If you’ve ever seen an Audi A7 and a Porsche Panamera side-by-side you’ve probably noticed that they have some uncanny similarities. They are beautifully designed four-door sedans that make great options for a daily driver, but they are also surprisingly good options for family cars if you don’t want a crossover or an SUV. With so many things in common, it is hard to tell which of the two is a better purchase, but the Audi A7 might have some advantages over the Porsche Panamera.

Strikingly similar

These two cars have a lot more in common than just their appearance. The Panamera and the A7 are built on the same chassis and have similar handling experiences, which is part of the reason it is so hard to pick between the two. Driving both of the cars is enjoyable for such a large sedan, and many owners are surprised by how well they handle. Each one allows you to switch between a sport mode and a comfort mode that adjusts the steering sensitivity and suspension to fit your driving style.

In sport mode, it is easy to forget that the Panamera and the A7 are as large and as heavy as they are. The Panamera weighs a heavy 4,761lbs, and with the A7 weighing as much as 4,332lbs it is easy to say that neither are lightweight. With the stiffer suspension of sport mode, they offer a comfortable ride while still managing to feel oddly like a sports car. In comfort mode each car handles bumps and imperfections in the road incredibly well, giving them a smooth and pleasant ride.

They aren’t far off from each other in way of gas mileage, either. On the highway, the Panamera averages 19mpg which isn’t terribly great but isn’t horrible either, while the A7 averages 22mpg and is slightly better. In the city, the Panamera is once again beaten with it’s 27mpg to the A7s average of 29mpg. This does show that the A7 has a slightly better fuel economy but the numbers are so close it almost doesn’t matter.

The A7 is the better option

The Panamera has an aggressively updated style that competes well with the A7. The interiors of each are well designed and everything you touch is made of high-end materials. You may have a personal preference for which car you believe looks better. There some differences that make the Audi A7 a better family option, and one of those big things is the value.

To start, while the cars are strikingly similar, the price tags on the dealer lot are far from close. A new base model A7 can start around $69,000 making it an expensive but not completely unreasonable price for a brand new luxury and sports sedan. In contrast, the Panamera has a beginning price of $87,200 which is a significant leap for essentially the same vehicle. Some owners might be happy to pay the premium to have that Porsche badge on their steering wheel, but that doesn’t mean it’s of better value.

The cost of ownership is another important factor to consider because not only is the Panamera more expensive in initial costs, you will spend more on maintenance and repairs over the life of the car. If you are looking to buy either of these cars new, you might dismiss this by considering how your car’s warranty might help offset some of these costs, and it is worth noting that the Panamera and Audi have very similar warranties, with a 4 year or 50,000 warranty on both the basic repairs and powertrain.

But since we are considering these as family cars, it might just be possible that you hit that 50,000 pretty quickly. When you include your daily commute to work, dropping kids off at school or daycare and driving them to aftercare and soccer practice that mileage can spin upon your odometer pretty easily, and once you’re out of warranty it’s important to consider how much it’s going to cost you ought of pocket when something breaks. The Audi A7 has lower repair costs than the Porsche Panamera, and that makes a huge difference in a family budget.