Compare the2023 Mercedes GLEVS 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee

For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Mercedes GLE 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 Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

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

Both the GLE and the Grand Cherokee 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, available lane departure warning systems and around view monitors.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, with its optional vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, with its optional vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the GLE its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 114 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Grand Cherokee has not been tested, yet.

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

For smoother operation, better efficiency and fewer moving parts, the engines in the GLE have an overhead cam design, rather than the old pushrod design of the 5.7 V8 in the Grand Cherokee.

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.

The GLE has more powerful engines than the Grand Cherokee:

As tested in Motor Trend the GLE 450 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid is faster than the Grand Cherokee 4xe 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid:

On the EPA test cycle the GLE gets better mileage than the Grand Cherokee running its gasoline engine:

Regardless of its engine, the GLE’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. Jeep only offers an automatic engine start/stop system on the Grand Cherokee V6/4xe.

The GLE has 3.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the Grand Cherokee 4xe Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (22.5 vs. 19 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certifies the Mercedes GLE as an “Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle” (ULEV). The Jeep Grand Cherokee is only certified to “Low Emissions Vehicle” (LEV) standards.

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

For better stopping power the GLE 450/580’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Grand Cherokee:

The GLE stops much shorter than the Grand Cherokee:

For better traction, the GLE has larger standard tires than the Grand Cherokee (255/50R19 vs. 245/70R17).

The GLE’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 Grand Cherokee Laredo’s standard 70 series tires. The GLE 450’s optional tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Grand Cherokee Summit’s optional 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the GLE has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Grand Cherokee Laredo. The GLE 450’s optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 21-inch wheels optional on the Grand Cherokee Summit.

The GLE 450 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 Grand Cherokee.

The GLE’s 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 Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the GLE’s wheelbase is 1.2 inches longer than on the Grand Cherokee (117.9 inches vs. 116.7 inches).

The GLE 450 handles at .83 G’s, while the Grand Cherokee Overland 4x4 pulls only .60 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The GLE 450 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.1 seconds quicker than the Grand Cherokee Limited 4x4 (27 seconds @ .69 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

The design of the Mercedes GLE amounts to more than styling. The GLE has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .29 Cd. That is significantly lower than the Grand Cherokee (.357) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the GLE get better fuel mileage.

The GLE offers optional seating for 7 passengers; the Grand Cherokee can only carry 5.

The GLE has .6 inches more front headroom, .1 inches more front shoulder room, .2 inches more rear headroom, 2.7 inches more rear legroom and .3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Grand Cherokee.

The front step up height for the GLE is .2 inches lower than the Grand Cherokee (20” vs. 20.2”). The GLE’s rear step up height is 1.5 inches lower than the Grand Cherokee’s (20” vs. 21.5”).

The GLE has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Grand Cherokee with its rear seat folded (74.9 vs. 70.8 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the GLE easier. The GLE’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 30.7 inches, while the Grand Cherokee’s liftover is 33 inches.

The GLE’s cargo area is larger than the Grand Cherokee’s in almost every dimension:

A control in the cargo area automatically lowers the GLE’s second row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The GLE’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Grand Cherokee’s (5950 vs. 3500 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Jeep Grand Cherokee 4x4 is only 7200 pounds. The GLE offers up to a 7700 lbs. towing capacity.

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

If the windows are left open on the GLE 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 Grand Cherokee can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The GLE has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer a locking fuel/charge port door.

The GLE’s 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 Grand Cherokee’s standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the GLE offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer cornering lights. The GLE also offers optional adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

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

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Mercedes GLE has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the Grand Cherokee.

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