Compare the2023 Lincoln NautilusVS 2023 Mercedes GLE

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Nautilus are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The GLE doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Lincoln Nautilus has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The GLE doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The Nautilus has standard Post Collision Braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The GLE 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 Nautilus’ standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the GLE.

Both the Nautilus and the GLE have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Lincoln Nautilus is safer than the Mercedes GLE:

	Nautilus	GLE
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	22.4%	24%
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.4 inches
Leg Forces (l/r)	145/201 lbs.	401/438 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Lincoln Nautilus is safer than the Mercedes GLE:

	Nautilus	GLE
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	192 lbs.	287 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	635 lbs.	677 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	257	264
Hip Force	425 lbs.	615 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Nautilus the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 53 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The GLE has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

Lincoln’s powertrain warranty covers the Nautilus 2 years and 20,000 miles longer than Mercedes covers the GLE. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the GLE ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 78 percent more Lincoln dealers than there are Mercedes dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Nautilus’ warranty.

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Nautilus’ reliability 50 points higher than the GLE.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Nautilus first among midsize premium suvs in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The GLE isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Lincoln vehicles are better in initial quality than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Lincoln above average in initial quality. With 22 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mercedes is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Lincoln vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Lincoln above average in long-term dependability. With 12 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Mercedes is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Lincoln vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Lincoln 14 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

Engine

As tested in Motor Trend the Lincoln Nautilus turbo 4 cyl. is faster than the GLE 350 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder:

	Nautilus	GLE
Zero to 60 MPH	7.3 sec	7.6 sec
Quarter Mile	15.6 sec	15.8 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	88.8 MPH	87.5 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Nautilus gets better mileage than the GLE:

			MPG
Nautilus
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/26 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/25 hwy
		2.7 turbo V6	19 city/25 hwy
GLE
	RWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/25 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/24 hwy
		4.0 turbo V8 Hybrid	16 city/21 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Lincoln Nautilus uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The GLE requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Nautilus has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The GLE doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Lincoln Nautilus higher (6 out of 10) than the Mercedes GLE (5 to 6). This means the Nautilus produces up to 6.9 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the GLE every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Nautilus’ standard front brake rotors are larger than those on the GLE:

	Nautilus	GLE
Front Rotors	13.8 inches	13 inches

The Nautilus stops much shorter than the GLE:

	Nautilus	GLE
60 to 0 MPH	117 feet	130 feet	Motor Trend

Suspension and Handling

The Nautilus Reserve AWD handles at .83 G’s, while the GLE 350 4MATIC pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Nautilus Reserve AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.1 seconds quicker than the GLE 350 4MATIC (27.1 seconds @ .68 average G’s vs. 28.2 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

Chassis

The Lincoln Nautilus may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 450 to 750 pounds less than the Mercedes GLE.

The Nautilus is 4.3 inches shorter than the GLE, making the Nautilus easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Nautilus uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The GLE doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Nautilus has 2.5 inches more front legroom and .7 inches more rear shoulder room than the GLE.

The front step up height for the Nautilus is 2.5 inches lower than the GLE (17.5” vs. 20”). The Nautilus’ rear step up height is 2 inches lower than the GLE’s (18” vs. 20”).

Cargo Capacity

The Nautilus has a much larger cargo volume than the GLE with its rear seat up (37.2 vs. 33.3 cubic feet).

Towing

The Nautilus 2.7 Turbo can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Nautilus can be unhitched and driven around locally. The GLE can’t be towed flat on the ground.

Ergonomics

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Nautilus’ exterior PIN entry system. The GLE doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Mercedes-Benz Emergency Call can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Nautilus owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Nautilus will cost $2420 to $7875 less than the GLE over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Nautilus is less expensive to operate than the GLE because it costs $300 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Nautilus than the GLE, including $382 less for a water pump, $173 less for a muffler, $139 less for front brake pads, $525 less for a starter, $384 less for fuel injection, $196 less for a fuel pump, $217 less for front struts and $206 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Lincoln Nautilus will be $17940 to $27163 less than for the Mercedes GLE.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Lincoln Nautilus, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Mercedes GLE isn't recommended.