, sharing the same platform and engine.

Both are in my mind the best performance SUVs on the planet. It just depends how conspicuous you want to be.

Then there's Bentley's V8 Bentayga which isn't blessed with the Porsche's good looks but would still be all over the Cayenne if the two happened to meet at a race track.

So, why is the GT Turbo the king of the Cayennes? What makes it better? For all the reasons you'd think - it's the fastest, most powerful, most luxurious and most equipped Cayenne in the range.

We'll get into mind-bending engine and performance specs soon, but first let me take you through the standard features on a car that's anything but standard.

Coming standard and exclusively to the Turbo GT are 22-inch 'GT Design' wheels in satin 'Neodyne' with full-colour Porsche centre caps, an active rear spoiler, Turbo GT front apron, dual titanium exhaust, rear apron with diffuser, 'SportDesign' side skirts, wheel arch extensions, a lightweight carbon roof and tinted LED HD-matrix headlights.

Inside, and also exclusive to this grade, is the 'GT Interior Package' with 'Race-Tex' upholstery throughout with 'Deep Sea Blue' stitching on the front seats and centre console and the armrests and dashboard.

There's also the 'Carbon Interior Package' which includes dashboard and door trim elements.

Race-Tex trim is applied to the 'GT Sports' steering wheel, roof lining and gearshift, too.

The adaptive active air suspension, which can lower the car by 15mm, is standard and only available on the Turbo GT, too.

The soft-close doors are standard (a cost option on lower grades), as are the stainless steel pedal covers.

The rest of the features are also found on lower grades and include the 12.65-inch digital instrument cluster, head-up display, proximity unlocking, 12.3-inch multimedia touchscreen with sat nav, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, digital radio, a 10-speaker Bose sound system, heated front seats, rear privacy glass and an auto tailgate.

Four-zone climate control is standard on the GT Turbo, too, and so are heated rear seats.

Our car had several options fitted such as the front passenger display ($2860) and the Deep Sea Blue Accent Package.

The passenger display is a crowd pleaser, but as a family car my kids felt like they were missing screens in the back seats, too. Well, in my day...

Hybrid tech across the board is the key phrase here, with the base-model 20 xDrive fitted with a mild hybrid electric motor and battery pack that works in conjunction with the 2.0-litre, turbocharged petrol four-cylinder engine. Power is 140kW and torque 310Nm. Like most mild hybrids, the electric motor offers power regeneration during braking, a mellow (by EV standards) kick in the pants during take-off and acceleration and also acts as the car’s starter motor.

The performance flagship, the M50 xDrive taps into the same technical philosophy with a mild hybrid augmenting the turbocharged six-cylinder inline petrol engine. In this case, however, peak power is a hefty 293kW and torque maxes out at 580Nm.

The most technically adventurous X3 is the 30e xDrive which uses plug-in hybrid tech to offer a claimed 91km of electric driving, about twice that offered by the original X3 PHEV it replaces. When the same 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol as fitted to the 20 xDrive, and the electric motor are humming along together, there’s 220kW of power and 450Nm for the taking. The PHEV X3 can run in purely electric mode at up to a claimed 140km/h.

All variants use BMW’s familiar eight-speed automatic transmission and in each case, drive is sent to all four wheels on a permanent basis. Interestingly, the 30e and M50 versions package their electric motor as part of the engine-transmission combination. The 20, meanwhile, places its electric motor externally, as part of the drive-belt rotating assembly.

The M50 model has an M button that unleashes the full performance with one touch, and features an electronically locking rear differential in the interests of high-speed turn-in.

Adaptive suspension that varies the degree of damping is also part of the package on each X3 variant.

As a middle-aged parent with two children, a Porsche that I don't have to crawl into and out of like a cubby house is a great thing.

What's even better is that this ‘easy access' Porsche is every bit as brutally powerful and fast as the quintessentially ‘pure' Porsche, the 911. Actually, it's more powerful and faster.

The Turbo GT's twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 petrol engine makes 485kW and 850Nm with drive going through an eight-speed transmission to all four wheels.

In comparison, a Porsche 911 GT3 RS, arguably the most brutal and anti-social 911, has 386kW/485Nm.

I haven't made a mistake. Those are the real numbers. And it's only when you step on the accelerator in the Cayenne Turbo GT, and it feels like somebody's sat down on your chest, that you realise what a big deal this is.

That is such a colossal amount of oomph that this 2.2-tonne family SUV can accelerate from 0-100km/h in 3.3 seconds.

The 911 GT3 RS can do it in 3.2 and it has a roll cage and a fixed rear wing the size of a bedroom door.

And yes, we're now coming into a digital age where Teslas and other electric SUVs are quick, too, but can they go around corners like a Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT?

Do they have the same rumble and roar as a twin-turbo V8 that's terrifying and enticing at the same time.

The correct answer is, absolutely not.

As you might expect, the PHEV 30e model is the efficiency superstar of the X3 line-up with an official combined test figure of just 1.6 litres per 100km and 38 grams of CO2 per kilometre. The four-cylinder 20 xDrive is not bad for its size at 7.5L/100km (and 171g), yet the bruising six-cylinder M50 version with all that performance is not too far behind with an official figure of 8.2L/100km (187g).

