Verdict
At RM738,888, the Mercedes-Benz S-Class costs RM561,112 less than the RM1.3 million Porsche Panamera and brings plug-in hybrid running: its 28.6-kWh battery is rated for 100 km of EV range, with 11-kW AC and 60-kW DC charging. It is also the longer-wheelbase limousine, at 5,289 mm long and 3,216 mm between the axles, with powered, ventilated and massaging rear seats. The Porsche is marginally quicker to 100 km/h at 5.1 seconds, has all-wheel drive and a far larger 494-litre boot. Choose the S-Class for chauffeured comfort and lower entry cost; take the Panamera for pace and luggage space.
S-Class
Pick the Mercedes-Benz S-Class if rear-seat luxury, a 100-km EV range and saving RM561,112 matter more than the final 0.1 second to 100 km/h.
Panamera
Pick the Porsche Panamera if you want all-wheel drive, 5.1-second 0-100 km/h pace and a 494-litre boot.
Key differences
- Price: Mercedes-Benz S-Class RM738,888; Porsche Panamera RM1,300,000.
- Powertrain: S-Class 2,999-cc plug-in hybrid with one 147-hp motor; Panamera 2,894-cc petrol V6 without an electric motor.
- EV capability: S-Class 28.6-kWh battery and 100 km range; Panamera has no battery or EV range.
- Performance: S-Class 362 hp, 500 Nm and 0-100 km/h in 5.2 seconds; Panamera 348 hp, 500 Nm and 5.1 seconds.
- Practicality: S-Class 350-litre boot and four doors; Panamera 494-litre boot and five doors.
- Size: S-Class 5,289 mm long with a 3,216-mm wheelbase; Panamera 5,052 mm long with a 2,950-mm wheelbase.
S-Class
- RM561,112 cheaper to buy.
- 100-km EV range from a 28.6-kWh battery.
- Powered, ventilated, heated and massaging outer rear seats.
- 350-litre boot is 144 litres smaller.
- Rear-wheel drive rather than all-wheel drive.
- 0.1 seconds slower from 0-100 km/h.
Panamera
- 5.1-second 0-100 km/h time and 272-km/h top speed.
- All-wheel drive.
- 494-litre boot and 40:20:40 split-folding rear seats.
- Costs RM561,112 more.
- No plug-in hybrid EV range.
- Eight airbags versus the S-Class' 14 airbags.
| Price & overview | ||
|---|---|---|
| Price | RM738,888✓ | RM1,300,000 |
| Body type | Sedan | Sedan |
| Segment | Luxury | Grand Tourer |
| Assembly | CKD | CBU |
| Ownership | ||
| Road tax / year | RM2,128 | RM1,865✓ |
| Powertrain | ||
| Engine Tech | 24-valve DOHC with Electric Twin-scroll Turbocharger, Direct Injection and Variable Valve Timing and Lift | 24-valve DOHC, direct fuel injection, twin-turbo with variable valve timing |
| Capacity | 2,999 cc | 2,894 cc |
| Horsepower | 362 hp at 5,500 rpm✓ | 348 hp at 6,800 rpm |
| Torque | 500 Nm at 1,600 rpm | 500 Nm at 1,900 rpm |
| Cylinder Arrangement | Inline 6 | V 6 |
| Fuel | Petrol Plug-in Hybrid | Petrol |
| Bore × Stroke | 83 mm × 92.4 mm | 84.5 mm × 86 mm |
| Compression Ratio | 10.5 | — |
| Number of Motors | 1 | — |
| Motor Horsepower | 147 hp | — |
| Motor Torque | 440 Nm | — |
| Battery Capacity | 28.6 kWh | — |
| EV Range | 100 km | — |
| Charging Rate (AC) | 11 kW | — |
| Charging Rate (DC) | 60 kW | — |
| Drivetrain | ||
| Transmission | Conventional Automatic | Dual-clutch Automatic (Wet) |
| Transmission Name | 9G-TRONIC | PDK |
| Gears | 9 | 8 |
| Transmission Manufacturer | Mercedes-Benz (Daimler AG) | Porsche |
| Driveline | Rear Wheel Drive | All Wheel Drive |
| Performance & Efficiency | ||
| 0-100 km/h | 5.2 seconds | 5.1 seconds✓ |
