Compare the2022 Toyota 4RunnerVS 2022 Mercedes GLC

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the 4Runner are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The GLC doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Toyota 4Runner 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 GLC doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the 4Runner 4WD’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The GLC doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

The 4Runner’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the GLC.

Both the 4Runner and the GLC have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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, driver alert monitors, available four-wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

The Toyota 4Runner weighs 509 to 1024 pounds more than the Mercedes GLC. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

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 Toyota 4Runner is safer than the Mercedes GLC:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

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

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the 4Runner for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Mercedes doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the GLC.

There are over 3 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Mercedes dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the 4Runner’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in initial quality. With 36 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mercedes is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in long-term dependability. With 34 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Mercedes is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in overall reliability. Mercedes is ranked 20th.

The 4Runner’s 4.0 DOHC V6 produces 15 more horsepower (270 vs. 255) and 5 lbs.-ft. more torque (278 vs. 273) than the GLC’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Toyota 4Runner uses regular unleaded gasoline. The GLC requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The 4Runner has 5.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the GLC (23 vs. 17.4 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

For better traction, the 4Runner has larger standard tires than the GLC (245/60R20 vs. 235/60R18). The 4Runner’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the GLC (265/70R17 vs. 255/45R20).

The Toyota 4Runner’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Mercedes GLC only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The 4Runner has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the GLC; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare or run-flat tires, either of which has mileage and speed limitations.

The 4Runner TRD Off-Road offers active sway bars, which help keep it flat and controlled during cornering, but disconnect at lower speeds to smooth the ride and offer greater off-road suspension articulation. This helps keep the tires glued to the road on-road and off. The GLC doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

For better maneuverability, the 4Runner’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the GLC’s (37.4 feet vs. 38.7 feet).

For greater off-road capability the 4Runner has a 4.6 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the GLC (9.6 vs. 5 inches), allowing the 4Runner to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The 4Runner offers optional seating for 7 passengers; the GLC can only carry 5.

The 4Runner has 1.5 inches more front headroom, .9 inches more front legroom, .5 inches more front shoulder room, .1 inches more rear headroom and 1.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the GLC.

The 4Runner’s cargo area provides more volume than the GLC.

The 4Runner 5-Passenger’s optional sliding cargo floor is capable of supporting 440 pounds, to make loading and unloading cargo easier and safer. The GLC doesn’t offer a sliding load floor.

The 4Runner’s cargo area is larger than the GLC’s in almost every dimension:

The 4Runner’s rear cargo window opens separately from the rest of the liftgate door to allow quicker loading of small packages. The GLC’s rear cargo window doesn’t open.

The 4Runner’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the GLC’s (5000 vs. 3500 pounds).

Consumer Reports rated the 4Runner’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the GLC’s headlights, which were rated “Good.”

Insurance will cost less for the 4Runner owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the 4Runner will cost $65 to $1160 less than the GLC over a five-year period.

The 4Runner will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the 4Runner will retain 66.6% to 71.16% of its original price after five years, while the GLC only retains 51.03% to 51.13%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the 4Runner is less expensive to operate than the GLC because it costs $509 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the 4Runner than the GLC, including $243 less for a water pump, $297 less for a muffler, $209 less for front brake pads, $101 less for a starter, $181 less for fuel injection, $356 less for front struts and $910 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Toyota 4Runner will be $8042 to $14352 less than for the Mercedes GLC.

The TRD Pro was selected by Petersen's 4-Wheel & Off-Road magazine as their 2015 4x4 of the Year. The GLC has never been chosen.

The Toyota 4Runner outsold the Mercedes GLC by almost three to one during the 2021 model year.