Both Porsche and Mercedes are widely regarded as the pinnacles of German car engineering. Porsche is known for its long-lasting tradition of making superbly engineered sports cars that are rivaled by few. Mercedes is known for making the most luxuriously advanced comfortable automobiles.
Choosing between these two is based on the characteristics you want in a car. When it comes to sports cars, fast lap times, and driving pleasure, Porsche takes it. But, if you want luxury and the general ease of driving, Mercedes is the one to go for.
While both of them have numerous models to choose from, all of the models promise to provide you with a car that both looks great and functions like a charm, so deciding which one is right for you can sometimes be a challenge. By deciding which features are most important to you, you’ll have a good way to compare them, making the choice is a little easier.
Let’s start by taking a more detailed look at each of these car brands.
Mercedes-Benz overview
Mercedes-Benz sells only premium vehicles. As of 2018, they have sold 2.3 million passenger cars, which makes them the largest seller of premium vehicles in the world. They got started in 1926 when the company was known as Daimler-Benz, but throughout the 1930s, Mercedes-Benz started their business by producing a model called the 770.
The 770 model was known to have been used by Adolph Hitler during World War II, and even the pontiff’s Popemobile is often made by Mercedes-Benz. In fact, one of the things that makes the company so unique is their innovative spirit, being one of the first car companies to concentrate on newer and better safety and comfort features that are now commonplace.
In late 2019, Mercedes’ parent company, Daimler AG, announced it would now be called Mercedes-Benz AG and would manufacture the cars and vans made by that company. In addition, Daimler AG is now responsible for the trucks and buses with the Mercedes-Benz badge. Now, the division that makes Mercedes-Benz cars includes both Mercedes-Benz and the Smart cars.
Mercedes is a car of class
What makes Mercedes-Benz so unique? First of all, this is a car that cannot be beat when it comes to luxury and comfort. Mercedes-Benz makes sedans, four-door coupes, sports utility vehicles (SUVs), vans, sports cars, and even luxury pickup trucks and electric vehicles. They also make buses and trucks of various sizes.
Their goal is to consistently come out with newer and better safety and technologically advanced features, so this is the car that many people think of first when those features are what they want. Their vehicles also offer a very smooth and quiet ride, which is a major factor in the company’s popularity.
In addition to quality, durability is another important feature of Mercedes-Benz vehicles. Sources such as J.D. Power and Associates have always ranked this car very high, even though the company did see a dip in these rankings in the mid-2000s. Today, however, Mercedes-Benz usually ranks in the top five vehicle makers in the world.
Mercedes features
When it comes to Mercedes-Benz, the following features are part of the reason the company remains on top:
- It has been around longer than most other car companies have.
- It is built to last for decades.
- It is made with superior parts that the company has strict standards for.
- It offers a lot of variety with its vehicles.
- Safety and luxury are always top priorities for the company.
It seems that Mercedes-Benz set out to make a truly extraordinary vehicle that stands out among the rest, and according to numerous experts and critics, they have done a great job at that.
Porsche overview
Just like Mercedes-Benz, Porsche also started in Germany. Today, they make high-performance SUVs, sports cars, and sedans. The company itself is owned by Volkswagen AG and has been around since 1931. In 1939, their first car under the Porsche name – the Porsche 64 – was developed. It used many of the components used in making the Volkswagen Beetle.
During World War II, Porsche developed military tank prototypes, and while they were not accepted, the company did manufacture the Tiger I and the Tiger II, which were used as the base for a tank made later on called the Elefant tank destroyer.
The Porsche 356 was developed during World War II. After the war, parts were in short supply and, therefore, parts from the Volkswagen Beetle were once again used in the 356. Eventually, the car was made only with Porsche parts, and it featured air-cooled rear-engine configurations that were rare for car manufacturers at the time.
Today, some of the models made by Porsche include the 911, Boxster, Cayman, and Cayenne, as well as the Panamera, Macan, and Taycan. In 2019, Porsche sold a total of 61,568 vehicles, which represented an increase of 7.6% over the previous year. Porsche also makes racing cars, tractors, hybrid vehicles, electric cars, and even aircraft engines.