| Rated Economy | 1 L/100 km | — |
| Top Speed | 250 km/h | 272 km/h✓ |
| Co2 | 22 g/km | — |
| Dimensions | ||
| Length | 5,289 mm | 5,052 mm |
| Width | 1,954 mm | 1,937 mm |
| Height | 1,503 mm | 1,423 mm |
| Wheelbase | 3,216 mm | 2,950 mm |
| Weight | 2,385 kg | 1,980 kg |
| Fuel Tank | 67 litres | 90 litres |
| Doors | 4 | 5 |
| Seats | 5 | 5 |
| Boot Space | 350 litres | 494 litres✓ |
| Front Tyre | 255/40R20 | 265/45R19 |
| Rear Tyre | 285/35R20 | 295/45R20 |
| Spare Tyre | N/A, Tyre Repair Kit | — |
| Factory Tyres | Michelin Pilot Sport 4 ZP | — |
| Chassis | ||
| Assembly | Malaysia (CKD) | Germany (CBU) |
| Front Suspension | Multi-Link with Air Suspension | Double Wishbones with Air Suspension |
| Rear Suspension | Multi-Link with Air Suspension | Multi-link with Air Suspension |
| Front Wheels | 20" Twin 10-spoke Alloys | 19" Alloys |
| Rear Wheels | 20" Twin 10-spoke Alloys | 19" Alloys |
| Steering | Rack and Pinion (Electric Power Steering) | Rack and Pinion (Electric Power Steering) |
| Chassis Notes | Adaptive Dampers | Porsche Active Suspension Management with Adaptive two-chamber air suspension and two-valve dampers |
| Safety | ||
| Airbags | 14 (Driver and Passenger, Driver Knee, Rear Passengers, Front and Rear Side, Front and Rear Curtain, Rear Left Cushion) | 8 (Driver and Passenger, Driver and Front Passenger Knee, Front Side, Front Curtain) |
| ABS/EBD | ✓ | ✓ |
| Stability Control | ✓ | ✓ |
| Alarm | ✓ | ✓ |
| Immobilizer | ✓ | ✓ |
| Airbag Disable Function | ✓ | ✓ |
| Child Safety Lock | Manual for Rear Doors | Electric for Rear Doors |
| Seat Belts | 5 Three-point with Illumination and Rear Belt Bags | 5 Three-point |
| Blind Spot Info System | ✓ | ✓ |
| ISOFIX | Available for 2 Outer Rear Seats | Two Outer Rear Seats |
| Autonomous Braking System | Yes, with Pedestrian and Cyclist Detection (up to 130 km/h) and Evasive Steering Assist (up to 108 km/h) | Yes, with Pedestrian Detection |
| Lane-keeping Assist | Steering Correction | Steering Correction |
| Collision Warning | ✓ | ✓ |
| Seatbelt Reminder | All Seats | For All Seats |
| Safety Notes | Pre-Safe, Pre-Safe Impulse Side, Driver Attention Monitor with Eye Tracking | — |
| Lighting | ||
| Headlamps | Adaptive LED Projector with Matrix High Beam (Digital Light with Projection Function) | Matrix LED Projectors |
| Taillamps | Full LED | Full LED |
| LED Daytime Running Lights | ✓ | ✓ |
| Rear Foglamps | ✓ | ✓ |
| Wing Mirror Turn Indicators | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cabin | ||
| Front Seats | Power Adjustable Front Seats with Memory, Heating and Massage Functions; Pillow Headrests; Passenger Seat Adjustment from Rear Seats | Driver and Passenger Powered Seats with Memory Settings, Heating & Ventilation |
| Rear Seats | Power Adjustable Outer Rear Seats with Memory, Heating, Ventilation, Massage and One-touch Recline Functions; Folding Rear Pillow Headrests with Built-in Neck Warmers; Powered Ottoman and Leg Rest for Left Seat with Massage Function; Centre Load-through | 40:20:40 Split-folding |
| Front Air-con | Dual-zone Automatic Climate Control with Air Balance Perfume System and Ioniser | Dual-Zone Automatic Climate Control |
| Rear Air-con | Dual-zone Automatic Climate Control | Dual-zone Automatic Climate Control |
