Compare the2023 BMW iXVS 2023 Mercedes GLE

Both the iX and GLE have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The iX 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.

The BMW iX 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 GLE doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The iX has a standard PostCrash iBrake, 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 iX has a standard Active Park Distance Control 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, Full-Time Four-Wheel Drive is standard on the iX. But it costs extra on the GLE.

The iX’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the GLE.

Both the iX and the GLE have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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 iX’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the GLE’s (12 vs. 5 years).

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

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that BMW vehicles are better in initial quality than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks BMW above average in initial quality. With 24 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 BMW vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks BMW above average in long-term dependability. With 5 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 BMW vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks BMW third in overall reliability. Mercedes is ranked 24th.

The iX has more powerful engines than the GLE:

As tested in Motor Trend the BMW iX is faster than the Mercedes GLE:

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

The iX can travel with zero emissions for 274 to 324 miles (dependent on model). The GLE can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

Regardless of its engine, regenerative brakes improve the iX’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. Mercedes only offers a regenerative brake system on the GLE 450/580.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the BMW iX higher (10 out of 10) than the Mercedes GLE (5 to 6). This means the iX produces up to 19.8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the GLE every 15,000 miles.

The iX’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s at 60 in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The GLE doesn’t offer launch control.

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

The iX’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 iX stops much shorter than the GLE:

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the iX has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 19-inch wheels are standard on the GLE.

The iX xDrive50 handles at .88 G’s, while the GLE 450 pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The iX M60 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.7 seconds quicker than the GLE 350 4MATIC (25.5 seconds @ .74 average G’s vs. 28.2 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the iX has a greater minimum ground clearance than the GLE (8.8 vs. 7.9 inches), allowing the iX to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The front grille of the iX 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.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the iX M60 is quieter than the GLE 450:

The iX has 1 inch more front headroom and 2.2 inches more front shoulder room than the GLE.

The front step up height for the iX is 2.6 inches lower than the GLE (17.4” vs. 20”). The iX’s rear step up height is 2.7 inches lower than the GLE’s (17.3” vs. 20”).

The iX has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the GLE with its rear seat up (35.5 vs. 33.3 cubic feet). The iX has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the GLE with its rear seat folded (77.9 vs. 74.9 cubic feet).

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that BMW service is better than Mercedes. J.D. Power ranks BMW 7th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 17% lower rating, Mercedes is ranked 18th.

Laser headlights, optional on the iX, produce their light by firing blue lasers through phosphorus, a process that uses one-half the power of the GLE’s LED headlights. Laser headlights can have double the range of LEDs with a much smaller surface area.

The iX 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.