Compare the2018 GMC AcadiaVS 2018 Mercedes GLC

For enhanced safety, the GMC Acadia’s middle seat shoulder belts have child comfort guides to move the belt to properly fit children. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages children to buckle up. The Mercedes GLC doesn’t offer comfort guides on its middle seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Acadia are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The GLC doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Acadia has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The GLC doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tests front crash prevention systems. With a score of 6 points, IIHS rates the Forward Automatic Braking optional in the Acadia as “Superior.” The GLC scores zero, and is rated by the IIHS as having no effective frontal crash prevention.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Acadia SLE/SLT’s optional Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The GLC doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

To help make backing safer, the Acadia (except SL)’s optional cross-path warning system uses wide-angle radar in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The GLC doesn’t offer a cross-path warning system.

Both the Acadia and the GLC have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems and around view monitors.

For its top level performance in all IIHS frontal, side, rear impact and roof-crush tests, and with its optional front crash prevention system, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Acadia the rating of “Top Pick” for 2017, a rating granted to only 110 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The GLC was not even a “Top Pick” for 2016.

GMC’s powertrain warranty covers the Acadia 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Mercedes covers the GLC. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the GLC ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The Acadia’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the GLC’s (6 vs. 5 years).

GMC pays for scheduled maintenance on the Acadia for 2 years and 24,000 miles. GMC will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance (up to 2 oil changes). Mercedes doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the GLC.

There are almost 5 times as many GMC dealers as there are Mercedes dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Acadia’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2017 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that GMC vehicles are better in initial quality than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks GMC 16th in initial quality. With 3 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mercedes is ranked 17th.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2016 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that GMC vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks GMC fifth in reliability, above the industry average. With 15 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mercedes is ranked 12th.

The Acadia’s optional 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 69 more horsepower (310 vs. 241) than the GLC300’s standard 2.0 turbo 4 cyl.

As tested in Motor Trend the GMC Acadia V6 is faster than the GLC300:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the GMC Acadia uses regular unleaded gasoline. The GLC requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Acadia FWD’s standard fuel tank has 2 gallons more fuel capacity than the GLC (19.4 vs. 17.4 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Acadia AWD’s standard fuel tank has 4.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the GLC (21.7 vs. 17.4 gallons).

The Acadia has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The GLC doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

The GMC Acadia’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Mercedes GLC only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Acadia has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The GLC doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For better maneuverability, the Acadia’s turning circle is .1 feet tighter than the GLC’s (38.7 feet vs. 38.8 feet). The Acadia’s turning circle is 1 foot tighter than the AMG GLC43’s (38.7 feet vs. 39.7 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Acadia has a greater minimum ground clearance than the GLC (7.2 vs. 6.7 inches), allowing the Acadia to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Acadia All Terrain’s minimum ground clearance is 1.1 inches higher than on the GLC (7.8 vs. 6.7 inches).

The Acadia uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The GLC doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Acadia has standard seating for 7 passengers; the GLC can only carry 5.

The Acadia has 2.5 inches more front headroom, .2 inches more front legroom, 2.1 inches more front shoulder room, 1.1 inches more rear headroom, 2.4 inches more rear legroom and 2.2 inches more rear shoulder room than the GLC.

The Acadia’s cargo area provides more volume than the GLC.

The Acadia’s cargo area is larger than the GLC’s in almost every dimension:

Maximum trailer towing in the Mercedes GLC is limited to 3500 pounds. The Acadia offers up to a 4000 lbs. towing capacity.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Acadia has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the GLC only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

Insurance will cost less for the Acadia owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Acadia will cost $130 to $6050 less than the GLC over a five-year period.

The Acadia will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Acadia will retain 46.28% to 52.71% of its original price after five years, while the GLC only retains 41.34% to 44.98%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Acadia is less expensive to operate than the GLC because typical repairs cost much less on the Acadia than the GLC, including $375 less for a water pump, $209 less for an alternator, $48 less for front brake pads, $373 less for a starter, $254 less for fuel injection, $415 less for front struts and $169 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the GMC Acadia will be $13025 to $18700 less than for the Mercedes GLC.

The GMC Acadia outsold the Mercedes GLK/GLC by 81% during the 2016 model year.