Compare the2022 Mercedes GLSVS 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee L

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and middle seat shoulder belts of the Mercedes GLS 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 L doesn’t offer pretensioners for the middle seat belts.

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

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the GLS. But it costs extra on the Grand Cherokee L.

Both the GLS and the Grand Cherokee L have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available lane departure warning systems.

Warranty

The GLS 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 L’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

Reliability

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

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.

Engine

The GLS’ 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid produces 72 more horsepower (362 vs. 290) and 112 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 257) than the Grand Cherokee L’s standard 3.6 DOHC V6. The GLS’ 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid produces 5 more horsepower (362 vs. 357) than the Grand Cherokee L’s optional 5.7 V8.

As tested in Motor Trend the Mercedes GLS is faster than the Jeep Grand Cherokee L:

	GLS	Grand Cherokee L V6	Grand Cherokee L V8
Zero to 60 MPH	5.8 sec	8 sec	6.1 sec
Quarter Mile	14.3 sec	16.1 sec	14.6 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	97 MPH	86 MPH	94.5 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the GLS 450 gets better fuel mileage than the Grand Cherokee L 5.7 OHV V8 (18 city/24 hwy vs. 14 city/22 hwy).

Regenerative brakes improve the GLS’ fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Grand Cherokee L doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

Transmission

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Mercedes GLS, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Grand Cherokee L.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the GLS’ front brake rotors are larger than those on the Grand Cherokee L:

	GLS	Grand Cherokee L
Front Rotors	14.8 inches	13.9 inches

The GLS stops much shorter than the Grand Cherokee L:

	GLS	Grand Cherokee L
60 to 0 MPH	113 feet	139 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	143 feet	150 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the GLS has larger standard tires than the Grand Cherokee L (275/45R21 vs. 265/60R18). The GLS’ optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Grand Cherokee L (F:285/40R23 & R:325/35R23 vs. 265/60R18).

The GLS 450’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Grand Cherokee L’s standard 60 series tires. The GLS’ optional 285/40R23 front and 325/35R23 rear tires have a lower 40 series front and 35 series rear profile than the Grand Cherokee L Summit’s optional 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the GLS 450 has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Grand Cherokee L. The GLS’ optional 23-inch wheels are larger than the 21-inch wheels optional on the Grand Cherokee L Summit.

Suspension and Handling

The front and rear suspension of the GLS uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the Grand Cherokee L, which uses coil springs. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

The GLS offers an available adjustable active suspension system, which counteracts cornering forces actively, limiting body roll and improving handling and stability. Jeep doesn’t offer an active suspension on the Grand Cherokee L.

The GLS’ 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 L doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the GLS’ wheelbase is 1.7 inches longer than on the Grand Cherokee L (123.4 inches vs. 121.7 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the GLS is .3 inches wider in the front and 1.2 inches wider in the rear than on the Grand Cherokee L.

The GLS 450 handles at .87 G’s, while the Grand Cherokee L Overland 4x4 pulls only .75 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The GLS 450 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.8 seconds quicker than the Grand Cherokee L Overland 4x4 (26.4 seconds @ .7 average G’s vs. 28.2 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the GLS has a 1.6 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Grand Cherokee L Laredo/Limited (10.1 vs. 8.5 inches), allowing the GLS to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The GLS Off-Road Package’s minimum ground clearance is .4 inch higher than on the Grand Cherokee L Overland/Summit (11.3 vs. 10.9 inches).

Passenger Space

The GLS has .1 inches more front shoulder room, .3 inches more rear headroom, 2.5 inches more rear legroom, .5 inches more rear shoulder room, 1.6 inches more third row headroom and 4.3 inches more third row legroom than the Grand Cherokee L.

Cargo Capacity

The GLS’ cargo area provides more volume than the Grand Cherokee L.

	GLS	Grand Cherokee L
Behind Third Seat	17.4 cubic feet	17.2 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	84.7 cubic feet	84.6 cubic feet

The GLS has a standard third row seat which folds flat into the floor. This completely clears a very large cargo area quickly. The Grand Cherokee L doesn’t offer seats that fold into the floor.

Towing

The GLS’ standard towing capacity is much higher than the Grand Cherokee L’s (7700 vs. 3500 pounds).

Servicing Ease

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.

Ergonomics

The GLS’ 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 L’s standard rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open them fully. Only its driver’s window closes automatically.

If the windows are left open on the GLS 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 L can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The GLS has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Grand Cherokee L doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

The GLS’ 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 L’s standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

Heated windshield washer fluid is optional on the GLS to defrost the washer nozzles and quickly clear ice and frost from the windshield without scraping. The Grand Cherokee L doesn’t offer heated windshield washer fluid.

The Grand Cherokee L’s cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The GLS’ standard adaptive cornering lights turn the actual headlight unit up to several degrees, depending on steering wheel angle and vehicle speed. This lights a significant distance into corners at any speed.

The GLS has standard heated front and optional heated second and third row seats, which keep the driver and passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Jeep doesn’t offer heated seats in the third row of the Grand Cherokee L.

Both the GLS and the Grand Cherokee L offer available massaging front seats. The GLS also offers optional massaging second row seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging second row seats aren’t available in the Grand Cherokee L.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Mercedes GLS has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console and one for the rear passengers. Wireless charging costs extra on the Grand Cherokee L.

The GLS’ Active Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Grand Cherokee L Summit’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park.