Compare the2024 Cadillac EscaladeVS 2023 Mercedes G-Class

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 Escalade are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The G-Class doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Escalade 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 G-Class doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Escalade offers optional Reverse Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The G-Class doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

An active infrared night vision system optional on the Escalade Premium/Platinum/Sport helps the driver to more easily detect people, animals or other objects in front of the vehicle at night. Using an infrared camera and near-infrared lights to detect heat, the system then displays the image on a monitor in the dashboard. The G-Class doesn’t offer a night vision system.

The Escalade has a standard HD Surround Vision 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.

Both the Escalade and the G-Class have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact 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, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

Cadillac’s powertrain warranty covers the Escalade 2 years and 20,000 miles longer than Mercedes covers the G-Class. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the G-Class ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

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

There are over 46 percent more Cadillac dealers than there are Mercedes dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Escalade’s warranty.

The Escalade has a standard “limp home system” to keep drivers from being stranded if most or all of the engine’s coolant is lost. The engine will run on only half of its cylinders at a time, reduce its power and light a warning lamp on the dashboard so the driver can get to a service station for repairs. The G-Class doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Escalade first among large premium suvs in their 2023 Initial Quality Study. The G-Class isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Cadillac vehicles are better in initial quality than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Cadillac above average in initial quality. With 31 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 Cadillac vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Cadillac above average in long-term dependability. With 24 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 Cadillac vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Cadillac 7 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

The Escalade’s 6.2 V8 produces 4 more horsepower (420 vs. 416) and 10 lbs.-ft. more torque (460 vs. 450) than the G 550’s standard 4.0 turbo V8.

The Escalade’s 3.0 turbo diesel produces 10 lbs.-ft. more torque (460 vs. 450) than the G 550’s standard 4.0 turbo V8.

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

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Cadillac Escalade uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The G-Class requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Escalade 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 G-Class doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

A 10-speed automatic is available on the Cadillac Escalade, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a nine-speed automatic is available for the G-Class.

For better stopping power the Escalade’s brake rotors are larger than those on the G-Class:

The Escalade stops much shorter than the G-Class:

The Escalade’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the G 550’s standard 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Escalade has standard 22-inch wheels. Smaller 19-inch wheels are standard on the G 550.

The Cadillac Escalade’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Mercedes G-Class only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Escalade 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 G-Class doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For superior ride and handling, the Cadillac Escalade 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 Escalade has a standard automatic load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The G-Class doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Escalade’s wheelbase is 7.1 inches longer than on the G-Class (120.9 inches vs. 113.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Escalade is 3.6 inches wider in the front and 3.3 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the G-Class.

The Escalade’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (50.1% to 49.9%) than the G-Class’ (53% to 47%). This gives the Escalade more stable handling and braking.

The Escalade Sport 4WD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the G 550 (30.1 seconds @ .53 average G’s vs. 30.7 seconds @ .53 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Escalade’s turning circle is 4.9 feet tighter than the G-Class’ (39.7 feet vs. 44.6 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Escalade Air Suspension has a greater minimum ground clearance than the G-Class (10 vs. 9.5 inches), allowing the Escalade to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

For excellent aerodynamics, the Escalade 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 Escalade (except Diesel) 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 Escalade offers optional seating for 8 passengers; the G-Class can only carry 5.

The Escalade has 61.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the G-Class (168.4 vs. 107).

The Escalade has .4 inches more front headroom, 5.8 inches more front legroom, 7.7 inches more front shoulder room, 2.2 inches more rear legroom and 7.2 inches more rear shoulder room than the G-Class.

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

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

The Escalade’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 when your hands are full, the Escalade’s power cargo door can be opened or closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The G-Class doesn’t offer a power or hands-free opening cargo door.

The Escalade’s minimum standard towing capacity is much higher than the G-Class’ (8000 vs. 7000 pounds).

The Escalade 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 Escalade can be unhitched and driven around locally. The G-Class can’t be towed flat on the ground.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Cadillac service is better than Mercedes. J.D. Power ranks Cadillac second in service department satisfaction. With a 31% lower rating, Mercedes is ranked 18th.

The Escalade’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 G-Class does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The Escalade Premium/Platinum/Sport has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning 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 Escalade 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.

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

The Escalade 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 G-Class.

The Escalade is available in both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The G-Class doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

The Cadillac Escalade/Escalade ESV outsold the Mercedes G-Class by almost six to one during 2022.