Compare the2022 Chevrolet EquinoxVS 2021 Mercedes GLC

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the Chevrolet Equinox’s rear 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 rear 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 Equinox 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 Equinox’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the GLC.

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

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Chevrolet Equinox is safer than the Mercedes GLC:

	Equinox	GLC
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	17%	23%
Neck Compression	10 lbs.	87 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	363/349 lbs.	378/445 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.7 inches
Neck Compression	51 lbs.	115 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Chevrolet Equinox is safer than the Mercedes GLC:

	Equinox	GLC
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	357 lbs.	409 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	630 lbs.	784 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	40 G’s	40 G’s
Hip Force	730 lbs.	787 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

Chevrolet’s powertrain warranty covers the Equinox 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 Equinox’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the GLC’s (6 vs. 5 years).

There are almost 8 times as many Chevrolet dealers as there are Mercedes dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Equinox’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Equinox third among compact suvs in their 2020 Initial Quality Study. The GLC isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2020 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are better in initial quality than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 61 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mercedes is ranked 30th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet 12th in reliability, above the industry average. With 7 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mercedes is ranked 15th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Chevrolet vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Chevrolet 3 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Equinox gets better fuel mileage than the GLC:

			MPG
Equinox
	2WD	1.5 Turbo 4-cyl.	26 city/31 hwy
	4WD	1.5 Turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/30 hwy
GLC
	2WD	300 2.0 Turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/29 hwy
	4WD	300 2.0 Turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/28 hwy

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

The Equinox 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.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Chevrolet Equinox higher (7 out of 10) than the Mercedes GLC (6). This means the Equinox produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the GLC every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

The Equinox stops shorter than the GLC:

	Equinox	GLC
60 to 0 MPH	119 feet	126 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	141 feet	143 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

The Equinox 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.

Suspension and Handling

The Equinox Premier handles at .83 G’s, while the GLC 300 4MATIC pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Equinox’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the GLC’s (37.4 feet vs. 38.7 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Equinox has a 2.9 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the GLC (7.9 vs. 5 inches), allowing the Equinox to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The Chevrolet Equinox may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 450 to 600 pounds less than the Mercedes GLC.

The Equinox 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.

Passenger Space

The Equinox has 2.2 inches more front headroom, .1 inches more front legroom and 2.6 inches more rear legroom than the GLC.

The front step up height for the Equinox is 2.8 inches lower than the GLC (17.2” vs. 20”). The Equinox’s rear step up height is 5 inches lower than the GLC’s (17.5” vs. 22.5”).

Cargo Capacity

The Equinox has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the GLC with its rear seat up (29.9 vs. 19.4 cubic feet). The Equinox has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the GLC with its rear seat folded (63.9 vs. 56.5 cubic feet).

Towing

The Equinox can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Equinox can be unhitched and driven around locally. The GLC can’t be towed flat on the ground.

Ergonomics

The Equinox’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The GLC does not have an oil pressure gauge.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Equinox’s available exterior PIN entry system. The GLC doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Mercedes-Benz Emergency Call can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Equinox 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.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Equinox owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Equinox will cost $375 to $3310 less than the GLC over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Equinox is less expensive to operate than the GLC because typical repairs cost much less on the Equinox than the GLC, including $395 less for a water pump, $30 less for front brake pads, $240 less for a starter, $86 less for fuel injection, $326 less for front struts and $597 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Chevrolet Equinox will be $12928 to $14616 less than for the Mercedes GLC.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Chevrolet Equinox and the Mercedes GLC, based on reliability, safety and performance.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Equinox second among compact suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The GLC isn’t in the top three in its category.