Compare the2023 Kia TellurideVS 2023 Mercedes GLB

Both the Telluride and GLB have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Telluride has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The GLB’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

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 Telluride are reminded to check the back seat when a sensor determines the back seat is occupied. The GLB doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Telluride SX has standard Parking Collision-Avoidance Assist Reverse that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The GLB doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Telluride’s 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 GLB.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Telluride’s standard Rear Cross-Traffic Collision Warning uses sensors in the rear to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side and Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. The GLB doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.

Both the Telluride and the GLB have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Telluride its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 29 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The GLB has not been tested, yet.

The Telluride comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The GLB’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Telluride 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than Mercedes covers the GLB. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the GLB ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 2 times as many Kia dealers as there are Mercedes dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Telluride’s warranty.

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 Telluride’s reliability 29 points higher than the GLB.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Telluride second among upper midsize suvs in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The GLB 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 Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia fourth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 33 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mercedes is ranked 19th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 50 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mercedes is ranked 18th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 15 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

The Telluride’s 3.8 DOHC V6 produces 70 more horsepower (291 vs. 221) and 4 lbs.-ft. more torque (262 vs. 258) than the GLB’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Kia Telluride is faster than the Mercedes GLB:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia Telluride uses regular unleaded gasoline. The GLB requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Telluride has 2.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the GLB (18.8 vs. 15.9 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

For better stopping power the Telluride’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the GLB:

The Telluride stops shorter than the GLB:

For better traction, the Telluride has larger tires than the GLB (245/60R18 vs. 235/55R18).

The Telluride has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the GLB; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed. Some tire options on the GLB don’t have a run-flat feature, either.

The Telluride has a standard automatic load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The GLB doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Telluride’s wheelbase is 2.8 inches longer than on the GLB (114.2 inches vs. 111.4 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Telluride is 4 inches wider in the front and 4.4 inches wider in the rear than on the GLB.

The Telluride’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (55.7% to 44.3%) than the GLB’s (57% to 43%). This gives the Telluride more stable handling and braking.

For greater off-road capability the Telluride has a greater minimum ground clearance than the GLB (8 vs. 7.9 inches), allowing the Telluride to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Telluride X-Line/X-Pro’s minimum ground clearance is .5 inch higher than on the GLB (8.4 vs. 7.9 inches).

The Telluride has standard seating for 8 passengers; the GLB can only carry up to 7.

The Telluride has .2 inches more front headroom, .3 inches more front legroom, 5.7 inches more front shoulder room, .9 inches more rear headroom, 4.3 inches more rear legroom, 6.3 inches more rear shoulder room, 3.3 inches more third row headroom, 2.3 inches more third row legroom and 11.5 inches more third row shoulder room than the GLB.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Telluride’s middle and third row seats recline. The GLB’s third row seats don’t recline.

The Telluride’s cargo area provides more volume than the GLB.

The Telluride’s cargo area is larger than the GLB’s in almost every dimension:

Pressing a button automatically lowers the Telluride’s second row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The GLB doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Telluride has a 5000 lbs. towing capacity. The GLB has no towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Stability Assist on the Telluride uses the Electronic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The GLB doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Telluride SX Prestige has a standard heads-up display that projects speed in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The GLB doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Telluride has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the GLB only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

Consumer Reports rated the Telluride’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the GLB’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

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

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Telluride to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The GLB doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

Both the Telluride and the GLB offer available heated front seats. The Telluride SX Prestige also has standard heated second row seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated second row seats aren’t available in the GLB.

The Telluride EX/SX has standard front air conditioned seats and the Telluride SX Prestige also has them in the second row. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The GLB doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

The Telluride will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Telluride will retain 54.84% to 55.57% of its original price after five years, while the GLB only retains 46.13% to 48.36%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Kia Telluride will be $188 to $8146 less than for the Mercedes GLB.

Consumer Reports® chose the Kia Telluride as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Mercedes GLB isn't recommended.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Telluride second among upper midsize suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The GLB isn’t in the top three.

Motor Trend selected the Telluride as their 2020 Sport Utility of the Year. The GLB has never been chosen.

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Telluride as the 2020 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The GLB has never been chosen.

The Kia Telluride outsold the Mercedes GLB by over four to one during 2022.