Compare the2023 Mercedes GLSVS 2022 Land Rover Range Rover Sport

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 Range Rover Sport 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 Range Rover Sport 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.

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. A system to reveal vehicles in the Range Rover Sport’s blind spot costs extra.

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. Rear cross-path warning costs extra on the Range Rover Sport.

Both the GLS and the Range Rover Sport have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras and available lane departure warning systems.

There are almost 2 times as many Mercedes dealers as there are Land Rover dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the GLS’ warranty.

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 Land Rover vehicles. With 4 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Mercedes higher than Land Rover.

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 Land Rover With 89 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Mercedes higher than Land Rover.

The GLS has more powerful engines than the Range Rover Sport:

On the EPA test cycle the GLS gets better mileage than the Range Rover Sport:

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 Range Rover Sport.

For better stopping power the GLS’ standard front brake rotors are larger than those on the Range Rover Sport:

The GLS stops much shorter than the Range Rover Sport:

For better traction, the GLS has larger standard tires than the Range Rover Sport (275/50R20 vs. 235/65R19). The GLS’ optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Range Rover Sport (F:285/40R23 & R:325/35R23 vs. 275/40R22).

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 Range Rover Sport’s standard 65 series tires. The GLS’ optional 325/35R23 rear tires have a lower 35 series profile than the Range Rover Sport’s optional 40 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the GLS 450 has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 19-inch wheels are standard on the Range Rover Sport. The GLS’ optional 23-inch wheels are larger than the 22-inch wheels optional on the Range Rover Sport.

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

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 Range Rover Sport doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the GLS’ wheelbase is 8.3 inches longer than on the Range Rover Sport (123.4 inches vs. 115.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the GLS is 1.1 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Range Rover Sport.

The GLS 450 handles at .92 G’s, while the Range Rover Sport HSE pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The GLS 450 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.2 seconds quicker than the Range Rover Sport HSE (26.4 seconds @ .7 average G’s vs. 27.6 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the GLS’ turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the Range Rover Sport’s (39.4 feet vs. 40.7 feet).

For greater off-road capability the GLS Off-Road Package has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Range Rover Sport (11.3 vs. 10.9 inches), allowing the GLS to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The GLS has .8 inches more front legroom, 1.1 inches more rear headroom and 4.9 inches more rear legroom than the Range Rover Sport.

The GLS’ cargo area provides more volume than the Range Rover Sport.

The GLS’ cargo area is larger than the Range Rover Sport’s in almost every dimension:

Pressing a switch automatically lowers or raises the GLS’ second and third row seats, to make changing between cargo and passengers easier. The Range Rover Sport doesn’t offer automatic folding second row seats.

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 Range Rover Sport doesn’t offer heated windshield washer fluid.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the GLS has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Range Rover Sport doesn’t offer cornering lights. The GLS also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the GLS has standard extendable sun visors. The Range Rover Sport doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the GLS to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Range Rover Sport 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. Land Rover doesn’t offer heated seats in the third row of the Range Rover Sport.

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 Range Rover Sport doesn’t offer a third row rear seat center armrest.

Both the GLS and the Range Rover Sport 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 Range Rover Sport.

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 for the rear passengers. The Range Rover Sport doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The GLS’ Active Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Range Rover Sport’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the GLS is less expensive to operate than the Range Rover Sport 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 Range Rover Sport, including $81 less for fuel injection, $80 less for a fuel pump and $938 less for a timing belt/chain.