Compare the2022 Jeep CherokeeVS 2021 Mercedes GLA

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Jeep Cherokee are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Mercedes GLA doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

The Jeep Cherokee has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The GLA doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Cherokee (except Latitude) offers optional Parksense with Rear Stop that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The GLA doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Cherokee’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the GLA.

Both the Cherokee and the GLA have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, 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, available all wheel drive and front parking sensors.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, rear impact and roof-crush tests, with its optional front crash prevention system, its “Good” rating in the new passenger-side small overlap crash test, and its available headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Cherokee the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2019, a rating granted to only 162 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The GLA has not been tested, yet.

Jeep’s powertrain warranty covers the Cherokee 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Mercedes covers the GLA. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the GLA ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

Jeep pays for scheduled maintenance on the Cherokee for 3 years and unlimited miles. Jeep will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance (up to 3 oil changes). Mercedes doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the GLA.

There are over 6 times as many Jeep dealers as there are Mercedes dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Cherokee’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Cherokee third among compact suvs in their 2021 Initial Quality Study. The GLA isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Jeep vehicles are better in initial quality than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Jeep 8th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 44 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mercedes is ranked 25th, below the industry average.

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

The Cherokee’s optional 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 49 more horsepower (270 vs. 221) and 37 lbs.-ft. more torque (295 vs. 258) than the GLA’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The Cherokee’s standard 3.2 DOHC V6 produces 50 more horsepower (271 vs. 221) than the GLA’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Jeep Cherokee turbo 4 cyl. is faster than the Mercedes GLA:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Jeep Cherokee uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended with the 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder engine for maximum performance). The GLA requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Cherokee has 3.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the GLA (15.9 vs. 12.7 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Cherokee has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The GLA doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Jeep Cherokee, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the GLA.

For better stopping power the Cherokee’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the GLA:

The Cherokee stops shorter than the GLA:

For better traction, the Cherokee 4x4 X/Trailhawk’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the GLA (245/65R17 vs. 235/55R18).

The Cherokee has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The GLA doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Cherokee X/Trailhawk has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the GLA; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed. Some tire options on the GLA don’t have a run-flat feature, either.

The Cherokee has .1 inches more front legroom, 1.7 inches more front shoulder room, .4 inches more rear headroom, 2.3 inches more rear legroom and .3 inches more rear shoulder room than the GLA.

The Cherokee has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the GLA with its rear seat up (27.6 vs. 15.4 cubic feet). The Cherokee has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the GLA with its rear seat folded (54.7 vs. 50.5 cubic feet).

The Cherokee has a 2000 lbs. towing capacity. The GLA has no towing capacity.

The Cherokee 4WD with optional equipment can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Cherokee can be unhitched and driven around locally. The GLA can’t be towed flat on the ground.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Cherokee uses the Electronic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The GLA doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Cherokee has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the GLA only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Cherokee has standard extendable sun visors. The GLA doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The Cherokee has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats cost extra on the GLA. The Cherokee Overland also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the GLA.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Jeep Cherokee will be $1372 to $8258 less than for the Mercedes GLA.

The Jeep Cherokee outsold the Mercedes GLA by almost six to one during the 2021 model year.