Compare the2023 Mercedes G-ClassVS 2023 Cadillac Escalade ESV

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Mercedes G-Class 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 Cadillac Escalade ESV doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

The Mercedes G-Class 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 Escalade ESV doesn’t offer knee airbags.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the G-Class. But it costs extra on the Escalade ESV.

The G-Class has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them and moves the vehicle back into its lane. Only the Escalade ESV Premium/Platinum/Sport offers a blind spot warning system.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the G-Class has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Alert and Active Brake Assist automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Only the Escalade ESV Premium/Platinum/Sport offers Rear Cross Traffic Alert and the Escalade ESV’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert does not include automatic braking.

The G-Class’ driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Escalade ESV doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the G-Class and the Escalade ESV have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems and rearview cameras.

For smoother operation, better efficiency and fewer moving parts, the engines in the G-Class have an overhead cam design, rather than the old pushrod design of the engine in the Escalade ESV.

The AMG G 63’s standard 4.0 turbo V8 produces 157 more horsepower (577 vs. 420) and 167 lbs.-ft. more torque (627 vs. 460) than the Escalade ESV’s 6.2 V8.

As tested in Motor Trend the Mercedes G-Class is faster than the Cadillac Escalade ESV:

For better stopping power the G-Class’ brake rotors are larger than those on the Escalade ESV:

The G-Class stops much shorter than the Escalade ESV:

For better traction, the G-Class’ optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Escalade ESV (295/40R22 vs. 275/50R22).

The G-Class’ optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 40 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Escalade ESV’s 50 series tires.

The AMG G 63 handles at .75 G’s, while the Escalade ESV Sport 4WD pulls only .71 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The AMG G 63 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Escalade ESV Premium Luxury 4WD (28.2 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 29 seconds @ .56 average G’s).

The Mercedes G-Class may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 250 to 350 pounds less than the Cadillac Escalade ESV.

The G 550 is 3 feet, 1.3 inches shorter than the Escalade ESV, making the G-Class easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The G-Class has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Escalade ESV doesn’t offer headlight washers.