Compare the2023 Mercedes GLCVS 2023 Jeep Grand Cherokee

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Mercedes GLC have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Jeep Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The GLC’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The GLC has standard NECK-PRO front head restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the NECK-PRO front head restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Both the GLC and Grand Cherokee have rear cross-traffic warning, but the GLC has Active Brake Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Grand Cherokee’s Rear Cross Path Detection doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the GLC and the Grand Cherokee have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, available all wheel drive, lane departure warning systems and around view monitors.

The GLC comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Grand Cherokee’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

For smoother operation, better efficiency and fewer moving parts, the GLC has an overhead cam design, rather than the old pushrod design of the 5.7 V8 in the Grand Cherokee.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Mercedes vehicles are better in initial quality than Jeep vehicles. With 10 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Mercedes higher than Jeep.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Mercedes vehicles are more reliable than Jeep With 6 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Mercedes higher than Jeep.

The GLC’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 35 lbs.-ft. more torque (295 vs. 260) than the Grand Cherokee’s standard 3.6 DOHC V6.

On the EPA test cycle the GLC gets better mileage than the Grand Cherokee running its gasoline engine:

The GLC has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Grand Cherokee. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Mercedes GLC, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Grand Cherokee.

For better stopping power the GLC’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Grand Cherokee:

The GLC stops much shorter than the Grand Cherokee:

The GLC’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Grand Cherokee Laredo’s standard 70 series tires. The GLC’s optional 285/40R20 rear tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Grand Cherokee Summit’s optional 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the GLC has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Grand Cherokee Laredo.

The GLC 300 4MATIC handles at .88 G’s, while the Grand Cherokee 4x4 pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The GLC is 7.8 inches shorter than the Grand Cherokee, making the GLC easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The GLC has 1.4 inches more front headroom, 1.6 inches more front hip room, .3 inches more rear headroom and 2 inches more rear hip room than the Grand Cherokee.

A control in the cargo area automatically lowers the GLC’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The GLC’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Grand Cherokee’s (5291 vs. 3500 pounds).

The GLC’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Grand Cherokee’s standard rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

If the windows are left open on the GLC the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Grand Cherokee can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The GLC’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Grand Cherokee’s standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the GLC offers optional adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer cornering lights.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Mercedes GLC has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the Grand Cherokee.

The GLC’s Active Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting and stopping automatically, with the driver only responsible for switching from reverse to drive. The Grand Cherokee Summit’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park.

Motor Trend selected the GLC as their 2017 Sport Utility of the Year. The Grand Cherokee has never been chosen.