Compare the2022 Mercedes GLCVS 2022 Cadillac XT4

Safety
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Mercedes GLC 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 Cadillac XT4 doesn’t offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

The GLC’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The XT4 doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The GLC has standard NECK-PRO front head restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the NECK-PRO front head restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The XT4 doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the GLC has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Only the XT4 Premium Luxury/Sport has a rear cross-path warning system.

The GLC’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 XT4 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the GLC and the XT4 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, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, lane departure warning systems and around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Mercedes GLC is safer than the Cadillac XT4:

	GLC	XT4
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	120	190
Neck Injury Risk	23%	28%
Neck Stress	177 lbs.	218 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	113	350
Chest Compression	.7 inches	.7 inches
Neck Injury Risk	24%	34%
Neck Stress	116 lbs.	131 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	29/68 lbs.	73/175 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, results indicate that the Mercedes GLC is safer than the Cadillac XT4:

	GLC	XT4
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	69	114
Abdominal Force	117 lbs.	185 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	134	169
Spine Acceleration	46 G’s	51 G’s

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, with its optional vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, with its optional vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its available headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the GLC the rating of “Top Pick” for 2021, a rating granted to only 145 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The XT4 has not been fully tested, yet.

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the GLC’s reliability 46 points higher than the XT4.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Mercedes vehicles are more reliable than Cadillac vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Mercedes 1 place higher in reliability than Cadillac.

Engine

The GLC’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 20 more horsepower (255 vs. 235) and 15 lbs.-ft. more torque (273 vs. 258) than the XT4’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Mercedes GLC is faster than the Cadillac XT4:

	GLC	XT4
Zero to 60 MPH	6.3 sec	7.5 sec
Quarter Mile	14.9 sec	15.8 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	90.7 MPH	89.4 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

Both the GLC and the XT4 have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stop lights and heavy traffic. All GLCs have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily.

The GLC has 1.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the XT4 FWD’s standard fuel tank (17.4 vs. 15.9 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The GLC has 1.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the XT4 AWD’s standard fuel tank (17.4 vs. 16.3 gallons).

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the GLC’s brake rotors are larger than those on the XT4:

	GLC	XT4
Front Rotors	13.5 inches	12.6 inches
Rear Rotors	12.6 inches	12.4 inches

The GLC stops much shorter than the XT4:

	GLC	XT4
60 to 0 MPH	110 feet	126 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the GLC’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the XT4 (255/45R20 vs. 245/45R20).

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires standard on the GLC can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The XT4 doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

Suspension and Handling

The GLC’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 XT4 doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the GLC’s wheelbase is 3.7 inches longer than on the XT4 (113.1 inches vs. 109.4 inches).

The GLC’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (53% to 47%) than the XT4’s (58.4% to 41.6%). This gives the GLC more stable handling and braking.

The GLC 300 4MATIC handles at .85 G’s, while the XT4 Sport AWD pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The GLC 300 4MATIC executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1 seconds quicker than the XT4 Sport AWD (26.6 seconds @ .66 average G’s vs. 27.6 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

Passenger Space

The GLC has .3 inches more front shoulder room, .2 inches more rear headroom and 1.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the XT4.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the GLC’s rear seats recline. The XT4’s rear seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

The GLC has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the XT4 with its rear seat folded (56.5 vs. 48.9 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the GLC easier. The GLC’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 28.8 inches, while the XT4’s liftover is 30.5 inches.

A control in the cargo area automatically lowers the GLC’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The XT4 doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Towing

The GLC’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the XT4’s (3500 vs. 2500 pounds).

Servicing Ease

The engine in the GLC is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the XT4. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the XT4 Premium Luxury/Sport, the GLC offers an optional passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The GLC’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The XT4’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully.

If the windows are left open on the GLC 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 XT4 can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The GLC 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 XT4 doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

The GLC’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 XT4 Luxury’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 nozzles are optional on the GLC to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The XT4 doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

The XT4 (except Luxury)’s optional cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The GLC’s optional 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.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the GLC to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The XT4 doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The GLC offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The XT4 doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Model Availability

and e Mercedes GLC comes in four door bodystyles; the Cadillac XT4 isn’t available as a .

Economic Advantages

The GLC will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the GLC will retain 51.03% to 51.13% of its original price after five years, while the XT4 only retains 45.25% to 45.56%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the GLC is less expensive to operate than the XT4 because it costs $191 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the GLC than the XT4, including $111 less for a muffler and $680 less for a timing belt/chain.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Mercedes GLC, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Cadillac XT4 isn't recommended.

Motor Trend selected the GLC as their 2017 Sport Utility of the Year. The XT4 has never been chosen.

The Mercedes GLC outsold the Cadillac XT4 by almost four to one during the 2021 model year.