Compare the2024 Nissan PathfinderVS 2023 Mercedes GLB

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 Pathfinder are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The GLB doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Nissan Pathfinder 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 GLB doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The Pathfinder Platinum 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 GLB doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Pathfinder has standard Rear Automatic Braking that use rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. The GLB doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

The Pathfinder’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 GLB.

Both the Pathfinder and the GLB have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, 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, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The Nissan Pathfinder weighs 426 to 987 pounds more than the Mercedes GLB. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

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 Pathfinder its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 29 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The GLB has not been tested, yet.

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

There are almost 3 times as many Nissan dealers as there are Mercedes dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Pathfinder’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 21 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mercedes is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Nissan 9 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

The Pathfinder’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 63 more horsepower (284 vs. 221) and 1 lbs.-ft. more torque (259 vs. 258) than the GLB’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The Pathfinder Rock Creek’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 74 more horsepower (295 vs. 221) and 12 lbs.-ft. more torque (270 vs. 258) than the GLB’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Nissan Pathfinder (base engine) is faster than the Mercedes GLB:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Nissan Pathfinder uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended on Pathfinder Rock Creek for maximum performance). The GLB requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Pathfinder has 2.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the GLB (18.5 vs. 15.9 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Pathfinder has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The GLB doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Nissan Pathfinder, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the GLB.

For better stopping power the Pathfinder’s brake rotors are larger than those on the GLB:

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

For better traction, the Pathfinder has larger tires than the GLB (255/60R18 vs. 235/55R18).

The Pathfinder has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The GLB doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Pathfinder has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the GLB; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed. Some tire options on the GLB don’t have a run-flat feature, either.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Pathfinder’s wheelbase is 2.8 inches longer than on the GLB (114.2 inches vs. 111.4 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Pathfinder is 3.6 inches wider in the front and 3.6 inches wider in the rear than the track on the GLB.

The Pathfinder has standard seating for 8 passengers; the GLB can only carry up to 7.

The Pathfinder has 1.6 inches more front headroom, 3.2 inches more front legroom, 4.9 inches more front shoulder room, .3 inches more rear headroom, 4.7 inches more rear shoulder room, 3 inches more third row headroom and 14.6 inches more third row shoulder room than the GLB.

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

The Pathfinder’s cargo area provides more volume than the GLB.

The Pathfinder’s cargo area is larger than the GLB’s in almost every dimension:

The Pathfinder has a standard third row seat which folds flat into the floor. This completely clears a very large cargo area quickly. The GLB doesn’t offer seats that fold into the floor.

The Pathfinder has a 3500 lbs. towing capacity. The GLB has no towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Pathfinder uses the Vehicle Dynamic Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The GLB doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Pathfinder Platinum has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, navigation instruction and incoming text message readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The GLB doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

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

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Pathfinder has standard extendable sun visors. The GLB doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Pathfinder to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The GLB doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

Both the Pathfinder and the GLB offer available heated front seats. The Pathfinder also offers optional heated second row seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated second row seats aren’t available in the GLB.

The Nissan Pathfinder outsold the Mercedes GLB by over two to one during 2022.