Compare the2024 Mercedes GLCVS 2024 Subaru Forester

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

Safety

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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 Forester doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

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

The GLC offers an optional Surround View System to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Forester 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.

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 Forester’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. Subaru charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Forester and its not available on the Base and the Forester’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert does not include automatic braking.

Both the GLC and the Forester have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear 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, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive and lane departure warning systems.

The Mercedes GLC weighs 547 to 823 pounds more than the Subaru Forester. 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 safer than the Forester:

	GLC	Forester
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Structure	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Neck Tension	156 lbs.	223 lbs.
Neck Compression	22 lbs.	67 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.55 in	.91 in
Shoulder Force	134 lbs.	201 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	.94 in	1.5 in
Pelvis	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	736 lbs.	1071 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	240	544
Head Peak Forces	no contact	81 G’s
Neck Compression	134 lbs.	290 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Shoulder Deflection	1.38 in	2.2 in
Shoulder Force	67 lbs.	469 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	.98 in	1.26 in
Torso Deflection Rate	7 MPH	8 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis Force	558 lbs.	625 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 Forester last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2023.

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 Forester’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 Subaru With 31 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Mercedes higher than Subaru.

Engine

The GLC’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 73 more horsepower (255 vs. 182) and 119 lbs.-ft. more torque (295 vs. 176) than the Forester’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Mercedes GLC is faster than the Subaru Forester:

	GLC	Forester
Zero to 60 MPH	6.1 sec	9.6 sec
Quarter Mile	14.6 sec	17.3 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	93.8 MPH	82.3 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
GLC
	RWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	26 city/33 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	24 city/32 hwy
Forester
	AWD	Wilderness 2.5 DOHC flat-4	25 city/28 hwy

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

Brakes and Stopping

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

	GLC	GLC	Forester Base	Forester
Front Rotors	13.5 inches	14.6 inches	11.6 inches	12.4 inches
Rear Rotors	12.6 inches	12.6 inches	11.2 inches	11.2 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 Forester are solid, not vented.

The GLC stops much shorter than the Forester:

	GLC	Forester
70 to 0 MPH	161 feet	181 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	112 feet	129 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

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

The GLC’s optional 255/45R20 front and 285/40R20 rear tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series front and 40 series rear profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Forester Sport/Limited/Touring’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the GLC has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Forester. The GLC’s optional 20-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels on the Forester Sport/Limited/Touring.

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 Forester doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the GLC’s wheelbase is 8 inches longer than on the Forester (113.1 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the GLC is 2.6 inches wider in the front and 2.9 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Forester.

The GLC 300 4MATIC handles at .88 G’s, while the Forester Wilderness pulls only .77 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 Forester Touring (27.3 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

Passenger Space

The GLC has .1 inches more front headroom, 4.9 inches more front hip room, .1 inches more rear headroom and 4.7 inches more rear hip room than the Forester.

Towing

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

Servicing Ease

The GLC uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Forester 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.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Forester Touring, 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 offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed 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 Forester doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The power windows standard on both the GLC and the Forester have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the GLC is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Forester prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

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 Forester’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically. With the Forester Premium/Sport/Wilderness/Limited/Touring’s power windows, only the front windows open or 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 Forester 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 Access and Start is only offered on the Forester Premium/Sport/Wilderness/Limited/Touring, and 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 Forester’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

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

The GLC’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Subaru only offers heated mirrors on the Forester Premium/Sport/Wilderness/Limited/Touring.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the GLC keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Forester doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

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 is only available on the Forester Wilderness/Limited/Touring.

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. The Forester doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The GLC offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Forester doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

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 Forester doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Model Availability

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

Recommendations

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