Compare the2023 Jeep WranglerVS 2022 Mercedes G-Class

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 Wrangler 4-Door are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The G-Class doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Both the Wrangler and the G-Class have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, rearview cameras, available crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

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

Jeep pays for scheduled maintenance on the Wrangler 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 G-Class.

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 Wrangler’s warranty.

The Wrangler has a solid front axle with a floating power axle for durability that the G-Class’ independent front suspension and exposed front driveshafts don’t offer.

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.

As tested in Motor Trend the Wrangler Rubicon 392 6.4 V8 is faster than the G 550 (automatics tested):

On the EPA test cycle the Wrangler 4-door running on electricity gets better mileage than the G-Class:

On the EPA test cycle the Wrangler 4-door running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the G-Class:

The Wrangler 4Xe can travel with zero emissions for 22 miles. The G-Class can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

Regenerative brakes improve the Wrangler 2.0 Turbo/3.6 eTorque/4Xe’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The G-Class doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The Wrangler offers a manual transmission for better acceleration, control and sportiness. The G-Class doesn’t offer a manual transmission.

The Wrangler stops shorter than the G-Class:

For better traction, the Wrangler’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the G-Class (315/70R17 vs. 295/40R22).

The Wrangler 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 G-Class doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Wrangler Rubicon has an active front sway bar, which helps keep it flat and controlled during cornering, but disconnects 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 G-Class doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Wrangler 4-door 4x4’s wheelbase is 4.6 inches longer than on the G-Class (118.4 inches vs. 113.8 inches).

The Wrangler Rubicon 4Xe handles at .75 G’s, while the G 550 pulls only .61 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Wrangler Rubicon 4Xe executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.9 seconds quicker than the G 550 (27.8 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 30.7 seconds @ .53 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Wrangler 2-door’s turning circle is 10.1 feet tighter than the G-Class’ (34.5 feet vs. 44.6 feet). The Wrangler 4-door’s turning circle is 3.8 feet tighter than the G-Class’ (40.8 feet vs. 44.6 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Wrangler Sport 2-door has a greater minimum ground clearance than the G-Class (9.7 vs. 9.5 inches), allowing the Wrangler to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Jeep Wrangler may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 600 to 1650 pounds less than the Mercedes G-Class.

The Wrangler 2-door 4x4 is 1 foot, 10.9 inches shorter than the G 550, making the Wrangler easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Wrangler 4-door has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the G-Class with its rear seat folded (72.4 vs. 68.6 cubic feet).

The Wrangler’s rear cargo window opens separately from the rest of the left swing out door to allow quicker loading of small packages. The G-Class’ rear cargo window doesn’t open.

The Wrangler 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 Wrangler can be unhitched and driven around locally. The G-Class can’t be towed flat on the ground.

The Wrangler’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The G-Class does not have an oil pressure gauge.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Wrangler has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the G-Class 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 Wrangler has standard extendable sun visors. The G-Class doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The Jeep Wrangler JL comes in four door and soft top bodystyles; the Mercedes G-Class isn’t available as a soft top.

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its February 2019 issue and the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 4-door won out over the Mercedes G 550.

Motor Trend selected the Wrangler as their 2019 Sport Utility of the Year. The G-Class has never been chosen.

The Jeep Wrangler outsold the Mercedes G-Class by over 27 to one during the 2022 model year.