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 Jeep Grand Cherokee 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 Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.
The GLC 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 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 Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.
Both the GLC 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, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive and lane departure warning systems.
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 Jeep Grand Cherokee:
|
GLC |
Grand Cherokee |
OVERALL STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
|
Driver |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
Neck Injury Risk |
23% |
28% |
Neck Stress |
177 lbs. |
201 lbs. |
|
Passenger |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
113 |
298 |
Chest Compression |
.7 inches |
.7 inches |
Neck Injury Risk |
24% |
30% |
Neck Stress |
116 lbs. |
170 lbs. |
Neck Compression |
115 lbs. |
122 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
29/68 lbs. |
314/94 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
A significantly tougher test than their original offset frontal crash test, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH small overlap frontal offset crash tests. In this test, where only 25% of the total width of the vehicle is struck, results indicate that the Mercedes GLC is safer than the Grand Cherokee:
|
GLC |
Grand Cherokee |
Overall Evaluation |
GOOD |
MARGINAL |
Restraints |
ACCEPTABLE |
ACCEPTABLE |
Head Neck Evaluation |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Peak Head Forces |
0 G’s |
0 G’s |
Steering Column Movement Rearward |
0 cm |
5 cm |
Chest Evaluation |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Hip & Thigh Evaluation |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Femur Force R/L |
1.1/1 kN |
4.9/2.3 kN |
Hip & Thigh Injury Risk R/L |
0%/0% |
3%/0% |
Lower Leg Evaluation |
GOOD |
MARGINAL |
Tibia index R/L |
.64/.41 |
1.06/.54 |
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 Mercedes GLC is safer than the Jeep Grand Cherokee:
|
GLC |
Grand Cherokee |
|
Front Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Abdominal Force |
117 lbs. |
126 lbs. |
|
Into Pole |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Max Damage Depth |
13 inches |
13 inches |
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 Grand Cherokee is not a “Top Pick.”