Maserati vs. Mercedes: A Complete Brand Comparison
Nobody would turn down a Maserati or a Mercedes. Both are brands with an incredible heritage, history, powerful engines, and beautiful designs, but if you had to choose between Maserati’s Italian luxury and Mercedes’ German engineering, it gets a little more complicated. Take, for example, their slogans: Maserati’s “Excellence Through Passion” or Mercedes’ “The Best or Nothing.” Each slogan instills confidence, but is the one better than the other? In comparing Maserati vs. Mercedes, let’s start with a history lesson.
The History of Maserati and Mercedes
The automotive world wouldn’t be the way it is today without these brands. Both have given us incredible inventions and unbelievable vehicles over the 100 or so years they have been around, so how did their heritage shape the brands that they are today?
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The History of Maserati
The entire history of how Maserati came to be the brand that we know is just a little complicated, so here’s a documentary; if you’d like to hear the full version, but for the short version, read on!
Maserati was founded in Bologna, Italy, in December 1914, by three brothers: Alfieri, Ettore, and Ernesto Maserati. They began by producing spark plugs before creating the first Maserati automobile. Alfieri was a race car driver, and with his experience, they were able to create the Tipo 26, a remarkable race car.
After Alfieri’s death in 1932, the company continued on and won races, but the brothers sold Maserati to a Moderna industrialist, Adolfo Orsi, in 1937. However, the Maserati brothers stayed with the company for 10 or so years afterward and continued to produce incredible race cars behind Orsi’s financial influx. During world war II, Maserati as a company switched from automobiles to spark plugs, batteries, and delivery vehicles.
After the war, Maserati began producing successful luxury performance vehicles and soon after started selling stock to Citroën, the Chrysler Corporation, as well as a few other companies until Fiat acquired Maserati in 1993. Fiat tried to find the perfect place in the automotive industry for Maserati, as well as push the brand into the American market. Maserati then became Fiat’s performance luxury brand, which it still is to this day.
As for the Maserati brand vs. Mercedes brand, Maserati is sort of a low-end high performance luxury car brand that isn’t as widely recognized, while Mercedes has a firm footing on the entire automotive industry.
The History of Mercedes
How do you compare any other brand to the brand that invented cars, and with it, the automotive industry? Karl Benz, the name that will forever be engraved in history, but not because he was the first owner of a driver’s license, but because he patented the Benz Patent-Motorwagen in January of 1886. The first internal combustion engine automobile was a few years later, in 1901, marketed by Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG), who, alongside Karl Benz, had to deal with a lot of pushback from the community. Nobody had ever seen a car up until that point, and some even resorted to calling it evil and devilish.
One man from DMG, in particular, Emil Jellinek, registered the trademark Mercedes after his 13-year-old daughter Mercedes Jellinek. He was responsible for promoting the Mercedes to high-status people, and Mercedes was on the track of becoming the high-status luxury car brand that it is today.
In 1926 Karl Benz and Gottlieb Daimler merged into Daimler-Benz and created the first Mercedes Benz branded vehicle. There was nowhere to go but up, but during World War II, Daimler-Benz essentially abandoned cars and focused on creating machinery for the war. Afterward, they returned to making automobiles, and in 1958 expanded to America. That’s when Daimler-Benz dealerships started becoming Mercedes Benz dealerships exclusively, and the standalone Mercedes Benz brand was born.
The entire history of Mercedes Benz is quite lengthy, so if you’d like to learn more, here’s a documentary that will take you through the entire history of Mercedes.
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Should You Buy a Maserati or a Mercedes?
The prestige is there for both brands, but what about the cars? What can you expect if you purchase one? When comparing Maserati vs. Mercedes, let’s look at reliability, durability, and power.
Maserati vs. Mercedes: Power, Reliability, and Durability
Maserati has always been about performance more than luxury, and it’s the other way around for Mercedes. Mercedes does have some incredible monsters in their lineup, but not that many people purchase a Mercedes exclusively for its performance; it’s more about the pride and the luxury. However, how much reliability are you willing to sacrifice? And how much are you willing to spend on maintenance?
Maserati cars aren’t famous because of their reliability. What’s even worse is that there are far fewer replacement parts for a Maserati than there are for a Mercedes. So, unless you have the funds and you’re willing to spend more time working on your car, Mercedes is your best bet.
HOW MANY SPARK PLUGS DOES A DIESEL ENGINE HAVE?
The answer to this question isn’t as simple as you’d expect. Let’s look explore the difference between gas and diesel engines and explore just how many spark plugs a diesel engine actually has.
Maserati vs. Mercedes: Luxury and Price
In the battle of the Maserati brand vs. the Mercedes brand, if Maserati’s winning the performance race, then Mercedes is winning the comfort race.
When it comes to luxurious interiors, Mercedes has always been ahead of the pack. Maserati, while still a luxury vehicle, isn’t that much different from the pack. Maserati’s interior and comfort can easily be grouped up with most other luxury cars. However, Mercedes stands out.
As for the price, a Maserati isn’t that much more expensive than a Mercedes; if you can afford a Mercedes, you can also afford a Maserati. But we must not forget maintenance and support. Since there’s much less support for a Maserati than there is for a Mercedes, everything from maintenance, to repairs, to modification is going to be more expensive on average.
Maserati vs. Mercedes: The Finish Line
So, when comparing Maserati vs. Mercedes vehicles, who wins? It really depends on what you’re looking for. Both brands are very well respected, and there are no wrong answers when it comes to prestige. Maserati’s going to be a bit more costly; it’s also going to give you better performance, but how much reliability and comfort are you willing to sacrifice for that power? In the end, it’s ultimately down to what your personal priorities and goals are. Both are fantastic, legendary car brands for a good reason.
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