Should You Buy a Maserati or a Mercedes? (Best Models)
By
Vroomouk
In this article, we pitch Maserati and Mercedes against each other and find out which one is the best. We also take a brief look into the histories of both the companies and compare their flagship models.
Which is best: Maserati or Mercedes Benz?
Currently, Mercedes Benz is the global market leader when it comes to the production of Luxury passenger cars. The following table lists key information regarding both companies.
| Company – | Maserati | Mercedes Benz |
| Production output | 19000-20,000 units | 2,164,187 units |
| Number of models | 4 | 25 |
| Founded | 1914 | 1926 |
| Parent company | Stellantis | Mercedes Benz AG |
Although Mercedes Benz is a much larger company today when compared to Maserati, the models offered by Maserati are direct rivals of some passenger car models like Mercedes Benz E class, S class and GLE due to their price point and performance figures.
Where are Maserati factories?
All the production of Maserati cars happens in Italy, the factory and Maserati headquarters are located in Modena Italy. There are no factories anywhere in the world and the spare parts are also manufactured in the same factory and shipped to the rest of the world. This makes owning a Maserati more exclusive compared to owning a Mercedes Benz.
Where are Mercedes Benz factories?
Mercedes Benz has production factories all over the world but the main manufacturing factories are located only in Germany. Another location does not manufacture cars but only assembles from knockdown kits. The company has factories in 17 countries across 4 continents.
The factory in Stuttgart, Germany is the mother factory, all the development, production and shipment of engines, transmissions and CKDs are shipped from this location. It is also the headquarters of Daimler AG, recently named Mercedes Benz group AG.
The Stuttgart factory has a history extending back over 115 years and it is the highest tech location for the production of cars and hybrid drive systems.
The plant has six total facilities, Untertürkheim and Bad Cannstatt are responsible for the production of engines and the forge is also located there. The transmissions are manufactured in Hedelfingen. Mettingen has the foundry for axle production.
A brief look into Mercedes Benz history.
In 1886, Karl Benz invented the modern-day car with the petrol engine and during the same period, Gottlieb Daimler and his business partner William Maybach were in the business of converting stagecoaches by adding petrol engines.
The Bertha Benz memorial route was established and even today it is possible to drive a complete 194km and experience the journey.
A European automobile entrepreneur Emil Jellinek first marketed the automobile by naming it after his daughter Mercedes Jellinek. 1901 Mercedes powered by a 35 brake horsepower engine became known as 1901 Mercedes.
The production of the first Branded Mercedes Benz started in 1926 when the two companies of Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler merged and created the Daimler Benz company.
A Brief Look into the history of Maserati
Maserati was started in December 1914 by 5 Brothers: Alfieri, Bindo, Carlo, Ettore and Ernesto in the town of Bologna, Italy. The brothers used to build race cars for the Grand Prix of Diatto but after the Grand Prix Diatto was suspended, all the Brothers decided to create and manufacture cars under the family name Maserati.
The Maserati logo is a tribute to the famous trident in the fountain of Neptune located in Bologna. As Neptune represents strength and vigour, it was considered appropriate for Maserati as their main objective is to build ultra-luxury performance cars with timeless Italian style and signature sounding power.
Currently, the Maserati company is owned by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) which is the second-largest automotive group in the world. Additional manufacturing factories were established in Grugliasco and Turin, Italy.
The Agnelli plant in Grugliasco primarily manufactures Quattroporte and Ghibli models and the Mirafiori plant in Turin makes the newly launched Levante SUV. The plants are located close to Modena Italy where the current Maserati Headquarters is situated.
In 1957 Maserati’s focus shifted from manufacturing racing cars to making road-going grand tourers. The Maserati 3500 GT was very successful and sold over 2200 units. High-performance and convertible versions of GT3500 were also made by tuning the ongoing 3.5 litres inline six-cylinder engine in 1960.
In 2013, Maserati decided to expand its line-up and go directly against the Mercedes Benz by producing Quattroporte VI and Ghibli. Both of these models were direct rivals of the Mercedes Benz S class and E class respectively. High-performance engine options were also available in the Quattroporte to challenge the Mercedes AMG 63 Models.
What are the high-end models of Maserati Quattroporte and Mercedes Benz?
The high-end models of Maserati and Mercedes Benz S Class are the Maserati Quattroporte and Mercedes Benz S Class. Lets take a closer look at each of them.
Maserati Quattroporte
Maserati Quattroporte is currently in its sixth generation. It is a full-size luxury sedan and goes up against the Mercedes Benz flagship S class model. The engine choices in the Quattroporte are 3.0Litre V6 and 3.8 litre V8 petrol engines producing power from 400 to 550 horsepower.
The engines are based on F154 engines which are also used in some Ferrari models. The engine blocks and moving parts are cast and machined in the Ferrari factory.
Maserati Quattroporte has sporty handling and a stiffer suspension setup. The body has a very low drag coefficient of 0.28 and the suspension components like control bars, and roll bars are all manufactured using Special aluminium alloys. The combination of aerodynamic bodies and powerful engines makes the Quattroporte a luxury sports car.
Mercedes Benz S Class
Mercedes Benz S Class on the other hand focuses on comfort and luxury. There are inline 6 and v8 petrol engines making around 600 horsepower. The S class is currently in the seventh generation and has the most advanced driver assistance systems on board.
The driver assistance systems are capable of driving the s class without any inputs from the driver. S class also sets a benchmark in safety by featuring a first-in-class rear passenger airbag located on the backside of the front seats.
S class uses AIRMATIC suspension with sports and comfort modes, the suspension has active body control systems and can vary the damping rates based on the mode selected. This gives more versatility to the handling characteristics of the S class.
The S class also uses a 9-speed automatic gearbox compared to the 8-speed gearbox in the Quattroporte. The transfer case used in the S class is capable of 100 % torque distribution to any wheel while the Quattroporte is rear-wheel drive and can send only 50 % of power to the front wheel.
Thanks to its superior built quality and a long list of features the S class outsells the Quattroporte.
Other articles about Mercedes Benz you may be interested in
Why are Mercedes oil changes so expensive?
What are the important things to know about the Mercedes Benz Key?
What are the Million Dollar Cars in Mercedes Benz?
Conclusion
Mercedes Benz comes out as the outright winner and thanks to its large after-service network of dealerships and availability of spare parts it is easier to live with a Mercedes Benz than a Maserati. Maserati like any other Italian car is notorious for unexpected breakdowns and reliability issues. Mercedes Benz on the other hand has some of the most reliable cars running on the road today.
