Compare the2022 Chevrolet EquinoxVS 2021 Mercedes GLC Coupe

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 Coupe 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 Coupe 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 Coupe.

Both the Equinox and the GLC Coupe 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.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its available headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Equinox the rating of “Top Pick” for 2021, a rating granted to only 119 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The GLC Coupe has not been tested, yet.

Chevrolet’s powertrain warranty covers the Equinox 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Mercedes covers the GLC Coupe. 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 Coupe ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The Equinox’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the GLC Coupe’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.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Equinox third among compact suvs in their 2020 Initial Quality Study. The GLC Coupe 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.

On the EPA test cycle the Equinox AWD gets better fuel mileage than the GLC 300 Coupe (25 city/30 hwy vs. 22 city/28 hwy).

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Chevrolet Equinox uses regular unleaded gasoline. The GLC Coupe 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 Coupe doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

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 Coupe (6). This means the Equinox produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the GLC Coupe every 15,000 miles.

The Equinox stops much shorter than the GLC Coupe:

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 Coupe doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Equinox Premier handles at .83 G’s, while the GLC 300 Coupe pulls only .79 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 300 Coupe’s (37.4 feet vs. 38.7 feet).

The Chevrolet Equinox may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 500 to 750 pounds less than the Mercedes GLC Coupe.

The front grille of the Equinox offers available electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The GLC Coupe doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

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 Coupe doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Equinox has 1.1 inches more front headroom, .1 inches more front legroom, .2 inches more rear headroom and 2.7 inches more rear legroom than the GLC Coupe.

The Equinox has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the GLC Coupe with its rear seat up (29.9 vs. 17.6 cubic feet). The Equinox has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the GLC Coupe with its rear seat folded (63.9 vs. 49.4 cubic feet).

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 Coupe can’t be towed flat on the ground.

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 Coupe 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 Coupe 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 wiper. The GLC Coupe doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

The Equinox is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The GLC Coupe doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Insurance will cost less for the Equinox owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Equinox will cost $1210 to $1970 less than the GLC Coupe over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Equinox is less expensive to operate than the GLC Coupe because typical repairs cost much less on the Equinox than the GLC Coupe, 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 $11813 to $22119 less than for the Mercedes GLC Coupe.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Chevrolet Equinox, 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 Coupe isn’t in the top three in its category.