Compare the2023 Genesis GV80VS 2023 Mercedes GLE

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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Both the GV80 and GLE have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The GV80 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 GLE’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 GV80 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 GV80 has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The GLE doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The GV80 offers optional 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 GLE doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the GV80. But it costs extra on the GLE.

The GV80’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 GV80 and the GLE have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available 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 Genesis GV80 is safer than the Mercedes GLE:

	GV80	GLE
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	29	40
Chest Movement	.5 inches	.7 inches
Abdominal Force	101 lbs.	151 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	70	103
Spine Acceleration	26 G’s	40 G’s
Hip Force	458 lbs.	677 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

The GV80 comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes free 24-hour roadside assistance. The GLE’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Genesis’ powertrain warranty covers the GV80 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than Mercedes covers the GLE. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the GLE ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The GV80’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the GLE’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Genesis pays for scheduled maintenance on the GV80 for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Genesis will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Mercedes doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the GLE.

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 GV80’s reliability 15 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 Genesis vehicles are better in initial quality than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Genesis 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 Genesis vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Genesis fourth in reliability, above the industry average. With 40 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mercedes is ranked 18th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Genesis vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Genesis 12 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

Engine

As tested in Motor Trend the GV80 2.5T 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the GLE 350 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder:

	GV80	GLE
Zero to 60 MPH	6.4 sec	7.6 sec
Quarter Mile	14.9 sec	15.8 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	94.3 MPH	87.5 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the GV80 gets better mileage than the GLE:

			MPG
GV80
	AWD	2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/24 hwy
		3.5 turbo V6	18 city/23 hwy
GLE
	AWD	4.0 turbo V8 Hybrid	16 city/21 hwy

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the GV80’s brake rotors are larger than those on the GLE:

	GV80 2.5T	GV80 3.5T	GLE 350	GLE 450/580
Front Rotors	14.2 inches	14.9 inches	13 inches	14.8 inches
Rear Rotors	14.2 inches	14.2 inches	13 inches	13.6 inches

The GV80’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 GV80 stops much shorter than the GLE:

	GV80	GLE
70 to 0 MPH	163 feet	174 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	112 feet	130 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the GV80 has larger tires than the GLE (265/40R22 vs. 255/50R19).

Suspension and Handling

The GV80’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (51% to 49%) than the GLE’s (53.5% to 46.5%). This gives the GV80 more stable handling and braking.

The GV80 PRESTIGE handles at .86 G’s, while the GLE 450 pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The GV80 PRESTIGE executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.3 seconds quicker than the GLE 350 4MATIC (26.9 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 28.2 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the GV80 has a greater minimum ground clearance than the GLE (8.1 vs. 7.9 inches), allowing the GV80 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

To almost totally eliminate engine vibration in the passenger area, the GV80 3.5T has a liquid-filled front engine mount. The liquid helps further dampen engine harshness. The GLE uses conventional solid rubber engine mounts.

The GV80 Prestige uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The GLE doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The GV80 has 1.3 inches more front legroom and .9 inches more front shoulder room than the GLE.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the GV80’s middle and third row seats recline. The GLE’s third row seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

The GV80’s cargo area provides more volume than the GLE.

	GV80	GLE
Third Seat Removed	34.9 cubic feet	33.3 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	84 cubic feet	74.9 cubic feet

Both the GV80 and the GLE have standard second row automatic folding seats. The GV80’s third row seats also fold up or down at the press of a button. The GLE doesn’t offer automatic folding third row seats.

Ergonomics

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the GV80 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 GV80’s headlight performance “Fair,” a higher rating than the GLE’s headlights, which were rated “Poor.”

The GV80 has standard front air conditioned seats and offers them optionally in the second row. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The GLE doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

The GV80 has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the GLE.

The GV80’s optional Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Optional Remote Smart Parking Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The GLE’s automatic parking system does not offer parking by remote control.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the GV80 owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the GV80 will cost $1155 less than the GLE over a five-year period.

The GV80 will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the GV80 will retain 47.61% to 48.08% of its original price after five years, while the GLE only retains 42.92% to 45.8%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Genesis GV80 will be $9994 to $11947 less than for the Mercedes GLE.

Recommendations

J.D. Power and Associates rated the GV80 second among upper midsize premium suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The GLE isn’t in the top three.

The GV80 was chosen as a Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2021. The GLE has never been chosen by Car and Driver in their “10Best” issue.