Compare the2023 Mercedes G-ClassVS 2023 Land Rover Defender

The G-Class’ pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Defender doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Mercedes G-Class 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 Defender doesn’t offer height-adjustable 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 Defender doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Both the G-Class and the Defender have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

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 G-Class’ 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.

The G-Class has more powerful engines than the Defender:

As tested in Motor Trend the G 550 is faster than the Defender P400 3.0 turbo/supercharged 6-cylinder hybrid:

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the G-Class’ fuel efficiency. The Defender doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

The G-Class has 3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Defender 90’s standard fuel tank (26.4 vs. 23.4 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The G-Class has 2.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Defender 110’s standard fuel tank (26.4 vs. 23.8 gallons).

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) certifies the Mercedes G-Class as an “Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle” (ULEV). The Land Rover Defender is only certified to “Low Emissions Vehicle” (LEV) standards.

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Mercedes G-Class, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Defender.

For better stopping power the G-Class’ standard front brake rotors are larger than those on the Defender:

The G-Class stops much shorter than the Defender:

For better traction, the G-Class has larger standard tires than the Defender (275/55R19 vs. 255/70R18). The G-Class’ optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Defender (295/40R22 vs. 285/65R18).

The G 550’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Defender’s standard 70 series tires. The G-Class’ optional tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Defender’s optional 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the G 550 has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Defender.

The AMG G 63 handles at .75 G’s, while the Defender 110 SE pulls only .70 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The AMG G 63 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.9 seconds quicker than the Defender 110 SE (28.2 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 30.1 seconds @ .54 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the G-Class has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Defender 90 (9.5 vs. 8.9 inches), allowing the G-Class to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The G 550 is 7.9 inches shorter than the Defender 110, making the G-Class easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The G-Class has a much larger cargo volume than the Defender 110 with its rear seat up (38.1 vs. 10.7 cubic feet).

If the windows are left open on the G-Class the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Defender can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the G-Class has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Defender doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The G-Class’ sun-visors swivel front-to-side to block glare from the side windows. The Defender’s visors are fixed into the windshield header.

The G-Class has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Defender 110 Base doesn’t offer a middle row seat center armrest.

The G-Class offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Defender.

The G-Class’ Active Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Defender doesn’t offer an automated parking system.