Compare the2023 Mercedes GLEVS 2023 Land Rover Range Rover

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Mercedes GLE are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Land Rover Range Rover doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

The Mercedes GLE 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 doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Both the GLE and the Range Rover have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, 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, driver alert monitors, 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 Range Rover has not been tested, yet.

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 GLE’s 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.

On the EPA test cycle the GLE gets better mileage than the Range Rover running its gasoline engine:

The GLE has 3.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Range Rover 440e PHEV’s standard fuel tank (22.5 vs. 18.9 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

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 Range Rover.

The GLE stops much shorter than the Range Rover:

The GLE 450 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.

The GLE 450 handles at .84 G’s, while the Range Rover SWB First Edition pulls only .73 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Mercedes GLE may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 650 pounds less than the Land Rover Range Rover.

The GLE is 4.6 inches shorter than the Range Rover SWB, making the GLE easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The design of the Mercedes GLE amounts to more than styling. The GLE has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .29 Cd. That is lower than the Range Rover (.3 to .33) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the GLE get better fuel mileage.

As tested by Car and Driver while cruising at 70 MPH, the interior of the GLE 450 is quieter than the Range Rover SWB First Edition (63 vs. 66 dB).

The GLE has a much larger cargo volume than the Range Rover LWB with its rear seat up (33.3 vs. 8.7 cubic feet).

The GLE’s liftgate lifts up in one piece, completely out of the way of loading and unloading, while sheltering the cargo loading area. The Range Rover’s tailgate’s top part raises up, but the bottom part lowers, getting in the way of loading and making an uneven surface for sliding cargo.

The GLE’s standard easy entry system raises the steering wheel and glides the driver’s seat back, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Range Rover doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The GLE’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Range Rover does not have an oil pressure gauge.

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. A locking fuel/charge port door is only offered on the Range Rover P440e.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the GLE offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Range Rover 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 shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the GLE has standard extendable sun visors. The Range Rover doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The GLE is available in both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Range Rover doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.