Porsche: An award-winning brand
When the Luxury Institute of New York conducted a study of more than 500 high-income households, Porsche was voted as “the most prestigious automobile brand.” The company also won the Initial Quality Study (IQS) by J.D. Power and Associates in the years 2006, 2009, 2010, and 2014.
Other accolades include a study by a Canadian company in 2011 that revealed that more than 97% of the Porsches purchased in the previous 25 years were still on the road, which is a testament to the quality and durability of their cars.
Consumer Reports voted the Porsche Boxster and Cayman the most reliable vehicles on the road in 2014, and in Germany, the Porsche 911 was voted as their most reliable vehicle.
What makes Porsche great?
According to both experts and customers of Porsche vehicles, some of the things that make the car unique include the following:
- It is stylish and sophisticated, not to mention pleasing to the senses.
- It offers a very smooth ride that ignores all of the bumps in the road.
- It offers cutting-edge technological advances that most other car manufacturers do not offer.
These are sleek, elegant-looking cars that show the rest of the world that you’re successful. As the saying goes, if you have to ask how much a Porsche costs, chances are you can’t afford one in the first place.
Porsches generally range from about $120,000 to $300,000 or more, but you are getting your money’s worth because of all the advanced features you’ll enjoy.
Which is better, The Porsche or the Benz?
Depending on which features you consider most important, either of these cars will make you happy. There are certainly more Mercedes-Benz cars on the road than there are Porsches, so if you want to make sure you’re noticed, the Porsche is the car for you. That being said, both of these vehicles are high-quality, prestigious cars that are certain to turn heads.
Let’s compare some different vehicle lines.
Luxury sedans
In the luxury sedan segment, Mercedes offers an abundance of different options. Ranging from the smallest C-class that starts around $42k, and goes all the way up to the recently debuted S-class that costs upwards of $110k.
The newly released S-class is aimed at maximum comfort, without sacrificing technology or safety. The car is available with a wide range of engines, including gas, diesel, and even hybrids. The S-class comes in a standard wheelbase size and a longer wheelbase version.
In the Porsche corner, stands the recently refreshed Porsche Panamera. The Panamera is aimed towards a customer that demands a luxury vehicle that is also able to be entertaining when rounding corners. The Panamera starts at $88k and it also comes with gas, diesel, or hybrid powertrains.
SUVs
As far as SUVs are considered, Mercedes also offers a wider variety of SUVs. Their SUV range starts from the smallest subcompact crossover SUV, the GLA, and goes all the way up to the colossal GLS and the iconic Mercedes G-class.
As of now, Porsche only offers the smaller Macan SUV and the larger Cayenne SUV in both coupe and regular versions.
The most competitive top-of-the-line Mercedes SUV is the G-class. The G-class starts at $131k, and for that price, you get an immensely capable SUV that provides above-average performance, luxury, and off-road capabilities.
As far as Porsche is considered, the Cayenne is the best SUV that Porsche currently offers, and it starts at $68k. The Cayenne falls short of the G-class when it comes to off-road driving and sheer popularity, but it offers better on-road performance and a price tag that does not require you to sell both of your kidneys.
Sports cars
Mercedes certainly has a huge advantage when it comes to sedans and SUVs because Mercedes offers a model for every imaginable purpose. But the sports cars segment is the bread and butter of the Porsche line-up and even though Mercedes makes amazing sports cars, they still can’t match the Porsche 911.
The best sports car Mercedes currently offers is the AMG GT Black Series, a track-ready, limited-production super sports car that currently holds the record for the fastest lap around the Nürburgring. The BS costs $390k without any options and it comes with a 720 horsepower 4-liter BiTurbo V8.
In the Porsche corner, stands the legendary 911, a car that spans a 60-year-old history of rear-engine 6-cylinder sports cars that are simply unrivaled in the segment. The 911 comes in many different variants and the new entry-level 992 911 costs around $100k.
The previous-gen GT2RS held the production car record on the Nürburgring before the AMG BS, and only recently, has Porsche unveiled the new GT3 that also offers amazing performance, and a legendary naturally aspired flat 6 engine that revs to 9000RPM.