The 30e PHEV features a selectable battery-saving mode as well as the option of forcing EV-only running. It features a 19.7kWh battery and BMW claims it can charge using a three-phase, 11kW socket from empty to full in two hours, 15 minutes. It does not make use of fast-chargers.

Exactly how far you’ll travel in the PHEV model will depend hugely on how and where you drive. On long, open road journeys, fuel consumption won’t be much different to the others, but with just a 50-litre fuel tank, it’s range won’t be stellar. But in urban running where the batteries are being recharged for free as you brake, the difference will be significant. Meanwhile, with a 65-litre fuel tank in the mild hybrid grades, the theoretical range (based on the official fuel number) is 865km and 765km for the 20 and M50 respectively.

While BMW recommends premium fuel for maximum efficiency, it also says that each X3 variant will not be harmed by the use of standard ULP if that’s all you can get hold of.

Seriously? This is a 2.0-tonne twin-turbo petrol V8 with a 90-litre fuel tank. Even the Porsche specs sheet doesn't understand the question because in the column for fuel efficiency there are three letters - tbc.

My own testing saw me record 22.5 L/100km at the fuel pump, which means I enjoyed driving the car very much.

A little digging around reveals Porsche globally claims the Turbo GT will use 12.6L/100km, over a combination of open and urban roads.

You might not have as much fun as I did but easing back a little might get you closer to the 700km of range this more frugal consumption figure appears to offer.

While efficient it isn't, I'm not going to mark the Turbo GT too much here because compared to its petrol rivals the fuel consumption is what I'd expect from such a high-output heavy SUV.

Big heavy SUVS like this one haven’t always been too dainty on their feet. The extra bulk and height mean suspension has to be firmer, the big wheels and subsequent loss of tyre sidewall depth plays against ride quality and before you know it, the compromises have piled up and the driving experience has gone to hell.

This time, however, BMW’s claim that the X3 was designed from the start as an SUV and not converted from a sedan platform seems to hold water. There’s an overall greater sense of cohesion in the way the car steers and flows through corners and faster bends. The steering feel and feedback are a big part of that, too, and the whole seems at least as great as its parts.

The M50 is, predictably, a rocket with loads of accessible acceleration and a great noise while you’re enjoying it. That said, the 21-inch wheels and tyres don’t do anything for ride quality, but it remains an entertaining performance car in a familiar, ICE kind of way.

The plug-in is also perky with its 220kW on tap, but it’s less old-school and more techy. And while you can’t pick the point at which ICE hands over to electric and vice-versa, sensitive drivers will absolutely know that there’s a big dollop of electrical assistance when your right foot starts asking the tough questions. It definitely feels more overtly hybrid, though that shouldn’t be any kind of surprise, purely because that’s precisely the case.

Which brings us to the 20 entry-level grade. And while it’s going to be a controversial statement, this emerges as the most cohesive, rounded variant of the new X3. There’s something in the way the fizzy, bubbly (but very smooth) 2.0-litre four-cylinder provides more than enough urge, but never threatens to dominate the dynamics.

With less weight over the front wheels than the M50, and less weight overall than the PHEV, the 20 corners flatter, steers more intuitively and is simply more fun more of the time. Even on the optional 20-inch tyres, it rides better than the others, too, and might even be better again with the standard 19s other than the fact that those are run flats and we didn’t get try them.

Never have I met a car this powerful and superbly athletic that is as pleasurable to drive alone on great, fast roads as it is to pilot at 50km/h in the suburbs with a family on board.

It exceeds my understanding of engineering that something this large can move so quickly. That in an instant can turn and tip into a corner with such precision and effortlessness.

Yet it can switch seamlessly and happily to coping with speed bumps and potholes, delivering a ride so comfortable it'll send babies off to sleep. And it did.

The only issue, and this is such a tiny thing, is the dash-mounted gearshift, which means having to reach up and select Drive or Reverse or Park, which, when executing a three-point turn, is necessarily frustrating.

Still, I'm giving the Turbo GT a 10 out of 10 for driving under all conditions, and we didn't even go off-road, which of course you can do, as long as it's not too wild.

The Porsche Cayenne Turbo GT hasn't been locally crash tested and so doesn't have an ANCAP rating.

That's quite normal for super high-end cars. But, when this third-generation model first arrived in 2017 it was tested by ANCAP's European equivalent, Euro NCAP, and was awarded the maximum five stars.

There's AEB which operates at city, urban and highway speeds, and lane keeping assistance, and lane change assistance which is a form of blind-spot warning, and adaptive cruise control. You can option rear cross-traffic alert, as well.

A space saver spare wheel is under the boot floor.

BMW’s warranty on the X3 is the company’s usual five-year/unlimited kilometre deal. But in this case, there’s also a six-year/100,000km warranty on the high-voltage battery.

Also typical for BMW is the service interval which is not a set time or distance and instead is determined by how the car has been used. It’s called condition-based servicing and it’s nothing new at BMW.

There’s also capped-price servicing available. For the X3, the five-year/80,000km service package is $2475.

The Cayenne Turbo GT is covered by Porsche's three-year, unlimited kilometre warranty, which is lagging behind in terms of duration even compared to other luxury brands such as Mercedes-Benz, which offers five years.

Servicing is recommended annually or every 15,000km, although there isn't a capped price maintenance plan with final costs determined at the dealer level (in line with variable labour rates by state or territory).