Compare the2024 Ford ExplorerVS 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 Explorer 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.

The Ford Explorer has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The GLB doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The Explorer has standard Post Collision Braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The GLB doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Explorer (except Base/XLT/Limited/Timberline) offers an optional Reverse Brake Assist 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 Explorer’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 Explorer and the GLB 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The Ford Explorer weighs 454 to 1760 pounds more than the Mercedes GLB. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Explorer the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 85 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The GLB has not been tested, yet.

Ford’s powertrain warranty covers the Explorer 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Mercedes covers the GLB. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the GLB ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 8 times as many Ford dealers as there are Mercedes dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Explorer’s warranty.

The Explorer has a standard “limp home system” to keep drivers from being stranded if most or all of the engine’s coolant is lost. The engine will run on only half of its cylinders at a time, reduce its power and light a warning lamp on the dashboard so the driver can get to a service station for repairs. The GLB doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

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 Explorer’s reliability 12 points higher than the GLB.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Ford vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Ford above average in long-term dependability. With 4 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Mercedes is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Ford vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Ford 7 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

The Explorer’s standard 2.3 turbo 4-cylinder produces 79 more horsepower (300 vs. 221) and 52 lbs.-ft. more torque (310 vs. 258) than the GLB’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The Explorer ST/King Ranch/Platinum’s standard 3.0 turbo V6 produces 179 more horsepower (400 vs. 221) and 157 lbs.-ft. more torque (415 vs. 258) than the GLB’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Ford Explorer is faster than the Mercedes GLB:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Ford Explorer uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The GLB requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Explorer 2.3-liter’s standard fuel tank has 2 gallons more fuel capacity than the GLB (17.9 vs. 15.9 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Explorer V6 Turbo’s standard fuel tank has 4.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the GLB (20.2 vs. 15.9 gallons).

The Explorer has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The GLB doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

A 10-speed automatic is standard on the Ford Explorer, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the GLB.

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

The Explorer ST’s optional front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the GLB are solid, not vented.

The Explorer stops shorter than the GLB:

For better traction, the Explorer has larger standard tires than the GLB (255/65R18 vs. 235/55R18). The Explorer’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the GLB (275/45R21 vs. 235/55R18).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Explorer offers optional 21-inch wheels. The GLB’s largest wheels are only 20-inches.

The Explorer has a standard 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 a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Explorer’s wheelbase is 7.7 inches longer than on the GLB (119.1 inches vs. 111.4 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Explorer is 3.7 inches wider in the front and 3.7 inches wider in the rear than on the GLB.

The Explorer’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (50% to 50%) than the GLB’s (57% to 43%). This gives the Explorer more stable handling and braking.

The Explorer ST 4WD handles at .85 G’s, while the GLB 250 4MATIC pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Explorer ST 4WD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.1 seconds quicker than the GLB 250 4MATIC (26.4 seconds @ .72 average G’s vs. 27.5 seconds @ .63 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Explorer Timberline has a greater minimum ground clearance than the GLB (8.7 vs. 7.9 inches), allowing the Explorer to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The front grille of the Explorer 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 Explorer has 1.9 inches more front legroom, 5.9 inches more front shoulder room, 1.2 inches more rear headroom, .9 inches more rear legroom, 7 inches more rear shoulder room, 4.1 inches more third row headroom, 3.1 inches more third row legroom and 10.8 inches more third row shoulder room than the GLB.

The Explorer’s cargo area provides more volume than the GLB.

The Explorer’s cargo area is larger than the GLB’s in almost every dimension:

The Explorer has a standard third row seat which folds flat into the floor. This completely clears a very large cargo area quickly. The GLB doesn’t offer seats that fold into the floor.

Pressing a button automatically lowers or raises the Explorer’s (except Base/XLT/ST-Line) optional third row seats, to make changing between cargo and passengers easier. The GLB doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Explorer has a 3000 lbs. towing capacity. The GLB has no towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Explorer uses the AdvanceTrac® 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.

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

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Explorer’s available exterior PIN entry system. The GLB doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Mercedes-Benz Emergency Call can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Explorer 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.

Consumer Reports rated the Explorer’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the GLB’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Explorer has standard extendable sun visors. The GLB doesn’t offer extendable visors.

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

Both the Explorer and the GLB offer available heated front seats. The Explorer Limited/King Ranch/Platinum also has standard heated second row seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated second row seats aren’t available in the GLB.

The Ford Explorer outsold the Mercedes GLB by almost 9 to one during 2022.