It helps to define what makes one better than another, depending on what is being compared. Using the car analogy, is the goal comfort? Safety? Off-road capability? Fuel use? The determination of the 'better' vehicle depends on how it's used and what the objective is.
Same for cameras. Are you comparing chroma noise at a specified image size? At pixel level? The results can and often will depend on what you're interested in. Pixel level noise means little if I'm interested in a 24" x 36" print. If that's the print size I want, I'll compare the two cameras by making a 24" x 36" print from each one.