| Sunroof | Panoramic, Tilt and Slide | Panoramic Glass Roof |
| Power Sockets | 4 Front USB-C, 6 Rear USB-C | 1 Front, 1 Rear, 1 Boot; 2 USB-C Ports Rear |
| Interior Lighting | Map Lights and Active Ambient Lights (64 Colours) | Map Lights & Ambient Lighting |
| Cup Holders | 2 Front, 2 Rear | 2 Front, 2 Rear |
| Sun Shade | Double Sun Visors, Powered Rear Windscreen and Rear Door Window Sunshades | Side Window Sunshades, Panoramic Glass Roof Shade |
| Audio | 12.8" OLED Touchscreen Mercedes-Benz User Experience (MBUX) with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Augmented Reality Navigation; 11" Rear Entertainment Displays; 7" Rear Android Tablet; 15-speaker Burmester 3D Surround Sound System (710 Watts) | 12.3-inch Touchscreen with Porsche Communications Module, Wireless Apple CarPlay & Android Auto |
| Convenience | ||
| Power Windows | Four Windows, Auto Up and Down with Anti-Pinch | Four Windows, Auto Up & Down with Anti-pinch |
| Engine Start | Keyless Push Button | Keyless Push Button |
| Locks | Keyless Operation with Pop-out Door Handles | Keyless Operation |
| Auto Start/Stop | ✓ | ✓ |
| Auto Headlamps | ✓ | ✓ |
| Auto Wipers | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cruise Control | Adaptive Cruise Control with Steering Assist, Stop and Go and Speed Limit Assist | Adaptive Cruise Control |
| Paddle Shift | ✓ | ✓ |
| Steering Audio Control | ✓ | ✓ |
| Steering Tilt | ✓ | ✓ |
| Steering Telescopic | ✓ | ✓ |
| Electric Steering Adjustment | ✓ | ✓ |
| Boot Operation | Powered with Contactless Operation | Powered Boot with Contactless Opening |
| Parking Sensor Front | 6 Sensors | 6 Sensors |
| Parking Sensor Rear | 6 Sensors | 6 Sensors |
| Reverse Camera | Yes, with 360-degree Camera | Yes, 360-degree View Monitor |
| Auto Parking | Yes, Parallel and Perpendicular | Yes |
| Folding Wing Mirrors | ✓ | ✓ |
| Bluetooth | ✓ | ✓ |
| Navigation | ✓ | ✓ |
| Head-up Display | — | ✓ |
| Power Door | Soft Close Function, All Doors | Yes |
| Hill Start Assist | ✓ | ✓ |
| Instrument Cluster | Full LCD Monitor | Full LCD Monitor |
| Parking Brake | Electronic | Electronic |
| Convenience Notes | MBUX Interior Assistant, Fingerprint Scanner, Front and Rear Qi Wireless Chargers, Rear Wireless Headsets | — |
| Warranty | ||
| Warranty Mileage Manufacturer | Unlimited✓ | 100,000 km |
| Warranty Manufacturer | 4 years | 4 years |
| Warranty Notes | 8-year/160,000 km Battery Warranty | — |
Specs shown for the selected variant of each car. ✓ marks the better figure where lower/higher is objectively better. Road tax: West Malaysia, private registration.
Used S-Class & Panamera for sale
S-Class vs Panamera FAQ
Is the Mercedes-Benz S-Class or Porsche Panamera better?
The S-Class is the stronger choice for rear passengers and plug-in hybrid use, with 100 km of EV range and far richer rear-seat equipment. The Panamera suits drivers needing all-wheel drive, a 494-litre boot and slightly quicker acceleration.
What is the price difference?
The Porsche Panamera costs RM1,300,000, which is RM561,112 more than the RM738,888 Mercedes-Benz S-Class.
Which has the bigger boot?
The Porsche Panamera has the bigger boot at 494 litres, compared with 350 litres in the Mercedes-Benz S-Class. Its 40:20:40 split-folding rear seats also add loading flexibility.
