Compare the2023 Ford EscapeVS 2023 Mercedes GLA

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Ford Escape 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 Mercedes GLA doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Escape (except Base) offers an optional Reverse Brake Assist that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The GLA doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

The Escape’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 GLA.

Both the Escape and the GLA have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, 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, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive 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, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its available headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Escape the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2022, a rating granted to only 177 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The GLA has not been tested, yet.

Ford’s powertrain warranty covers the Escape 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Mercedes covers the GLA. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the GLA ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 8 times as many Ford dealers as there are Mercedes dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Escape’s warranty.

The Escape has a standard “limp home system” to keep drivers from being stranded if most or all of the engine’s coolant is lost. The engine will run on only half of its cylinders at a time, reduce its power and light a warning lamp on the dashboard so the driver can get to a service station for repairs. The GLA doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Ford vehicles are better in initial quality than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Ford 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 Ford vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Ford above average in long-term dependability. With 4 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 Ford vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Ford 6 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

The Escape’s optional 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 29 more horsepower (250 vs. 221) and 22 lbs.-ft. more torque (280 vs. 258) than the GLA’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

On the EPA test cycle the Escape gets better mileage than the GLA:

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Escape 1.5 Turbo’s fuel efficiency. The GLA doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Ford Escape uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended with the 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder engine for maximum performance). The GLA requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Escape FWD’s standard fuel tank has 1.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the GLA (14.8 vs. 13.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Escape AWD’s standard fuel tank has 2.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the GLA (15.7 vs. 13.5 gallons).

The Escape 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 GLA doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Ford Escape higher (7 out of 10) than the Mercedes GLA (5). This means the Escape produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the GLA every 15,000 miles.

For better stopping power the Escape’s brake rotors are larger than those on the GLA:

The Escape stops shorter than the GLA:

The Escape 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 GLA; 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 GLA don’t have a run-flat feature, either.

The Escape has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The GLA’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The Escape’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (58% to 42%) than the GLA’s (60% to 40%). This gives the Escape more stable handling and braking.

The Escape has 1 inch more front headroom, 1.4 inches more front legroom, 1.7 inches more front shoulder room, 1.2 inches more rear headroom, 2.7 inches more rear legroom and 1.2 inches more rear shoulder room than the GLA.

The Escape has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the GLA with its rear seat up (37.5 vs. 19 cubic feet). The Escape has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the GLA with its rear seat folded (65.4 vs. 50.5 cubic feet).

The Escape has a 2000 lbs. towing capacity. The GLA has no towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Escape uses the AdvanceTrac® sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The GLA doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Escape’s available exterior PIN entry system (not available on Escape Base). The GLA 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.

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

Consumer Reports rated the Escape’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the GLA’s headlights, which were rated “Poor.”

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Escape Active/ST-Line/Platinum has standard extendable sun visors. The GLA doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Insurance will cost less for the Escape owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Escape will cost $535 less than the GLA over a five-year period.

The Escape will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Escape will retain 49.35% to 49.88% of its original price after five years, while the GLA only retains 45.43% to 45.49%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Ford Escape will be $5984 to $12536 less than for the Mercedes GLA.

The Ford Escape outsold the Mercedes GLA by almost 10 to one during 2022.