Compare the2023 Land Rover DiscoveryVS 2023 Mercedes G-Class

Both the Discovery and G-Class have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Discovery 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 G-Class’ 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 Discovery has a standard 3D Surround Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The G-Class only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Discovery uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The G-Class uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Discovery and the G-Class 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.

The Discovery’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the G-Class’ (6 vs. 5 years).

On the EPA test cycle the Discovery gets better mileage than the G-Class:

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Land Rover Discovery higher (7 out of 10) than the Mercedes G-Class (3). This means the Discovery produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the G-Class every 15,000 miles.

The Discovery stops shorter than the G-Class:

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Discovery has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 19-inch wheels are standard on the G 550.

For superior ride and handling, the Land Rover Discovery has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Mercedes G-Class has a solid rear axle, with a non-independent rear suspension.

The front and rear suspension of the Discovery uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the G-Class, which uses coil springs. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

The Discovery has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Discovery’s height leveling suspension allows the driver to raise ride height for better off-road clearance and then lower it again for easier entering and exiting and better on-road handling. The G-Class doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Discovery’s wheelbase is 1.3 inches longer than on the G-Class (115.1 inches vs. 113.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Discovery is 1.8 inches wider in the front and 1.6 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the G-Class.

The Discovery R-Dynamic S handles at .79 G’s, while the AMG G 63 pulls only .75 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Discovery R-Dynamic S executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.6 seconds quicker than the G 550 (28.1 seconds @ .6 average G’s vs. 30.7 seconds @ .53 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Discovery’s turning circle is 3.9 feet tighter than the G-Class’ (40.7 feet vs. 44.6 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Discovery has a 1.6 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the G-Class (11.1 vs. 9.5 inches), allowing the Discovery to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Land Rover Discovery may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 700 pounds less than the Mercedes G-Class.

Unibody construction lowers the Discovery’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The G-Class doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

The design of the Land Rover Discovery amounts to more than styling. The Discovery has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .36 Cd. That is significantly lower than the G-Class (.55). A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Discovery get better fuel mileage.

For excellent aerodynamics, the Discovery has standard flush composite headlights. The G-Class has recessed headlights that spoil its aerodynamic shape and create extra drag.

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

The Discovery has standard seating for 7 passengers; the G-Class can only carry 5.

The Discovery has .4 inches more front legroom, 2.6 inches more front shoulder room and 2.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the G-Class.

Flexibility is maximized at the game, campground or a drive-in theatre in the Discovery when its optional tailgating rear seats are deployed, allowing people to sit facing out of the liftgate. (Do not use while vehicle is in motion.) The G-Class doesn’t offer tailgating seats.

The Discovery’s cargo area provides more volume than the G-Class.

Pressing a button automatically lowers or raises the Discovery’s second and third row seats, to make changing between cargo and passengers easier. The G-Class doesn’t offer automatic folding second row seats.

The Discovery’s liftgate lifts up in one piece, completely out of the way of loading and unloading, while sheltering the cargo loading area. The G-Class’ swing out door blocks loading from the driver’s side.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier, especially for short adults, the Discovery has a standard power liftgate, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button, or optionally by just kicking your foot under the back bumper, completely leaving your hands free. The G-Class doesn’t offer a power cargo door.

Maximum trailer towing in the Mercedes G-Class is limited to 7000 pounds. The Discovery offers up to a 8200 lbs. towing capacity.

The Discovery offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The G-Class doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

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

The Discovery HSE/Metropolitan has standard front air conditioned seats and the Discovery offers them optionally in the second row. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The G-Class doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats in the rear.