Compare the2023 Mercedes GLEVS 2022 Land Rover Range Rover Sport

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 Sport doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The GLE 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 GLE 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 GLE 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, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, 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 Sport 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 Sport:

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certifies the Mercedes GLE as an “Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle” (ULEV). The Land Rover Range Rover Sport 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 Range Rover Sport.

The GLE stops much shorter than the Range Rover Sport:

For better traction, the GLE has larger standard tires than the Range Rover Sport (255/50R19 vs. 235/65R19).

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 Range Rover Sport’s standard 65 series tires.

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 Sport.

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 Range Rover Sport doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the GLE’s wheelbase is 2.8 inches longer than on the Range Rover Sport (117.9 inches vs. 115.1 inches).

The GLE 450 handles at .84 G’s, while the Range Rover Sport HSE pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The GLE 450 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Range Rover Sport HSE (27 seconds @ .69 average G’s vs. 27.6 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

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

The Mercedes GLE may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 150 to 250 pounds less than the Land Rover Range Rover Sport.

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 Range Rover Sport (.34 to .35) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the GLE get better fuel mileage.

The GLE has 1 inch more front headroom, .8 inches more front legroom, .5 inches more rear headroom and 3.9 inches more rear legroom than the Range Rover Sport.

The GLE has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Range Rover Sport with its rear seat up (33.3 vs. 10.8 cubic feet). The GLE has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Range Rover Sport with its rear seat folded (74.9 vs. 63.7 cubic feet).

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 Sport does not have an oil pressure gauge.

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 Sport 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 Sport doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the GLE to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Range Rover Sport doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

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. The Range Rover Sport doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The GLE’s 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.

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

Insurance will cost less for the GLE owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the GLE will cost $1245 less than the Range Rover Sport over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the GLE is less expensive to operate than the Range Rover Sport because it costs $227 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the GLE than the Range Rover Sport, including $74 less for fuel injection, $80 less for a fuel pump and $947 less for a timing belt/chain.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Mercedes GLE will be $11312 to $34381 less than for the Land Rover Range Rover Sport.