Porsche Panamera S 970.1 vs Porsche Cayenne Diesel 958.2: which is truly faster?

Off the line, the Panamera S hits 100 km/h in 5.16 s versus 7.11 s for the Cayenne Diesel. At this point, the Panamera S leads by 1.96 s and sits roughly 8 m ahead.

At 200 metres, the Panamera S is doing 140 km/h against 118 km/h for the Cayenne Diesel. The gap is 1.00 s. The challenger starts to claw back ground.

At 400 metres standing start, the Panamera S crosses the line in 13.31 s versus 15.22 s. The 1.91 s gap represents roughly 75 m of track - a gap visible to the naked eye.

Past 400 metres, the Panamera S continues to build its lead. At 600 metres, it runs at 197 km/h versus 163 km/h. At 1,000 metres, the Panamera S finishes in 23.98 s versus 28.17 s, with a 4.19 s lead.

The Cayenne Diesel features all-wheel drive (AWD) against the Panamera S’s RWD. At low speeds (0-30, 0-50, 0-80 km/h), AWD doubles the driven contact area: all four wheels transmit torque to the road, virtually eliminating wheelspin at launch. This traction advantage is decisive in the range where the motor delivers peak torque, before power and aerodynamics take over.

Both rivals are electronically governed, but not at the same level: the Panamera S is capped at 283 km/h, the Cayenne Diesel at 217 km/h. This isn’t a physical engine limit - it’s a manufacturer choice, usually for tyre safety or homologation reasons. Neither car reaches its true aerodynamic top speed.

With two combustion powertrains, the difference comes down to power-to-weight ratio (4.43 kg/hp vs 8.05 kg/hp) and transmission (Automatic vs Unknown).

In European road use (130 km/h max), both vehicles reach the legal speed limit in under 11.83 seconds. The 1.96 s difference in 0 to 100 km/h is mostly felt in motorway merging and overtaking.