Compare the2024 Mercedes GLCVS 2024 Jeep Wrangler

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Model Availability

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 Wrangler doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

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 Wrangler 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 Wrangler 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 Wrangler, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

	GLC	Wrangler
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	POOR
	Crossing Child - DAY
12 MPH	AVOIDED	No Slowing
25 MPH	AVOIDED	No Slowing
	Crossing Adult - NIGHT
12 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	No Slowing
12 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	No Slowing
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	No Slowing
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	No Slowing
	Parallel Adult - NIGHT
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	No Slowing
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	No Slowing
37 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	No Slowing
Warning Issued-Brights	2.1 sec	No Warning
37 MPH Low beams	-26 MPH	No Slowing
Warning Issued-Low beams	1 sec	No Warning

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

The GLC’s optional 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. The Wrangler doesn’t offer a lane departure warning system.

The GLC offers an optional Surround View System to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Wrangler only offers a rear monitor and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or 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 Wrangler’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. Jeep charges extra for Rear Cross Path Detection on the Wrangler and the Wrangler’s Rear Cross Path Detection 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 Wrangler doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the GLC uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The Wrangler uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the GLC and the Wrangler have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact 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, rearview cameras and available all wheel drive.

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

Reliability

For smoother operation, better efficiency and fewer moving parts, the GLC has an overhead cam design, rather than the old pushrod design of the 6.4 V8 in the Wrangler.

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.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the GLC gets better mileage than the Wrangler 4-door running its gasoline engine:

			MPG
GLC
RWD	Auto	2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	26 city/33 hwy
AWD	Auto	2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	24 city/32 hwy
Wrangler 4-door
AWD	Manual	3.6 DOHC V6	16 city/22 hwy
AWD	Auto	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/20 hwy
		Rubicon 3.6 DOHC V6	16 city/19 hwy
		6.4 OHV V8	13 city/16 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	20 city/20 hwy

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Mercedes GLC higher (7 out of 10) than the Jeep Wrangler (1 to 7). This means the GLC produces up to 47 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Wrangler every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

The Mercedes GLC comes standard with an automatic transmission, for driver comfort, especially in the city. Automatic costs extra on the Wrangler.

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 Wrangler.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	GLC	GLC	Wrangler
Front Rotors	13.5 inches	14.6 inches	12.9 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 standard on the Wrangler Sport are solid, not vented.

The GLC stops much shorter than the Wrangler:

	GLC	Wrangler
70 to 0 MPH	161 feet	202 feet	Car and Driver

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 Wrangler Sport’s standard 75 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 Wrangler High Altitude/4Xe’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 Wrangler Sport.

Suspension and Handling

The Mercedes GLC’s independent front suspension is much lighter than the Jeep Wrangler’s solid front axle, which allows the GLC’s wheels to react more quickly and accurately to the road’s surface, improving both ride and handling.

For superior ride and handling, the Mercedes GLC 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 Jeep Wrangler has a solid rear axle, with a non-independent rear suspension.

For much better steering response and tighter handling the GLC has rack and pinion steering, like Formula racecars, instead of the recirculating-ball type steering of the Wrangler.

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 Wrangler doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

The GLC 300 4MATIC handles at .88 G’s, while the Wrangler Rubicon 392 pulls only .71 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

Chassis

The GLC is 9 inches shorter in height than the Wrangler, making the GLC much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

Unibody construction lowers the GLC’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The Wrangler doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

For excellent aerodynamics, the GLC has standard flush composite headlights. The Wrangler has recessed headlights that spoil its aerodynamic shape and create extra drag.

Passenger Space

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the GLC’s rear seats recline. The Wrangler’s rear seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

The GLC’s cargo area is larger than the Wrangler’s in almost every dimension:

	GLC	Wrangler
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	39.1”/67.4”	37”/65.8”
Height	29.2”	30”

A control in the cargo area automatically lowers the GLC’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Wrangler doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The GLC’s standard folding rear seats are split to accommodate bulky cargo. The Wrangler 2-door’s standard single piece folding rear seat is not as flexible; long cargo and a passenger can’t share the rear seat.

The GLC’s liftgate lifts up in one piece, completely out of the way of loading and unloading, while sheltering the cargo loading area. The Wrangler’s swing out door blocks loading from the driver’s side.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier, especially for short adults, the GLC has a standard power liftgate, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button. The Wrangler doesn’t offer a power cargo door.

Towing

The GLC’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Wrangler’s (5291 vs. 2000 pounds).

Servicing Ease

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

When three different drivers share the GLC, the memory system makes it convenient for all three. Each keyless remote activates different, customized memories for the driver and front passenger’s seat positions, steering wheel position and outside mirror angle. The Wrangler doesn’t offer a memory system.

The GLC’s standard easy entry and exit feature raises the steering wheel and glides the driver’s seat back, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Wrangler doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

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 Wrangler doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The GLC’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Wrangler has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

The GLC’s standard power windows allow the driver or passenger to lower and raise the windows without leaning over or being distracted. Power windows cost extra on the Wrangler.

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 Wrangler’s optional power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully. Only its front windows open automatically.

The GLC’s standard power window controls are mounted on the armrest for easy access. The Wrangler’s optional power window controls are down in the center of the dashboard, away from the windows and mixed with controls for unrelated features.

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 Wrangler can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The GLC’s standard power locks allow the driver or passenger to lock or unlock all the doors at a touch without leaning over, or reaching to the back seat. Power locks cost extra on the Wrangler.

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. Push Button Start standard on the Wrangler only offers hands-free access for the ignition, none to unlock the vehicle.

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 Wrangler’s intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

The GLC’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the Wrangler’s standard halogen headlights. LED lights also light instantly and last over twenty times longer than halogen.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The GLC’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Wrangler’s headlights are rated “Marginal” to “Poor.”

The GLC has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. The Wrangler only offers an automatic headlight on/off feature as an extra cost option.

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 Wrangler 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 Wrangler doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The GLC has standard power remote mirrors. The Wrangler only comes with remote mirrors at extra cost. Without them the driver will have to roll down the windows and reach across the car to adjust the mirrors.

The GLC’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Jeep charges extra for heated mirrors on the Wrangler.

When the GLC is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The Wrangler’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

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 Wrangler offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The GLC has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats cost extra on the Wrangler. The GLC also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Wrangler.

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 Wrangler 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 costs extra on the Wrangler.

Both the GLC and the Wrangler offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the GLC has available rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Wrangler doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

The GLC’s available GPS navigation system has a real-time traffic update feature that plots alternative routes to automatically bypass traffic problems. (Service not available in all areas.) The Wrangler’s available navigation system doesn’t offer real-time traffic updates.

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 Wrangler doesn’t offer wireless personal 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 Wrangler doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Model Availability

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