Compare the2024 Mercedes GLCVS 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
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 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.

With its available Active Distance Assist Distronic, the Mercedes GLC is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Jeep Grand Cherokee, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

	GLC	Grand Cherokee
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Crossing Child - DAY
12 MPH	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH	AVOIDED	-11 MPH
	Crossing Adult - NIGHT
12 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
12 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
	Parallel Adult - NIGHT
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
37 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-33 MPH
Warning Issued-Brights	2.1 sec	2 sec

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 Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer a system that can receive automated systems from infrastructure or other vehicles.

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.

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 safer than the Grand Cherokee:

	GLC	Grand Cherokee
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	108	253
Neck Tension	156 lbs.	402 lbs.
Neck Compression	22 lbs.	45 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.55 in	1.22 in
Shoulder Force	134 lbs.	223 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	.94 in	1.34 in
Pelvis	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	736 lbs.	1004 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Neck Compression	134 lbs.	312 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Shoulder Force	67 lbs.	379 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	.98 in	1.61 in
Torso Deflection Rate	7 MPH	8 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis Force	558 lbs.	803 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

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

Reliability

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.

Engine

The GLC’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 38 lbs.-ft. more torque (295 vs. 257) than the Grand Cherokee’s standard 3.6 DOHC V6.

As tested in Motor Trend the Mercedes GLC is faster than the Jeep Grand Cherokee:

	GLC	Grand Cherokee V6	Grand Cherokee 4xe
Zero to 60 MPH	6.1 sec	7.3 sec	6.5 sec
Quarter Mile	14.6 sec	15.5 sec	15 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	93.8 MPH	89.8 MPH	91.3 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
GLC
	RWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	26 city/33 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	24 city/32 hwy
Grand Cherokee
	RWD	3.6 DOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	23 city/24 hwy
		3.6 DOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy

Both the GLC and the Grand Cherokee have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. All GLCs have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily. A disable switch for start/stop is only offered on the Grand Cherokee V6.

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.

Transmission

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.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	GLC	Grand Cherokee
Front Rotors	14.6 inches	13.9 inches

The GLC stops much shorter than the Grand Cherokee:

	GLC	Grand Cherokee
70 to 0 MPH	161 feet	189 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	112 feet	142 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	142 feet	145 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

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 Reserve’s 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.

Suspension and Handling

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 Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

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 300 4MATIC executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Grand Cherokee Limited 4x4 (27.3 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

Chassis

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

Passenger Space

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.

Cargo Capacity

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.

Towing

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

Ergonomics

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 standard Keyless-Go allow you to unlock the doors from any outside door handle, open the cargo door, and start the engine, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Keyless Enter-N-Go standard on the Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer a sensor on the rear doors, so you’ll have to reach a front handle to unlock the rear door.

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 and isn’t available on the Grand Cherokee Laredo A.

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.

Recommendations

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