Porsche or Ferrari, Which Is Better?

Porsche is manufactured by a German automobile manufacturing company based in Stuttgart and was ranked as the 5th most popular automobile in the Car of the Century magazine and MSN Auto. On the other hand, Ferrari is manufactured by an Italian automobile manufacturer, its company headquarters are in Maranello, Italy. Yahoo Autos ranked the Ferrari 458 Italia, as one of the top sports cars of all time. Some of the popular models of Ferrari are the California T, 488 GTB, 458 Italia and 458 Spider. In a comparison between Porsche and Ferrari, which maker comes out on top?

1. The Size of the Engine
The latest models of Porsche cars cost of Strattera use liquid cooled engines, which is different than the air cooled engines in older models from 1960s – 1990. Porsche switched to liquid cooled engines because of competitors such as Ferrari. The performance of the liquid cooled engine is as good as the air cooled versions.One advantage is that it produces less engine noise for quieter driving. Porsche has been improving its engine over the years. For example, they reduced the engine size for the 911 to 3.4 liters but increased the horsepower and torque. Porsche cars can generate a maximum horsepower of 265 – 620 hp.

Ferrari manufactures high-performance cars with turbocharged engines that produce high mpg. The car will be ready to speed from the time you step on the throttle. Ferrari’s engine has a relatively fast response time. It will quickly get to the maximum torque as the gear shift upwards.Ferrari’s car engines are equipped with 8 – 12 cylinders. Ferrari engines can generate a horsepower of 460 – 963 hp. Inside the 488 GT, and Ferrari California T, Ferrari uses a V8 engine. The V10 engines are only used in formula one race cars, such as Enzo Ferrari, F12 Berlinetta, and LaFerrari models.

Ferrari is generally faster than a normally aspirated Porsche 911 car. Nonturbo Porsche cars won’t be able to outperform a Ferrari. For example, the normally aspirated Porsche 996 is slower than the Ferrari 360. The Turbo Porsche car can travel at a faster speed compared to Ferrari, for example, the Mondial 944 Turbo is faster than 308 GTB. Both Ferrari and Porsche speed smoothly along on the highway. In terms of acceleration, the 911 Turbos can perform better than the Ferrari cars. However, the 911 Turbos lose to the Ferraris when coming to top speed. 911 Turbo’s engine is similar to that of V8 Ferraris.

2. Transmission Makes All the Difference
Porsche cars are available in 3 different transmissions including 5 speed (auto/manual), 6 speed (manual) and 7-speed transmissions. The 7 speed Doppelkupplung’s (PDK) transmission gear box can produce a transmission that is specific to the gear ratio.

With the PDK system, launch control has been made easier and upshifts are completely automated. PDK offers more precise and aggressive clutch control, while on the other hand, it’s trickier to use the manual gear transmission to launch the car. You should expect some interruptions with every upshift you make in the manual car. The gears in the six-speed manual transmission are more precise and easier to change. Ferrari cars offer one of the best in class seven-speed dual clutch auto transmission systems. Ferrari has stopped producing cars with manual transmission. The Ferrari California Spyder was the last car to offer a stick shift option. All the latest Ferrari cars use the 7-speed auto transmission.

The 7-speed dual clutch transmission system can deliver the right speed that is in proportionate with the oil pedal squeeze. The gear transmission is quite smooth. It will run at exactly the speed that you want. The gear stick will automatically shift to the 7th gear when you reach around 45 mph. The shift time for Ferrari’s seven-speed auto transmission is 30% faster when it’s gearing up and 40% faster when it’s gearing down.

3. Luxury Interior and Feel
Porsche offers a totally driver-focused cabin that is trimmed with all the accessories you could possibly want in a luxury sedan. There are lush materials throughout the car, as the seats are made from high-grade leather. In the cabin, you’ll find a wide dashboard with a long center console.The car is wide and offers spacious leg room for the front seats. The passenger seats are a bit crowded and can only be used for children. You can upgrade the interior in many ways, including seat designs, and color schemes.

In a Ferrari, the main surfaces and seats are made up of carbon fiber. The carbon fiber seats look stunning and are very comfortable. The material on the front surface of the seats is leather. There’s a prominent red ‘Start’ button beside the steering wheel. The dashboard features a tachometer and speedometer. To achieve its performance goal, Ferrari has excluded many amenities that are available in a luxury sedan. For example, instead of offering power windows, it offers a hand crank window that requires you to wind down the window manually. Other excluded amenities in a Ferrari include power door locks and audio systems.

