Compare the2022 Subaru OutbackVS 2021 Mercedes GLC

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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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 Outback 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.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Outback (except Base/Premium) offers optional Reverse Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The GLC doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Outback. But it costs extra on the GLC.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Outback’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The GLC doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

The Outback’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 Outback and the GLC have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

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 Subaru Outback is safer than the Mercedes GLC:

	Outback	GLC
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	28	69
Chest Movement	.5 inches	.9 inches
Abdominal Force	101 G’s	117 G’s
Hip Force	247 lbs.	409 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	116	134
Hip Force	635 lbs.	784 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	146	206
Hip Force	674 lbs.	787 lbs.

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

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 standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Outback its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2021, a rating granted to only 62 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The GLC has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

Subaru’s powertrain warranty covers the Outback 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.

There are over 65 percent more Subaru dealers than there are Mercedes dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Outback’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2020 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are better in initial quality than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Subaru 27th in initial quality. With 15 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mercedes is ranked 30th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru 12 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

Engine

The Outback XT/Wilderness’ standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder produces 5 more horsepower (260 vs. 255) and 4 lbs.-ft. more torque (277 vs. 273) than the GLC’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Outback XT/Wilderness 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Mercedes GLC:

	Outback	GLC
Zero to 60 MPH	6.1 sec	6.9 sec
Quarter Mile	14.8 sec	15.2 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	95 MPH	89.6 MPH

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Outback lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability (That’s why Porsche uses boxer engines.). The GLC doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Outback XT/Wilderness XT CVT turbo 4 cyl. gets better fuel mileage than the GLC 300 4MATIC (23 city/30 hwy vs. 21 city/28 hwy).

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

The Outback has 1.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the GLC (18.5 vs. 17.4 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Transmission

The Outback has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The GLC doesn’t offer a CVT.

Tires and Wheels

The Outback Wilderness/Onyx Edition XT has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the GLC; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare or run-flat tires, either of which has mileage and speed limitations.

Suspension and Handling

For better maneuverability, the Outback’s turning circle is 2.6 feet tighter than the GLC’s (36.1 feet vs. 38.7 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Outback has a 3.7 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the GLC (8.7 vs. 5 inches), allowing the Outback to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Outback Wilderness’ minimum ground clearance is 4.5 inches higher than on the GLC (9.5 vs. 5 inches).

Chassis

The Subaru Outback may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 50 to 250 pounds less than the Mercedes GLC.

To almost totally eliminate engine vibration in the passenger area, the Outback has liquid-filled engine mounts. The liquid helps further dampen engine harshness. The GLC uses conventional solid rubber engine mounts.

Passenger Space

The Outback has 2.3 inches more front headroom, 2 inches more front legroom, .8 inches more front shoulder room, .6 inches more rear headroom, 2.2 inches more rear legroom and .9 inches more rear shoulder room than the GLC.

The front step up height for the Outback is 1 inches lower than the GLC (19” vs. 20”). The Outback’s rear step up height is 4 inches lower than the GLC’s (18.5” vs. 22.5”).

Cargo Capacity

The Outback has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the GLC with its rear seat up (32.5 vs. 19.4 cubic feet). The Outback has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the GLC with its rear seat folded (75.7 vs. 56.5 cubic feet).

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

	Outback	GLC
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	42”/75”	36.6”/61.3”
Max Width	51”	49.4”
Min Width	43.3”	43.3”
Height	32.1”	31.1”

Ergonomics

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Outback’s available exterior PIN entry system (not available on Outback Base). 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 Outback 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 Outback owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Outback will cost $735 to $3690 less than the GLC over a five-year period.

The Outback will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Outback will retain 54.13% to 56.37% of its original price after five years, while the GLC only retains 46.8% to 48.42%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Outback is less expensive to operate than the GLC because typical repairs cost much less on the Outback than the GLC, including $490 less for a water pump, $576 less for a muffler, $181 less for front brake pads, $246 less for a starter, $336 less for fuel injection, $86 less for a fuel pump, $147 less for front struts and $915 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Subaru Outback will be $18203 to $18586 less than for the Mercedes GLC.

Recommendations

Both are recommended, but Consumer Reports® chose the Subaru Outback as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance.