Compare the2024 Mazda CX-90VS 2024 Mercedes GLE

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 CX-90 are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The GLE doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Mazda CX-90 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 GLE doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

With its standard Smart Brake Support, the Mazda CX-90 is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Mercedes GLE, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The CX-90 Premium Plus/Turbo S Premium has standard Rear Smart City Brake Support that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The GLE doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

The CX-90’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 GLE.

Both the CX-90 and the GLE 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, all wheel drive, 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 and available around view monitors.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Mazda CX-90 is safer than the GLE:

Mazda’s powertrain warranty covers the CX-90 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Mercedes covers the GLE. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the GLE ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 41 percent more Mazda dealers than there are Mercedes dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the CX-90’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Mazda above average in long-term dependability. With 13 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 Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Mazda 22 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

As tested in Motor Trend the CX-90 PHEV 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid is faster than the GLE 350 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder:

On the EPA test cycle the CX-90 running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the GLE running its gasoline engine:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Mazda CX-90 uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended on CX-90 PHEV for maximum performance). The GLE requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The CX-90’s standard fuel tank has 1.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the GLE 450e’s standard fuel tank (18.5 vs. 17.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The CX-90’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs standard on the GLE 350 are solid, not vented.

The CX-90 stops much shorter than the GLE:

For better traction, the CX-90 has larger standard tires than the GLE (265/55R19 vs. 255/50R19).

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the CX-90’s wheelbase is 4.9 inches longer than on the GLE (122.8 inches vs. 117.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the CX-90 is 1.5 inches wider in the front and .8 inches wider in the rear than on the GLE.

The CX-90’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (51.7% to 48.3%) than the GLE’s (53.5% to 46.5%). This gives the CX-90 more stable handling and braking.

The CX-90 Premium Plus handles at .85 G’s, while the GLE 450 pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The CX-90 Premium Plus executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1 seconds quicker than the GLE 350 (27.2 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 28.2 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the CX-90’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the GLE’s (38.1 feet vs. 39.4 feet).

For greater off-road capability the CX-90 has a greater minimum ground clearance than the GLE (8 vs. 7.9 inches), allowing the CX-90 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Mazda CX-90 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 200 to 500 pounds less than the Mercedes GLE.

The CX-90 offers optional seating for 8 passengers; the GLE can only carry up to 7.

The CX-90 has 1.4 inches more front legroom and 2.4 inches more rear headroom than the GLE.

A Trailer Stability Assist is standard on the CX-90, using the Dynamic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. A trailer sway program costs extra on the GLE.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the CX-90 has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the GLE only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The CX-90 Premium Plus has standard front air conditioned seats and the CX-90 Turbo S Premium Plus also has them in the second row. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The GLE doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.