Compare the2023 Mercedes GLSVS 2023 Jeep Wagoneer

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics

Safety

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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 Jeep Wagoneer doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

The GLS’ pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Wagoneer doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

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 Wagoneer 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 Wagoneer.

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 Wagoneer uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the GLS and the Wagoneer have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available lane departure warning systems.

Warranty

The GLS comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Wagoneer’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

Reliability

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 some of the engines in the Wagoneer.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Mercedes vehicles are better in initial quality than Jeep vehicles. With 10 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Mercedes higher than Jeep.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Mercedes vehicles are more reliable than Jeep With 6 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Mercedes higher than Jeep.

Engine

The GLS has more powerful engines than the Wagoneer:

	Horsepower	Torque
GLS 580 4.0 turbo V8 hybrid	483 HP	516 lbs.-ft.
Maybach GLS 600 4.0 turbo V8 hybrid	550 HP	538 lbs.-ft.
Wagoneer 5.7 V8 hybrid	392 HP	404 lbs.-ft.
Wagoneer 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder	420 HP	468 lbs.-ft.
Grand Wagoneer 6.4 V8	471 HP	455 lbs.-ft.
Grand Wagoneer 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder	510 HP	500 lbs.-ft.

As tested in Motor Trend the GLS 450 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid is faster than the Jeep Wagoneer V8 hybrid gas:

	GLS	Wagoneer
Zero to 60 MPH	5.8 sec	7.6 sec
Quarter Mile	14.3 sec	15.8 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	97 MPH	87.8 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the GLS gets better mileage than the Wagoneer:

			MPG
GLS
	AWD	580 4.0 turbo V8 Hybrid	16 city/21 hwy
		Maybach GLS 600 4.0 turbo V8 Hybrid	15 city/20 hwy
		3.0 turbo 6-cyl. Hybrid	18 city/23 hwy
Wagoneer
	RWD	5.7 V8 Hybrid	16 city/22 hwy
	AWD	3.0 turbo 6-cyl.	16 city/23 hwy
		5.7 V8 Hybrid	15 city/20 hwy
		Grand Wagoneer 3.0 turbo 6-cyl.	14 city/20 hwy
		6.4 OHV V8	13 city/18 hwy

Transmission

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Mercedes GLS, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Wagoneer.

Brakes and Stopping

The GLS stops much shorter than the Wagoneer:

	GLS	Wagoneer
70 to 0 MPH	154 feet	202 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	113 feet	147 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	143 feet	163 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

The GLS 450’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Wagoneer’s standard 65 series tires. The GLS’ optional 285/40R23 front and 325/35R23 rear tires have a lower 40 series front and 35 series rear profile than the Wagoneer’s optional 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the GLS 450 has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Wagoneer. The GLS’ optional 23-inch wheels are larger than the 22-inch wheels optional on the Wagoneer.

Suspension and Handling

The front and rear suspension of the GLS uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the Wagoneer, 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. Jeep doesn’t offer an active suspension on the Wagoneer.

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 Wagoneer doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

The GLS 450 handles at .92 G’s, while the Grand Wagoneer Series II pulls only .67 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The GLS 450 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 4 seconds quicker than the Wagoneer Series III 4x4 (26.4 seconds @ .7 average G’s vs. 30.4 seconds @ .52 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the GLS has a 1.8 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Wagoneer (10.1 vs. 8.3 inches), allowing the GLS to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The GLS Off-Road Package’s minimum ground clearance is 1.3 inches higher than on the Wagoneer Air Suspension (11.3 vs. 10 inches).

Chassis

The Mercedes GLS may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 350 to 400 pounds less than the Jeep Wagoneer.

The GLS 450 is 9.8 inches shorter than the Wagoneer, 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 Wagoneer uses body-on-frame design instead.

Cargo Capacity

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the GLS easier. The GLS’ cargo hatch lift-over height is 31.8 inches, while the Wagoneer’s liftover is 34 inches.

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

Towing

The GLS’ standard towing capacity is much higher than the Wagoneer’s (7700 vs. 7180 pounds).

Ergonomics

The GLS’ front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Wagoneer’s standard power windows’ rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully.

If the windows are left open on the GLS the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Wagoneer can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The GLS’ rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Wagoneer’s standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

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 Wagoneer doesn’t offer heated windshield washer fluid.

The Wagoneer’s optional cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The GLS’ standard adaptive cornering lights turn the actual headlight unit up to several degrees, depending on steering wheel angle and vehicle speed. This lights a significant distance into corners at any speed.

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 Wagoneer doesn’t offer secondary sun visors.

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. Jeep doesn’t offer heated seats in the third row of the Wagoneer.

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 Wagoneer doesn’t offer a third row rear seat center armrest.

Both the GLS and the Wagoneer 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 Wagoneer.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Mercedes GLS has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console and one for the rear passengers. Wireless charging costs extra on the Wagoneer.