Compare the2022 Mercedes GLCVS 2022 Toyota Venza

Safety
Warranty
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
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 Toyota Venza 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 Venza 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 Venza doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Both the GLC and the Venza 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors, 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 Toyota Venza:

	GLC	Venza
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	120	152
Neck Injury Risk	23%	29.3%
Neck Stress	177 lbs.	306 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	113	284
Neck Injury Risk	24%	37.4%
Neck Stress	116 lbs.	258 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	29/68 lbs.	340/190 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, with its optional front crash prevention system, and its headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the GLC its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2019, a rating granted to only 116 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Venza is only a standard “Top Pick” for 2019.

Warranty

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

Engine

The GLC 300’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 36 more horsepower (255 vs. 219) than the Venza’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Motor Trend the Mercedes GLC is faster than the Toyota Venza:

	GLC	Venza
Zero to 30 MPH	2 sec	2.4 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	6.3 sec	7.5 sec
Zero to 80 MPH	11.2 sec	12.7 sec
Passing 45 to 65 MPH	3.6 sec	4.1 sec
Quarter Mile	14.9 sec	15.7 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	90.7 MPH	87.8 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

Both the GLC and the Venza 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 2.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the Venza (17.4 vs. 14.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	GLC	Venza
Front Rotors	13.5 inches	12 inches
Rear Rotors	12.6 inches	11.1 inches

The GLC’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Venza are solid, not vented.

The GLC stops much shorter than the Venza:

	GLC	Venza
60 to 0 MPH	110 feet	121 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	143 feet	147 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the GLC has larger standard tires than the Venza (235/60R18 vs. 225/60R18). The GLC’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Venza (255/45R20 vs. 225/60R18).

The GLC’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Venza XLE/Limited’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the GLC offers optional 20-inch wheels. The Venza’s largest wheels are only 19-inches.

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 Venza doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

Suspension and Handling

The GLC has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Venza doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

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 Venza doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the GLC’s wheelbase is 7.2 inches longer than on the Venza (113.1 inches vs. 105.9 inches).

The GLC’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (53% to 47%) than the Venza’s (56% to 44%). This gives the GLC more stable handling and braking.

The GLC 300 4MATIC handles at .85 G’s, while the Venza Limited pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The GLC 300 4MATIC executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.1 seconds quicker than the Venza Limited (26.6 seconds @ .66 average G’s vs. 27.7 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

Chassis

The GLC is 3.3 inches shorter than the Venza, making the GLC easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Cargo Capacity

The GLC has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Venza with its rear seat folded (56.5 vs. 55.1 cubic feet).

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

	GLC	Venza
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	36.6”/61.3”	n/a
Max Width	49.4”	49.8”
Min Width	43.3”	39.7”
Height	31.1”	27.6”

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

Towing

The GLC has a 3500 lbs. towing capacity. The Venza has no towing capacity.

Optional Trailer Stability Assist on the GLC uses the Electronic Stability Program sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Venza doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Servicing Ease

The GLC uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Venza uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

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

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Mercedes service is better than Toyota. J.D. Power ranks Mercedes 6th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 21% lower rating, Toyota is ranked 20th.

Ergonomics

The GLC has a standard remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Venza doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Venza XLE/Limited, 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 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 Venza’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

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 Venza doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The GLC’s available headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Venza’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Marginal.”

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the GLC offers optional adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Venza doesn’t offer cornering lights.

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

When the GLC is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The Venza’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

The GLC’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Venza offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The GLC has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats are only available on the Venza XLE/Limited. The GLC also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Venza.

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 Venza doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The GLC’s Active Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting and stopping automatically, with the driver only responsible for switching from reverse to drive. The Venza doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Model Availability

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

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

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the GLC owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the GLC will cost $170 less than the Venza over a five-year period.

Recommendations

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

The Mercedes GLC outsold the Toyota Venza by over two to one during the 2021 model year.