Compare the2023 Mercedes GLSVS 2023 Cadillac Escalade ESV

For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Mercedes GLS 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 Cadillac Escalade ESV doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

The Mercedes GLS has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Escalade ESV doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The GLS offers an optional Post Collision Brake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Escalade ESV doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the GLS. But it costs extra on the Escalade ESV.

The GLS has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. Only the Escalade ESV Premium/Platinum/Sport offers a blind spot warning system.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the GLS has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Only the Escalade ESV Premium/Platinum/Sport has a rear cross-path warning system.

The GLS’ 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 Escalade ESV doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the GLS 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 Escalade ESV uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the GLS and the Escalade ESV have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, around view monitors and available lane departure warning systems.

For smoother operation, better efficiency and fewer moving parts, the engines in the GLS have an overhead cam design, rather than the old pushrod design of the engine in the Escalade ESV.

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

The GLS 580’s standard 4.0 turbo V8 hybrid produces 63 more horsepower (483 vs. 420) and 56 lbs.-ft. more torque (516 vs. 460) than the Escalade ESV’s 6.2 V8. The Maybach GLS 600’s standard 4.0 turbo V8 hybrid produces 130 more horsepower (550 vs. 420) and 78 lbs.-ft. more torque (538 vs. 460) than the Escalade ESV’s 6.2 V8.

As tested in Car and Driver the Mercedes GLS is faster than the Cadillac Escalade ESV:

On the EPA test cycle the GLS gets better mileage than the Escalade ESV:

Regenerative brakes improve the GLS’ fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Escalade ESV doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

For better stopping power the GLS’ brake rotors are larger than those on the Escalade ESV:

The GLS stops much shorter than the Escalade ESV:

For better traction, the GLS’ optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Escalade ESV (F:285/40R23 & R:325/35R23 vs. 275/50R22).

The GLS’ optional 285/40R23 front and 325/35R23 rear tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series front and 35 series rear profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Escalade ESV’s 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the GLS offers optional 23-inch wheels. The Escalade ESV’s largest wheels are only 22-inches.

The front and rear suspension of the GLS uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the Escalade ESV, which uses coil springs. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

The GLS offers an available adjustable active suspension system, which counteracts cornering forces actively, limiting body roll and improving handling and stability. Cadillac doesn’t offer an active suspension on the Escalade ESV.

The GLS’ drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Escalade ESV doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

The GLS 450 handles at .92 G’s, while the Escalade ESV Sport 4WD pulls only .71 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The GLS 450 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.6 seconds quicker than the Escalade ESV Premium Luxury 4WD (26.4 seconds @ .7 average G’s vs. 29 seconds @ .56 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the GLS’ turning circle is 3.9 feet tighter than the Escalade ESV’s (39.4 feet vs. 43.3 feet).

The Mercedes GLS may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 100 to 300 pounds less than the Cadillac Escalade ESV.

The GLS 450 is 1 foot, 10.1 inches shorter than the Escalade ESV, making the GLS easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Unibody construction lowers the GLS’ 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 Escalade ESV uses body-on-frame design instead.

The GLS has 1.3 inches more rear headroom, .2 inches more rear legroom and .7 inches more third row headroom than the Escalade ESV.

The GLS has a standard third row seat which folds flat into the floor. This completely clears a very large cargo area quickly. The Escalade ESV doesn’t offer seats that fold into the floor.

Heated windshield washer fluid is optional on the GLS to defrost the washer nozzles and quickly clear ice and frost from the windshield without scraping. The Escalade ESV doesn’t offer heated windshield washer fluid.

To better shield the driver and front passenger’s vision, the GLS has standard dual-element sun visors that can block glare from two directions simultaneously. The Escalade ESV doesn’t offer secondary sun visors.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the GLS to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Escalade ESV doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The GLS has standard heated front and optional heated second and third row seats, which keep the driver and passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Cadillac doesn’t offer heated seats in the third row of the Escalade ESV.

The GLS has standard front air conditioned seats and offers them optionally in the second row. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The Escalade ESV doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

The GLS offers an optional center folding armrest for the third row rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and can provide a barrier between children. The Escalade ESV doesn’t offer a third row rear seat center armrest.

Both the GLS and the Escalade ESV offer available massaging front seats. The GLS also offers optional massaging second row seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging second row seats aren’t available in the Escalade ESV.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the GLS is less expensive to operate than the Escalade ESV because it costs $218 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the GLS than the Escalade ESV, including $467 less for a muffler, $63 less for a fuel pump, $328 less for front struts, $619 less for a timing belt/chain and $223 less for a power steering pump.