Reliability and maintenance
There are some reliability issues to consider about each of these brands that may present challenges to you, and they include the following:
- Mercedes-Benz vehicles can suffer with an air-suspension system that can be unreliable, a valve body and connector located around the transmission that sometimes breaks or cracks, and engine mounts that can start to leak oil once the car has been driven about 100,000 miles.
- Porsche automobiles can suffer with water and oil leaks, batteries that may die if you don’t drive the vehicle regularly, and a clutch that sometimes feels heavy and hard to manage. Still, in most reliability tests, Porsche vehicles still rank high and their maintenance costs tend to be lower than those of the Mercedes-Benz.
As far as reliability and maintenance go, most experts agree that a Porsche is going to cost you less to maintain than a Mercedes-Benz will.
With all the benefits Mercedes carries compared to Porsche, reliability is not one of them. Reliability Index, a prominent analyst company, has placed Porsche as the second most reliable luxury car maker, and Mercedes only manages to trail at 31st place.
Mercedes offers below-industry reliability results, and Porsche offers above-average reliability results. Quality is something that Porsche manages to deliver that many other car brands cannot match. And that goes for both the interior, exterior, and engineering aspects.
It’s fairly safe to say that Porsche makes the superiorly engineered car compared to Mercedes, but Mercedes does offer a lot more to a lot more people.
Comparing car interiors
Mercedes offers amazing high-tech interiors, and Porsche offers superior build quality. Both Mercedes and Porsche use amazing materials, but Mercedes edges the Porsche out for comfort, and Porsche beats Mercedes when it comes to refinement.
Choosing any of these two based on the interior alone is a hard choice, as both offer amazing interiors and you can’t go wrong with either of them. Both brands offer Burmester surround sound systems that are considered the pinnacle of automotive audio systems, before stepping into Rolls Royce bespoke audio territory.
Mercedes offers a wider variety of options, seat types and tech packages, while Porsche offers more customizable interior materials, colors and trims.
Porsche makes a better electric vehicle than Mercedes
As of right now, Mercedes offers 2 EVs, the EQA and the EQC. Neither of them are constructed as stand-alone electric cars because they are based on the GLA and the GLC SUVs. Porsche makes the Taycan, an electric GT that is constructed on a stand-alone chassis.
The Porsche Taycan easily beats the Mercedes EVs line-up as it offers a Porsche-like experience in an EV that is sure to impress even the die-hard Porsche fans. Maybe it can even steal a couple of fans from the Tesla club. The Taycan starts around $80k for the base model and goes all the way up to $186k for the rapid Turbo S.
Mercedes makes better family cars than Porsche
Mercedes does make better family cars than Porsche since Porsche does not necessarily even make family cars. Of course, the Cayenne or the Macan, or even the Panamera or the Taycan can be used as great family haulers, but they are not specifically made for such purposes.
Mercedes offers 9 different SUVs and the B-class as a car that is primarily positioned for family hauling purposes. Mercedes also offers many sedan versions that are primarily focused on providing the safest and most comfortable experience for each passenger.
How to make your decision
Both of these vehicle makers are luxurious and very advanced when compared to most other car brands. They are expensive, yes, but most owners will tell you they are worth every penny you spend because of the comfort, luxury, technologically advanced features, and smooth, quiet ride they offer. When it comes to premium vehicles, these two cars cannot be beat.
When choosing between Mercedes-Benz vehicles and Porsche vehicles, you have to first decide which features are most important to you. The truth is, both of these vehicles are made by great companies with a reputation for making top-notch vehicles. Both manufacturers make a variety of models and are continuously coming out with more advances in their cars.
If you’re torn between these two brands and you’ve already decided which features you want to include in your next vehicle, here are some tips for you:
- Check consumer-reporting agencies.
- Check reviews from real-life customers, which can be found online.
- Check with auto magazines for industry studies and reviews.
In other words, you have to be informed about every aspect of both of these vehicles so you can make the best decision for yourself. Let’s face it, chances are good that your budget will be able to handle either of these cars because if you’re researching vehicles, you’ve already started with cars you can afford. So the rest of the process should be easy on you.
