Compare the2023 Porsche PanameraVS 2023 Mercedes E-Class Sedan

Both the Panamera and E-Class Sedan have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Panamera has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The E-Class Sedan’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Porsche Panamera has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

A passive infrared night vision system optional on the Panamera helps the driver to more easily detect people, animals or other objects in front of the vehicle at night. Using an infrared camera to detect heat, the system then displays the image on a monitor in the dashboard and even aims one of the vehicle’s headlights in the direction of the person or object. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer a night vision system.

The Panamera’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the E-Class Sedan.

Both the Panamera and the E-Class Sedan have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available crash mitigating brakes, blind spot warning systems and around view monitors.

The Panamera’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the E-Class Sedan’s (12 vs. 5 years).

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Panamera’s reliability 21 points higher than the E-Class Sedan.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Porsche vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Porsche above average in long-term dependability. With 30 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Mercedes is rated below average.

The Panamera has more powerful engines than the E-Class Sedan:

As tested in Motor Trend the Porsche Panamera is faster than the E 450 4MATIC Sedan 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid:

On the EPA test cycle the Panamera Sedan running on electricity gets better mileage than the E-Class Sedan:

The Panamera can travel with zero emissions for 17 to 19 miles (dependent on model). The E-Class Sedan can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Panamera Turbo/GTS’ fuel efficiency. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

Regardless of its engine, regenerative brakes improve the Panamera’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. Mercedes only offers a regenerative brake system on the E-Class Sedan 450.

The Panamera E-Hybrid’s standard fuel tank has 3.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the E-Class Sedan 350’s standard fuel tank (21.1 vs. 17.4 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Panamera’s standard fuel tank has 2.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the E-Class Sedan 450’s standard fuel tank (23.7 vs. 21.1 gallons).

The Panamera offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The Panamera’s optional launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer launch control.

For better stopping power the Panamera’s brake rotors are larger than those on the E-Class Sedan:

The Panamera offers optional heat-treated ceramic brake rotors, which last ten to twenty times as long as conventional cast iron rotors, don’t rust, don’t fade during repeated high speed braking, and their lighter weight contribute to better braking, handling and acceleration. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer ceramic brake rotors.

The Panamera stops much shorter than the E-Class Sedan:

For better traction, the Panamera has larger standard tires than the E-Class Sedan (F:265/45R19 & R:295/40R19 vs. 245/45R18). The Panamera Turbo S/Turbo S E-Hybrid’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the E-Class Sedan (F:275/35R21 & R:325/30R21 vs. 245/45R18).

The Panamera’s standard 295/40R19 rear tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the E-Class Sedan’s standard 45 series tires. The Panamera’s optional 275/35R21 front and 315/30R21 rear tires have a lower 35 series front and 30 series rear profile than the E 350 Sedan’s optional 40 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Panamera has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the E-Class Sedan. The Panamera’s optional 21-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels optional on the E 350 Sedan.

The Panamera offers active sway bars, which help keep it flat and controlled during cornering, but disconnect at lower speeds to smooth the ride and offer greater off-road suspension articulation. This helps keep the tires glued to the road on-road and off. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

The Panamera offers an available adjustable active suspension system, which counteracts cornering forces actively, limiting body roll and improving handling and stability. Mercedes doesn’t offer an active suspension on the E-Class Sedan.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Panamera’s wheelbase is .4 inches longer than on the E-Class Sedan (116.1 inches vs. 115.7 inches). The Panamera Executive’s wheelbase is 6.3 inches longer than on the E-Class Sedan (122 inches vs. 115.7 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Panamera is 2.3 inches wider in the front and 1.5 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the E-Class Sedan.

The Panamera’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (52% to 48%) than the E-Class Sedan’s (54.2% to 45.8%). This gives the Panamera more stable handling and braking.

The Panamera GTS handles at 1.05 G’s, while the E 450 4MATIC Sedan pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Panamera GTS executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.5 seconds quicker than the E 450 4MATIC Sedan (23.7 seconds @ .86 average G’s vs. 26.2 seconds @ .69 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Panamera’s turning circle is tighter than the E-Class Sedan’s:

The front grille of the Panamera uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Panamera offers available computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Panamera Sedan a Large car, while the E-Class Sedan is rated a Mid-size.

The Panamera Sport Turismo has 10 cubic feet more passenger volume than the E-Class Sedan (108 vs. 98).

The Panamera has .7 inches more front headroom, .2 inches more front legroom, .3 inches more front shoulder room and .4 inches more rear headroom than the E-Class Sedan.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Panamera’s available rear seats recline. The E-Class Sedan’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Panamera has a much larger trunk with its rear seat up than the E-Class Sedan (17.6 vs. 13.1 cubic feet).

The Panamera Sport Turismo has a much larger trunk with its rear seat up than the E-Class Sedan (18.3 vs. 13.1 cubic feet).

A control in the cargo area automatically lowers the Panamera’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Porsche service is better than Mercedes. J.D. Power ranks Porsche third in service department satisfaction. With a 30% lower rating, Mercedes is ranked 18th.

The Panamera’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The E-Class Sedan does not have an oil pressure gauge.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Panamera offers an optional rear wiper. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

A power rear sunshade is optional in the Panamera (except Sport Turismo) and power rear side window sunshades are optional in the Panamera to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

Optional air conditioned front and rear seats keep the Panamera’s passengers comfortable and take the sting out of hot leather in summer. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats in the rear.

Both the Panamera and the E-Class Sedan offer optional massaging front seats. The Panamera also offers optional massaging rear seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging rear seats aren’t available in the E-Class Sedan.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Porsche Panamera has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the E-Class Sedan.

The Panamera will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Panamera will retain 45.4% to 94.99% of its original price after five years, while the E-Class Sedan only retains 40.76% to 42.76%.