Certified Benz & Beemer Compares 2005 Mercedes Benz CL-Class VS 2005 Porsche 911 Near Scottsdale, AZ

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Mercedes CL Class are height adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Porsche 911 has only front height adjustable seat belts.

The CL Class has standard front and rear seat side-impact airbags and head airbags, which act as a forgiving barrier between the passengers and the door. Combined with high-strength steel door beams this system increases protection from broadside collisions. The 911 doesn’t offer rear-seat side-impact airbags, only ones for front seat occupants.

Using vehicle speed sensors, smart airbags in the CL Class deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The 911’s airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

The Mercedes CL Class has Daytime Running Lights to help keep it more visible under all conditions. Daytime Running Lights decrease the chances of collisions. Canadian government studies show that driving with lights during the day reduces accidents by 11% by making vehicles more conspicuous. The 911 doesn’t offer Daytime Running Lights.

The CL Class has standard Tele Aid, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to get driving directions, remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The 911 doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies.

Both the CL Class and the 911 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four wheel antilock brakes and electronic stability systems to prevent skidding.

The Mercedes CL Class weighs 866 to 1589 pounds more than the Porsche 911. The NHTSA advises that heavier cars are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

There are over 60 percent more Mercedes dealers than there are Porsche dealers, which makes it much easier to get service under the CL Class’ warranty.

The engines in the CL Class have a single overhead cam for simplicity. The engines in the 911 have dual overhead cams, which add to the number of moving parts and the complexity of the cylinder heads.

The battery on the CL Class is under the seat, which protects it from hot underhood temperatures, which can degrade battery life. By keeping the CL Class’ battery 20 to 30 degrees cooler, its life is increased by years. The 911’s battery is in the hot engine compartment.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2004 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Mercedes vehicles are better in initial quality than Porsche vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Mercedes 10th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 53 more problems per 100 vehicles, Porsche is ranked 35th, below the industry average.

The CL Class has more powerful engines than the 911:

For more instantaneous acceleration and better engine flexibility in any gear, the CL Class’ engines produce their peak torque and horsepower at lower RPM’s than the 911:

The CL Class has 6.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the 911 (23.2 vs. 16.9 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

For better stopping power the CL65’s brake rotors are larger than those on the 911:

In an emergency stopping situation, many drivers don’t press the brakes with enough force to stop the vehicle in the shortest distance. The CL Class has standard Brake Assist to detect emergency braking situations (by how hard and how quickly the brake pedal is pressed) and then automatically apply maximum braking immediately in order to help prevent a collision. The 911 doesn’t offer a brake assist feature.

For better traction, the CL65’s optional front tires are larger than the largest tires available on the 911 (245/40R19 vs. 235/30R19).

The CL65’s optional 275/35R19 rear tires provide better handling because they have a lower 35 series profile (height to width ratio) which provides a stiffer sidewall than the 911 S’ 40 series rear tires.

The CL Class offers an optional tire pressure monitoring system, which will alert the driver to a drop in tire pressure before damage to the tire or an accident might occur. The 911 doesn’t offer a low tire pressure warning system.

The CL Class has a standard full size spare tire so your trip isn’t interrupted by a flat. A full size spare isn’t available on the 911, it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

The CL Class offers an available adjustable active suspension system, which counteracts cornering forces actively, limiting body roll and improving handling and stability. Porsche doesn’t offer an active suspension on the 911.

The CL Class has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The 911 doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the CL Class’ wheelbase is 1 foot, 9.1 inches longer than on the 911 (113.6 vs. 92.5 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the CL Class is 3.7 inches wider in the front and 1.8 inches wider in the rear than the track on the 911.

The CL Class’ front to rear weight distribution is more even (51.2% to 48.8%) than the 911’s (38.4% to 61.6%). This gives the CL Class more stable handling and braking.

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the CL Class is rated a Compact car by the EPA, while the 911 is rated a Minicompact.

The CL Class has standard seating for 5 passengers; the 911 can only carry 4.

The CL Class has 24.5 cubic feet more passenger volume than the 911 (88.5 vs. 64).

The CL Class has a much larger trunk than the 911 (12.3 vs. 4.8 cubic feet).