Compare the2024 Mercedes GLBVS 2024 Subaru Forester

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Economic Advantages

Safety

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The GLB’s optional pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Forester doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The GLB offers an optional Surround View System to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Forester only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

The GLB 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 Forester’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the GLB has standard Rear Cross-Traffic Alert and Active Brake Assist automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Subaru charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Forester and its not available on the Base and the Forester’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert does not include automatic braking.

Both the GLB and the Forester 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, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive and lane departure warning systems.

Warranty

The GLB comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Forester’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the GLB has a standard 800-amp battery. The Forester’s 620-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

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 Subaru With 31 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Mercedes higher than Subaru.

Engine

The GLB’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 39 more horsepower (221 vs. 182) and 82 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 176) than the Forester’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Mercedes GLB is faster than the Subaru Forester:

	GLB	Forester
Zero to 60 MPH	6 sec	8.5 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	17.1 sec	23.7 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	6.9 sec	9 sec
Quarter Mile	14.7 sec	16.6 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	94 MPH	86 MPH
Top Speed	131 MPH	127 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the GLB gets better mileage than the Forester:

			MPG
GLB
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/33 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/32 hwy
Forester
	AWD	Wilderness 2.5 DOHC flat-4	25 city/28 hwy

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

Brakes and Stopping

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

	GLB	Forester Base	Forester
Front Rotors	13 inches	11.6 inches	12.4 inches
Rear Rotors	12.6 inches	11.2 inches	11.2 inches

The GLB stops much shorter than the Forester:

	GLB	Forester
70 to 0 MPH	157 feet	181 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	122 feet	129 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	135 feet	138 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the GLB has larger tires than the Forester (235/55R18 vs. 225/60R17).

The GLB’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Forester’s standard 60 series tires. The GLB’s optional tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Forester Sport/Limited/Touring’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the GLB has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Forester. The GLB’s optional 20-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels on the Forester Sport/Limited/Touring.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires available on the GLB can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The Forester doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

Suspension and Handling

The GLB offers an optional driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Forester’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The GLB’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 Forester doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the GLB’s wheelbase is 6.3 inches longer than on the Forester (111.4 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the GLB is 1.7 inches wider in the front and 1.5 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Forester.

The GLB 250 4MATIC handles at .89 G’s, while the Forester Wilderness pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The GLB 250 4MATIC executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Forester Touring (27.5 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

Passenger Space

The GLB offers optional seating for 7 passengers; the Forester can only carry 5.

Cargo Capacity

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the GLB’s liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Forester doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Servicing Ease

The GLB uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Forester 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

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Forester Touring, the GLB has standard driver and passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, suspension setting, power steering assist, outside mirror angle, climate settings and radio stations and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The GLB 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 Forester doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The power windows standard on both the GLB and the Forester have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the GLB is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Forester prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The GLB’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 Forester’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically. With the Forester Premium/Sport/Wilderness/Limited/Touring’s power windows, only the front windows open or close automatically.

If the windows are left open on the GLB 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 Forester can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The GLB’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. Keyless Access and Start is only offered on the Forester Premium/Sport/Wilderness/Limited/Touring, and doesn’t offer a sensor on the rear doors, so you’ll have to reach a front handle to unlock the rear door.

The GLB’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 Forester’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

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

The GLB’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Subaru only offers heated mirrors on the Forester Premium/Sport/Wilderness/Limited/Touring.

The GLB 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 is only available on the Forester Wilderness/Limited/Touring.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Mercedes GLB has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Forester doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The GLB offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Forester doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The GLB’s Active Parking Assist can parallel park by itself, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Forester doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Model Availability

The GLB is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Forester doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Economic Advantages

The GLB will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the GLB will retain 61.32% of its original price after five years, while the Forester only retains 56.38% to 59.98%.