Compare the2023 Land Rover DefenderVS 2022 Mercedes G-Class

Both the Defender 110/130 and G-Class have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Defender has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The G-Class’ child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Defender has a standard 3D Surround Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The G-Class 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.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Defender uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The G-Class uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Defender and the G-Class have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

The Defender’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the G-Class’ (6 vs. 5 years).

On the EPA test cycle the Defender 110/130 gets better mileage than the G-Class:

For better stopping power the Defender V8’s brake rotors are larger than those on the G-Class:

The Defender stops much shorter than the G-Class:

For superior ride and handling, the Land Rover Defender has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Mercedes G-Class has a solid rear axle, with a non-independent rear suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Defender 110’s wheelbase is 5.1 inches longer than on the G-Class (118.9 inches vs. 113.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Defender is 2.3 inches wider in the front and 2.2 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the G-Class.

The Defender 110 SE handles at .72 G’s, while the G 550 pulls only .61 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Defender 110 SE executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.1 seconds quicker than the G 550 (29.6 seconds @ .57 average G’s vs. 30.7 seconds @ .53 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Defender 90’s turning circle is 7.5 feet tighter than the G-Class’ (37.1 feet vs. 44.6 feet). The Defender 110/130’s turning circle is 2.5 feet tighter than the G-Class’ (42.1 feet vs. 44.6 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Defender 110 Air Suspension has a 2 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the G-Class (11.5 vs. 9.5 inches), allowing the Defender to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Land Rover Defender may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 100 to 1000 pounds less than the Mercedes G-Class.

Unibody construction lowers the Defender’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The G-Class uses body-on-frame design instead.

The design of the Land Rover Defender amounts to more than styling. The Defender has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .38 Cd. That is significantly lower than the G-Class (.55). A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Defender get better fuel mileage.

The Defender 130 has standard seating for 8 passengers; the G-Class can only carry 5. The Defender 90 offers optional seating for 6.

The Defender 110’s cargo area provides more volume than the G-Class.

The Defender 130’s cargo area provides more volume than the G-Class.

The Defender’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the G-Class’ (7716 vs. 7000 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Mercedes G-Class is only 7000 pounds. The Defender offers up to a 8201 lbs. towing capacity.

The Defender (except Base) offers an available heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The G-Class doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Defender 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.

Optional air conditioned front and second row seats keep the Defender’s passengers comfortable and take the sting out of hot leather in summer. The G-Class doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats in the rear.

The Land Rover Defender comes in two door and four door bodystyles; the Mercedes G-Class isn’t available as a two door.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Defender third among large premium suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The G-Class isn’t in the top three.

Motor Trend selected the Defender as their 2021 Sport Utility of the Year. The G-Class has never been chosen.

The Land Rover Defender outsold the Mercedes G-Class by almost three to one during the 2022 model year.