Compare the2024 Kia Sportage HybridVS 2023 Mercedes GLB

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 Sportage Hybrid are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The GLB doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Sportage Hybrid SX-Prestige has standard Parking Collision Avoidance-Reverse that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The GLB doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

The Sportage Hybrid’s standard 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. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the GLB.

Both the Sportage Hybrid and the GLB have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, 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, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Sportage Hybrid its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 58 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The GLB has not been tested, yet.

The Sportage Hybrid comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The GLB’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Sportage Hybrid 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than Mercedes covers the GLB. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the GLB ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 2 times as many Kia dealers as there are Mercedes dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Sportage Hybrid’s warranty.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Sportage Hybrid’s reliability 20 points higher than the GLB.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia 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 statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia first in reliability, above the industry average. With 50 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mercedes is ranked 18th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 15 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

The Sportage Hybrid’s 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 6 more horsepower (227 vs. 221) than the GLB’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

On the EPA test cycle the Sportage Hybrid gets better mileage than the GLB:

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

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Kia Sportage Hybrid uses regular unleaded gasoline. The GLB requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Kia Sportage Hybrid higher (7 out of 10) than the Mercedes GLB (5). This means the Sportage Hybrid produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the GLB every 15,000 miles.

The Sportage Hybrid offers an optional space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the GLB; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed. Some tire options on the GLB don’t have a run-flat feature, either.

For greater off-road capability the Sportage Hybrid has a greater minimum ground clearance than the GLB (8.3 vs. 7.9 inches), allowing the Sportage Hybrid to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The front grille of the Sportage Hybrid uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The GLB doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Sportage Hybrid has .3 inches more front legroom, 1.6 inches more front shoulder room, 1.4 inches more rear legroom and .7 inches more rear shoulder room than the GLB.

The Sportage Hybrid has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the GLB with its rear seat up (39.5 vs. 5.1 cubic feet). The Sportage Hybrid has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the GLB with its rear seat folded (73.7 vs. 62 cubic feet).

The Sportage Hybrid has a 2000 lbs. towing capacity. The GLB has no towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Stability Assist on the Sportage Hybrid uses the Electronic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The GLB doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Sportage Hybrid SX-Prestige to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The GLB doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Sportage Hybrid has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the GLB 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 Sportage Hybrid has standard extendable sun visors. The GLB doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The Sportage Hybrid SX-Prestige’s Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Parking Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The GLB’s automatic parking system does not offer parking by remote control.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Kia Sportage Hybrid, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Mercedes GLB isn't recommended.

The Kia Sportage outsold the Mercedes GLB by over five to one during 2022.