Compare the2022 Mercedes GLBVS 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee

For enhanced safety, the front and middle seat shoulder belts of the Mercedes GLB have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Jeep Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer pretensioners for the middle seat belts.

The GLB’s optional pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The GLB offers an optional Surround View System to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Grand Cherokee only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

The GLB’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the GLB and the Grand Cherokee have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive and lane departure warning systems.

The GLB comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Grand Cherokee’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

For smoother operation, better efficiency and fewer moving parts, the GLB has an overhead cam design, rather than the old pushrod design of the 5.7 V8 in the Grand Cherokee.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Mercedes vehicles are more reliable than Jeep vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Mercedes 15th in reliability. With 19 more problems per 100 vehicles, Jeep is ranked 24th.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Mercedes GLB is faster than the Jeep Grand Cherokee V6:

The GLB offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The GLB’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Grand Cherokee’s standard 60 series tires. The GLB’s optional tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Grand Cherokee’s optional 50 series tires.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires available on the GLB can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

The GLB offers an optional driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Grand Cherokee’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The GLB’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

The GLB 250 4MATIC handles at .89 G’s, while the Grand Cherokee Summit 4x4 pulls only .72 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The GLB 250 4MATIC executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.3 seconds quicker than the Grand Cherokee Summit 4x4 (27.5 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 28.8 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

The Mercedes GLB may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 900 to 1350 pounds less than the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

The GLB is 7.4 inches shorter than the Grand Cherokee, making the GLB easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The design of the Mercedes GLB amounts to more than styling. The GLB has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .32 Cd. That is significantly lower than the Grand Cherokee (.371) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the GLB get better fuel mileage.

The GLB offers optional seating for 7 passengers; the Grand Cherokee can only carry 5.

The GLB has .8 inches more front headroom, .8 inches more front legroom and .1 inches more rear headroom than the Grand Cherokee.

The front step up height for the GLB is 3.5 inches lower than the Grand Cherokee (17” vs. 20.5”). The GLB’s rear step up height is 3.3 inches lower than the Grand Cherokee’s (17.5” vs. 20.8”).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the GLB easier. The GLB’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 28.5 inches, while the Grand Cherokee’s liftover is 32.4 inches.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the GLB’s available liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Mercedes service is better than Jeep. J.D. Power ranks Mercedes 6th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 47% lower rating, Jeep is ranked 28th.

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Grand Cherokee Limited/Trailhawk/Overland/Summit, the GLB has standard driver and passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, suspension setting, power steering assist, outside mirror angle, climate settings and radio stations and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The GLB’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Grand Cherokee’s parking brake has to be released manually.

The GLB’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Grand Cherokee’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

If the windows are left open on the GLB the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Grand Cherokee can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The GLB’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Grand Cherokee’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the GLB offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer cornering lights. The GLB also offers optional adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

The GLB offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Grand Cherokee.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Mercedes GLB offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The GLB’s optional Active Parking Assist can parallel park by itself, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Grand Cherokee’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park.