Cadillac vs. Mercedes: A Complete Brand Comparison
Cadillac vs. Mercedes: what are the similarities and differences between these two iconic luxury brands? Cadillac and Mercedes are among the most popular prestigious car brands on the planet. From their contributions to modern technology to their century-plus catalog of well-manufactured cars, both have a considerable stake in the global luxury market, but which manufacturer offers the better deal?
That is what we intend to find out in this post. We’ll be looking at each brand as a whole, weighing their history, ride quality, pricing, and maintenance cost to see which manufacturer delivers the better luxury car experience.
Cadillac vs. Mercedes: Prestige and Background
When comparing Cadillac vs. Mercedes in terms of their prestige and historical clout, you’ll find that they’ve got very different legacies. Both Cadillac and Mercedes have manufactured luxury cars for over 120 years, but both brands could not be any more different.
Since its first car rolled off the production line in 1903, Cadillac has been known for its precision manufacturing and eye for luxury finishes. It garnered thousands of sales on its first car, and it has largely held to the same philosophy for over 120 years.
Named after the French explorer Antoine Laumet de la Mothe, Sieur de Cadillac, founder of Detroit, the company was formed from the remnants of Henry Ford’s company and the Leland & Faulconer Manufacturing company in 1902.
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By 1908, Cadillac had already established itself as one of the premier luxury car manufacturers in America, and when it joined General Motors a year later, it became their Luxury division.
Cadillac is famous for some of the most popular automobile features modern cars use today. It made the first automobile with an electrical system for initiating ignition, engine starting, and lighting. They also introduced several record-shattering engines from the 1920s to the 50s, as well as Tailfins, wraparounds windshields, and a few other trends that mark 50s and 60s car designs.
Cadillacs were also some of the first to feature heater-air conditioners, and their modern engines and car designs are nothing to sneeze at either. Their models set the trend for modern luxury sedans and SUVs.
Mercedes is also just as invested in manufacturing exceptional cars, but they’re a lot larger than Cadillac.
Mercedes-Benz’s origins can be traced back to Karl Benz’s creation of the Benz Motorwagen –which featured the first internal combustion engine – and his partnership with Gottlieb Daimler, Wilhelm Mayback, and Emil Jellinek. They marketed their first automobile, the Mercedes, to the old nobles of Europe and popular titans of industry such as Rockefeller.
Since then, Mercedes-Benz cars have been recognizable for their quality manufacturing, eye-for-detail, as well as technical and luxury innovations.
They manufactured some of the first cars to use bulletproof windshields, airbags, floats carburetors, four-wheel breaks, seven-speed automatic transmissions, and some of the best turbo and petrol engines in the world.
Mercedes is the biggest manufacturer of premium cars in the world today and sold over 2.4 million units of cars in 2020 alone. Mercedes remained on top of the automobile industry for over 100 years thanks to its approach to manufacturing cars. It’s perfectly encapsulated in their slogan “the best or nothing.”
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Cadillac vs. Mercedes: Ride Quality and Comfort
Mercedes - Benz and Cadillac are famous for the ride quality in their choice of automobiles. Cadillac has been pumping out Devilles, Fleetwoods, and Seville with world-class suspension and ride since the late 50s. Caddie fans swear by the classics and argue that they still ride beautifully to date.
Modern Cadillacs are just as comfortable too. Their CTS models, recently renamed the CT6, use independent suspension that prioritizes ride quality and precision handling.
According to a Consumer Report carried out in 2018, the S-class Mercedes sedan delivers one of the best car experiences in the world. It was placed first in a survey of 78 luxury cars.
The S-class sedans are some of the most expensive luxury cars in the world and are packed with all the comfort you’d expect for a car worth over $100,000. The 2021 model uses electronic-assisted multi-link adaptive air suspension. The front and rear suspensions are also gas-pressurized, and they use AS summer performance tires.
Even their non-elite models stack up exceptionally well against some of the best luxury cars in the world. A Redditor carried out a seismometer test that placed the Mercedes C300 Coupe ahead of the Porsche Carrera 911 as the better riding car.
Short of testing either the CTS6 or the S-class, it’s hard to determine which car truly delivers the better ride quality. However, on paper, the Mercedes S-class looks to have a better ride quality and interior. It uses a multi-link suspension system which is not only smoother than the independent transmission on the Cadillac CT6, but is also more expensive.
Cadillac vs. Mercedes: Car Lineup
Mercedes Benz outguns the Cadillac offerings by over 10 car lines. Between Mercedes-Benz, Daimler AG, and Mercedes-AMG, Mercedes has over 12 car lines. They make everything from sports cars and roadsters, hatchbacks, SUVs, luxury Sedans, EVs, supercars, super-exclusive Maybachs, trucks, and even vans.
In comparison, Cadillac has a slimmer offering. They only make three car models– the Escalade, XT, and CT. According to their official site, they are currently working on an EV called LYRIQ. In 2019, they sold about 165,246 cars between their three-car lines.
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Cadillac vs. Mercedes: Pricing
Mercedes-Benz luxury cars are, on average, more expensive than Cadillac vehicles. The Cadillac XT4 starts at $36,500, the CT5 sedans start at $51, 865, and their world-famous Escalades start at $72,000.
By contrast, the Mercedes equivalents start much higher. Their low-end GLB SUV starts at $36,000, and the luxury Mercedes-Maybach GLS 600 SUV starts at $160,000. On the sedan front, their top-of-the-line luxury car starts at $184,900.
With improved interiors, engine configurations, and upgrades, the asking price of Mercedes cars can reach ridiculously high. For example, the Mercedes-AMG GT reaches up to $325,000 on the highest specifications, and the 2022 AMG One starts at $2,700,000.
Cadillac vs. Mercedes: Maintenance and Repair
At first glance, Cadillac seemed to provide a better warranty and repair option.
On their standard and lowest-tier Bumper-to-Bumper Limited Warranty, new vehicles are covered for up to four years or 50,000 miles for repairs, parts, and labor for any physical defect.
Unfortunately, the plan does not cover routine maintenance but is transferrable, and so are the Cadillac Optional Extended Limited Warranty and the Powertrain Limited Warranty. Both warranties only cover repairs but last significantly longer.
Cadillac also offers several tiers of warranties, defective GM parts repairs and changes warranties, and a 4-year coverage for maintenance, oil change and filter, tire rotation, and Multi-point Inspection (MPVI).
As if those options were not enough, Cadillac also provides Roadside assistance, courtesy transportation, available customized protection products, and a super-exclusive repair network.
With thousands of automotive technicians on the GM repair network across Canada, China, and the United States, most car owners won’t stress getting access to all these fantastic repair options.
According to Cadillac, car owners should bring their cars in for routine maintenance every 7,500 miles, and YourMechanic.com estimates that it can cost anywhere from $95 to $1594 to repair and maintain a Cadillac.
Mercedes-Benz cars warranty scheme is less robust. Mercedes’s Basic Factory warranty/ Bumper-to-Bumper warranty covers all repairs and working costs for 4-years or 50,000 miles.
They have a standard Powertrain Warranty that covers 4 years and 50,000 miles from the original purchase date, and they sell extensions that can get you an additional 50,000 miles of coverage. Their Extended warranty covers:
- The Engine
- Transmission
- Supercharger
- Turbocharger
- Passenger Car 4Matic
- Cooling system
- Electrical system
- Speakers
- Climate control, etc.
For routine maintenance, Mercedes has a prepaid maintenance plan that should reduce the cost of repair up to 30% and is transferable. Without the prepaid maintenance, Mercedes Benz of Henderson estimates that car owners might spend up to $1000 on maintenance alone. Between the Series A and B maintenance, tire rotations, and oil changes, the cost adds up. YourMechanic estimates that it can cost Mercedes-Benz owners anywhere from $95 to $7825 to repair their car.
Cadillac vs. Mercedes: The Bottom Line
When comparing Cadillac vs. Mercedes overall, we find that Mercedes cars are, without a doubt, the better luxury brand. Between their plusher interior, ride quality, and prestige, they have the clear advantage over Cadillac in all but one category—maintenance and repairs. While Mercedes warranties and repair costs are significantly more, they deliver on quality, comfort, and performance.
With that said, we think you should choose whichever brand you like the best. Both Cadillac and Mercedes have built up their reputation, prestige, and trust over several generations of service, and neither brand seem eager to betray that trust. You are likely to enjoy whatever luxury car you purchase from them, whether they are a few days or years old.
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