Compare the2023 Toyota Highlander HybridVS 2023 Mercedes GLE

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
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 Highlander Hybrid 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 Highlander Hybrid has standard Whiplash Injury Lessening Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash Injury Lessening Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The GLE doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The Highlander Hybrid has a standard Secondary Collision Brake, which automatically applies 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.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Highlander Hybrid Limited/Platinum has standard Automated Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The GLE doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

The Highlander Hybrid’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 GLE.

Both the Highlander Hybrid 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, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

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, results indicate that the Toyota Highlander Hybrid is safer than the Mercedes GLE:

	Highlander Hybrid	GLE
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.3 inches	.7 inches
Abdominal Force	79 lbs.	151 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	37 G’s	40 G’s
Hip Force	152 lbs.	677 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, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Highlander Hybrid its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 29 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The GLE has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

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

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Highlander Hybrid for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Mercedes doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the GLE.

There are over 3 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Mercedes dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Highlander Hybrid’s 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 Highlander Hybrid’s reliability 51 points higher than the GLE.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in initial quality. With 17 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 Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in long-term dependability. With 34 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 Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota first in overall reliability. Mercedes is ranked 24th.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Highlander Hybrid gets better mileage than the GLE:

			MPG
Highlander Hybrid
	FWD	2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	36 city/35 hwy
	AWD	LE 2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	35 city/35 hwy
		2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	35 city/34 hwy
GLE
	RWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/25 hwy
	AWD	3.0 turbo 6-cyl. Hybrid	20 city/25 hwy
		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 Toyota Highlander Hybrid uses regular unleaded gasoline. The GLE requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Toyota Highlander Hybrid higher (7 out of 10) than the Mercedes GLE (5 to 6). This means the Highlander Hybrid produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the GLE every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

The Highlander Hybrid has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The GLE doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Highlander Hybrid’s standard brake rotors are larger than those on the GLE:

	Highlander Hybrid	GLE
Front Rotors	13.3 inches	13 inches
Rear Rotors	13.3 inches	13 inches

The Highlander Hybrid’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs standard on the GLE 350 are solid, not vented.

The Highlander Hybrid stops shorter than the GLE:

	Highlander Hybrid	GLE
60 to 0 MPH	123 feet	130 feet	Motor Trend

Suspension and Handling

For better maneuverability, the Highlander Hybrid’s turning circle is 2 feet tighter than the GLE’s (37.4 feet vs. 39.4 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Highlander Hybrid has a greater minimum ground clearance than the GLE (8 vs. 7.9 inches), allowing the Highlander Hybrid to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The Toyota Highlander Hybrid may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 300 to 700 pounds less than the Mercedes GLE.

The front grille of the Highlander Hybrid uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The GLE doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

The Highlander Hybrid has standard seating for 8 passengers; the GLE can only carry up to 7.

The Highlander Hybrid has .7 inches more front headroom, 1.7 inches more front legroom and .4 inches more rear shoulder room than the GLE.

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

Cargo Capacity

The Highlander Hybrid’s cargo area provides more volume than the GLE.

	Highlander Hybrid	GLE
Third Seat Folded	48.4 cubic feet	n/a
Third Seat Removed	n/a	33.3 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	84.3 cubic feet	74.9 cubic feet

The Highlander Hybrid’s cargo area is larger than the GLE’s in almost every dimension:

	Highlander Hybrid	GLE
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	17.8”/48”/80.7”	n.a./40”/76.5”
Max Width	50”	n/a
Min Width	45.8”	43.7”
Height	31”	35.5”

Towing

A Trailer Sway Control (TSC) is standard on the Highlander Hybrid, using the Enhanced Vehicle Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. A trailer sway program costs extra on the GLE.

Ergonomics

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

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

Recommendations

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

The Toyota Highlander outsold the Mercedes GLE by almost four to one during 2022.

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