Compare the2024 Lincoln CorsairVS 2023 Mercedes GLA

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Lincoln Corsair are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Mercedes GLA doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

The Lincoln Corsair 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 GLA doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Corsair offers 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 GLA doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

The Corsair’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 GLA.

Both the Corsair and the GLA have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, 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.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its available headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Corsair the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2022, a rating granted to only 165 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The GLA has not been tested, yet.

Lincoln’s powertrain warranty covers the Corsair 2 years and 20,000 miles longer than Mercedes covers the GLA. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the GLA ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 78 percent more Lincoln dealers than there are Mercedes dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Corsair’s warranty.

The Corsair 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 GLA 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 Corsair’s reliability 21 points higher than the GLA.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Lincoln vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Lincoln above average in long-term dependability. With 12 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 Lincoln vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Lincoln 6 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

The Corsair’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 29 more horsepower (250 vs. 221) and 17 lbs.-ft. more torque (275 vs. 258) than the GLA’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The Corsair Grand Touring’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 45 more horsepower (266 vs. 221) than the GLA’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Lincoln Corsair turbo 4 cyl. is faster than the Mercedes GLA:

On the EPA test cycle the Corsair running on electricity gets better mileage than the GLA:

On the EPA test cycle the Corsair Grand Touring running its gasoline engine gets better fuel mileage than the GLA 250 4MATIC (34 city/32 hwy vs. 23 city/32 hwy).

The Corsair Grand Touring can travel with zero emissions for 27 miles. The GLA can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

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

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Lincoln Corsair uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended with the 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder engine for maximum performance). The GLA requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Corsair’s standard fuel tank has 2.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the GLA (16.2 vs. 13.5 gallons).

The Corsair 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 GLA doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Lincoln Corsair higher (7 to 8 out of 10) than the Mercedes GLA (5). This means the Corsair produces up to 13.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the GLA every 15,000 miles.

The Corsair Grand Touring has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The GLA doesn’t offer a CVT.

The Corsair stops shorter than the GLA:

For better traction, the Corsair’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the GLA (245/45R20 vs. 235/55R18).

The Corsair 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 GLA; 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 GLA don’t have a run-flat feature, either.

The Corsair has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The GLA’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The Corsair’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (56% to 44%) than the GLA’s (60% to 40%). This gives the Corsair more stable handling and braking.

The Corsair Reserve AWD handles at .83 G’s, while the GLA 250 4MATIC pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Corsair Reserve AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the GLA 250 4MATIC (27 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 27.8 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

The Corsair uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The GLA doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Corsair has .5 inches more front headroom, 2.2 inches more front legroom, 1.2 inches more front shoulder room, .6 inches more rear headroom, .6 inches more rear legroom and 1.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the GLA.

The Corsair has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the GLA with its rear seat up (27.6 vs. 19 cubic feet). The Corsair has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the GLA with its rear seat folded (57.6 vs. 50.5 cubic feet).

Pressing a button automatically lowers the Corsair’s optional rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The GLA doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Corsair has a 2000 lbs. towing capacity. The GLA has no towing capacity.

The Corsair Grand Touring can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Corsair can be unhitched and driven around locally. The GLA can’t be towed flat on the ground.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Corsair 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 GLA doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Corsair’s exterior PIN entry system. The GLA 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 Corsair has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the GLA only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

Consumer Reports rated the Corsair’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the GLA’s headlights, which were rated “Poor.”

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

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

Consumer Reports® recommends the Lincoln Corsair, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Mercedes GLA isn't recommended.

The Lincoln Corsair outsold the Mercedes GLA by almost two to one during 2023.