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 G90 are reminded to check the back seat when a sensor determines the back seat is occupied. The CLS doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.
The G90 has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The CLS doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.
The G90 has standard Anti-Whiplash Front Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Anti-Whiplash Front Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The CLS doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.
Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The G90 has a standard Parking Collision-Avoidance Assist-Reverse that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The CLS doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.
To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the G90. But it costs extra on the CLS.
The G90’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 CLS.
To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the G90 has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist and automatically engage the brakes. Mercedes charges extra for Rear Cross-Traffic Alert on the CLS.
Both the G90 and the CLS 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 and driver alert monitors.
The Genesis G90 weighs 573 to 894 pounds more than the Mercedes CLS. The NHTSA advises that heavier cars are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.
The Genesis G90 has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2024 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned an “Acceptable” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, and a “Good” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test. The CLS has not yet been evaluated by the IIHS for 2024.