Compare the2023 Jeep Grand CherokeeVS 2023 Mercedes GLC

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

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Grand Cherokee Overland 4WD/Summit 4WD’s standard Hill-descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The GLC doesn’t offer Hill-descent Control.

A passive infrared night vision system optional on the Grand Cherokee Trailhawk/Overland/Summit helps the driver to more easily detect people, animals or other objects in front of the vehicle at night. Using an infrared camera to detect heat, the system then displays the image on a monitor in the dashboard. The GLC doesn’t offer a night vision system.

The Grand Cherokee’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 GLC.

Both the Grand Cherokee and the GLC 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, available all wheel drive, around view monitors and driver alert monitors.

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 Grand Cherokee its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 36 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The GLC has not been tested, yet.

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

Jeep pays for scheduled maintenance on the Grand Cherokee for 3 years and unlimited miles. Jeep will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance (up to 3 visits). Mercedes doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the GLC.

There are over 6 times as many Jeep dealers as there are Mercedes dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Grand Cherokee’s warranty.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Grand Cherokee has a standard 160-amp alternator (240-amp - Grand Cherokee optional). The GLC’s 150-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Jeep vehicles are better in initial quality than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Jeep above average in initial quality. With 10 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mercedes is rated below average.

The Grand Cherokee’s standard 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 38 more horsepower (293 vs. 255) than the GLC’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid. The Grand Cherokee’s optional 5.7 V8 produces 102 more horsepower (357 vs. 255) and 95 lbs.-ft. more torque (390 vs. 295) than the GLC’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid. The Grand Cherokee 4xe’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 120 more horsepower (375 vs. 255) and 175 lbs.-ft. more torque (470 vs. 295) than the GLC’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Car and Driver the Grand Cherokee 4xe 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid is faster than the Mercedes GLC:

On the EPA test cycle the Grand Cherokee running on electricity gets better mileage than the GLC:

The Grand Cherokee 4xe can travel with zero emissions for 26 miles. The GLC can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Grand Cherokee V8’s fuel efficiency. The GLC doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Jeep Grand Cherokee uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended on Grand Cherokee 4xe for maximum performance). The GLC requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Grand Cherokee 4xe Hybrid’s standard fuel tank has 1.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the GLC (19 vs. 17.4 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Grand Cherokee’s standard fuel tank has 5.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the GLC (23 vs. 17.4 gallons).

The Grand Cherokee 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 GLC doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

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

For better traction, the Grand Cherokee has larger standard tires than the GLC (245/70R17 vs. 235/60R18). The Grand Cherokee Summit’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the GLC (275/45R21 vs. 255/45R20).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Grand Cherokee Summit offers optional 21-inch wheels. The GLC’s largest wheels are only 20-inches.

The Grand Cherokee 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 GLC doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Grand Cherokee offers an optional full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the GLC; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

The Grand Cherokee Trailhawk has active sway bars, which help keep it flat and controlled during cornering, but disconnect at lower speeds to smooth the ride and offer greater off-road suspension articulation. This helps keep the tires glued to the road on-road and off. The GLC doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

The Grand Cherokee offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The GLC’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The Grand Cherokee offers an optional automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Grand Cherokee’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 GLC doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Grand Cherokee’s wheelbase is 3.6 inches longer than on the GLC (116.7 inches vs. 113.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Grand Cherokee is 1.5 inches wider in the front and .8 inches wider in the rear than on the GLC.

For better maneuverability, the Grand Cherokee’s turning circle is .7 feet tighter than the GLC’s (38 feet vs. 38.7 feet).

The design of the Jeep Grand Cherokee amounts to more than styling. The Grand Cherokee has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .357 Cd. That is significantly lower than the GLC (.39). A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Grand Cherokee get better fuel mileage.

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

The Grand Cherokee offers available computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The GLC doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Grand Cherokee has .6 inches more front legroom, 1.9 inches more front shoulder room, .8 inches more rear legroom and 1.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the GLC.

The Grand Cherokee has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the GLC with its rear seat up (37.7 vs. 21.9 cubic feet). The Grand Cherokee has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the GLC with its rear seat folded (70.8 vs. 59.3 cubic feet).

Maximum trailer towing in the Mercedes GLC is limited to 5291 pounds. The Grand Cherokee 4x4 offers up to a 7200 lbs. towing capacity.

The Grand Cherokee 4WD with optional equipment can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Grand Cherokee can be unhitched and driven around locally. The GLC can’t be towed flat on the ground.

The Grand Cherokee offers a remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The GLC doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The Grand Cherokee’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The GLC does not have an oil pressure gauge.

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

Optional air conditioned front and rear seats keep the Grand Cherokee’s passengers comfortable and take the sting out of hot leather in summer. The GLC doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats in the rear.

The Grand Cherokee Overland Lux Tech/Summit has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the GLC.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee outsold the Mercedes GLC by over three to one during 2022.