Compare the2024 Mercedes GLCVS 2024 GMC Terrain

Safety
Warranty
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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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 GMC Terrain 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 Terrain doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Mercedes GLC are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The GMC Terrain doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

The Mercedes GLC has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Terrain doesn’t offer knee airbags.

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 Terrain doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The GLC has a standard Maneuvering Brake Function that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Terrain doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

Earlier warning of stopped traffic, traffic signals, dangerous road conditions, weather, or accidents, can keep driver's safer and prevent crashes. The GLC offers optional Car-to-X Communication, a system that seamlessly communicates important warnings to the driver about impending danger, if they're available. The Terrain doesn’t offer a system that can receive automated systems from infrastructure or other vehicles.

The GLC has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Terrain’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the GLC has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Alert and Active Brake Assist automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. GMC charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Terrain and the Terrain’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert does not include automatic braking.

The GLC’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Terrain doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the GLC and the Terrain have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, lane departure warning systems and around view monitors.

The Mercedes GLC weighs 472 to 858 pounds more than the GMC Terrain. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Mercedes GLC is much safer than the Terrain:

	GLC	Terrain
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	108	131
Neck Tension	156 lbs.	290 lbs.
Neck Compression	22 lbs.	112 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	MARGINAL
Shoulder Deflection	.55 in	1.73 in
Shoulder Force	134 lbs.	312 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	.94 in	1.69 in
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis Force	736 lbs.	781 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Head Injury Criterion	240	733
Head Peak Forces	no contact	101 G’s
Neck Compression	134 lbs.	491 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	1.38 in	1.65 in
Shoulder Force	67 lbs.	402 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	.98 in	1.57 in
Torso Deflection Rate	7 MPH	7 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis Force	558 lbs.	669 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	MARGINAL

The Mercedes GLC achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The Terrain is not a “Top Safety Pick” for 2024.

Warranty

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 Terrain’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The GLC’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Terrain’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

Engine

The GLC’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 80 more horsepower (255 vs. 175) and 92 lbs.-ft. more torque (295 vs. 203) than the Terrain’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the GLC gets better mileage than the Terrain:

			MPG
GLC
	RWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	26 city/33 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	24 city/32 hwy
Terrain
	FWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/29 hwy
	AWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/28 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the GLC’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Terrain doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The GLC has 2.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the Terrain FWD’s standard fuel tank (17.4 vs. 14.9 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The GLC has 1.8 gallons more fuel capacity than the Terrain AWD’s standard fuel tank (17.4 vs. 15.6 gallons).

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 Terrain. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	GLC	GLC	Terrain
Front Rotors	13.5 inches	14.6 inches	11.8 inches
Rear Rotors	12.6 inches	12.6 inches	11.3 inches

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

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the GLC has larger standard tires than the Terrain (235/60R18 vs. 225/65R17). The GLC’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Terrain (F:255/45R20 & R:285/40R20 vs. 235/50R19).

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 Terrain SLE/AT4’s standard 65 series tires. The GLC’s optional 255/45R20 front and 285/40R20 rear tires have a lower 45 series front and 40 series rear profile than the Terrain’s optional 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the GLC has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Terrain SLE/AT4. The GLC’s optional 20-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels optional on the Terrain.

Suspension and Handling

The GLC has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the GLC flat and controlled during cornering. The Terrain’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The GLC’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Terrain doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the GLC’s wheelbase is 5.8 inches longer than on the Terrain (113.1 inches vs. 107.3 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the GLC is 1.8 inches wider in the front and 2.1 inches wider in the rear than on the Terrain.

The GLC 300 4MATIC handles at .87 G’s, while the Terrain Denali AWD pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

Passenger Space

The GLC has 1.3 inches more front headroom, 4.6 inches more front hip room, .1 inches more front shoulder room, 1.2 inches more rear headroom, 6.5 inches more rear hip room and 1 inch more rear shoulder room than the Terrain.

Cargo Capacity

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the GLC. The Terrain doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Towing

The GLC’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Terrain’s (5291 vs. 1500 pounds).

Servicing Ease

The GLC uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Terrain uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The engine in the GLC is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Terrain. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory seat and mirrors in the Terrain SLT/AT4/Denali, the GLC has standard driver and passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The GLC’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Terrain’s passenger windows don’t close automatically.

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 Terrain can only close 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 Terrain’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

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 Terrain doesn’t offer cornering lights.

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

The GLC’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Terrain has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The GLC has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning costs extra on the Terrain.

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. Only the Terrain Denali offers wireless charging.

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 Terrain Denali’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park.

Recommendations

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

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