4. The Beauty of the Exterior Design
Porsche cars are aesthetically attractive. If you observe a Porsche, you’ll find that the design of all aspects of the car is in harmony, including the roofline, wings, and shoulders. Porsches are easy to recognize by their round body and ducktail spoiler on top of the bonnet.

The ducktail is a marker for special 911s. The ducktail will automatically retract when you are traveling at a low speed but re-emerge when you travel at a speed faster than 80 km/h. Porsches also have curvier wheel arches.

Ferraris are designed more for speed rather than the aesthetic look. The speed performance of the car relies on its shape rather than the engine. There are usually vents on all sides of the car, including the sides and front hood. These vents help to cool down the engine as the engine will generate a lot of heat. Ferraris have a sharper body that gives them an aggressive look. The body of Ferrari cars are designed to reduce the aerodynamic drag. Ferrari is also well known for the low built chassis that’s close to the ground.

Porsche cars have two trunk spaces, including a front trunk and rear trunk. The front trunk is located in the front hood, in the area that normally houses the engine. The rear trunk is located at the bonnet. The combined space of two trunks offers fairly large cargo spaces for the sports car. Despite that, neither the front nor rear trunk offers enough space to fit luggage. The rear trunk space is not reduced when you wind down the retractable hardtop. There’s also a lack of storage in the interior.

Many Ferraris have a large cargo space of 12 – 16 cubic feet. The size of the cargo is enough for storing a set of golf clubs. When the top is up, the driver can have maximum cargo space. There’s an option to fit a back seat or storage shelf in the rear. The back seat is more suitable for storing extra baggage. You can fold the back seat flat to add more space to the trunk. Just like the back seat, the storage shelf can also be folded away.

5. The Maintenance Cost
Porsche is generally not expensive to maintain. On average, it costs around $1,000 every year to maintain a Porsche. Major maintenance only occurs when you have to replace parts, such as the brakes. Although Porsche’s parts are expensive, Porsche cars are extremely reliable. Porsche cars don’t usually break down easily. A 911 Porsche that is well taken care of will last for more than 200,000 miles. The parts of a Porsche are only a bit more expensive than those of BMW or Mercedes.

Ferraris are much costlier to maintain compared to a Porsche. The oil must be changed in the Ferrari at least once every year. The cost of the oil change is about $500 – $1,000. Besides that, taking a Ferrari for its yearly service can be quite expensive as well, servicing a Ferrari can cost about $10,000. Apart from the annual expenses, there are also other types of expenses such as belt, clutch, tires and brakes. A belt replacement will cost around $4,000. The cost for clutch replacement is just a bit over $5,000. Replacing the tires will cost around $2,000, and brake repair for a Ferrari cost about $3,000 to replace.

6. The Ferrari and Porsche Experience
Ferrari cars are much more expensive than Porsche. Ferrari costs at least $230,000 to own. Porsche cars are very affordable and start from just $48,850. But if what you’re really interested in is quality then maybe you’ll want to know about each manufacturer’s recall rate.

Ferrari s have had many recalls, for example, Ferrari recalled 2600 cars due to improper Takata airbag installations, while Porsche cars also have been recalled for various issues, including faulty lock bracket, detached tailpipe, and faulty wheel hubs on the rear, their recall rate is much lower than that of Ferrari.

Ferrari was awarded two International Engine of the Year Awards in 2013. The Ferrari 458 Speciale received two awards, including Supercar of the Year 2013 and the James May’s Car of the Year.

Porsche 911 GTS received the Best Performance Car award this past year. Autocar lists the Porsche Boxster as the Best Roadster in the World, and Auto Express awarded the Porsche Boxster with the Roadster of the Year Award.

In conclusion, both Porsche and Ferrari have their own advantages and disadvantages. Porsche is suitable for people who want to buy a sports car for daily commuting, while Ferrari is designed for people who want to take their car drag racing on the highway every once in awhile. So it really depends on what you want out of your vehicle, daily use or just on special occasions. Now that you have the facts, you can decide which is better. You start dying when you stop dreaming.