Compare the2024 Mitsubishi OutlanderVS 2024 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 Outlander 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 Mitsubishi Outlander 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 Outlander 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 GLB doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Outlander has a standard Rear Automatic Emergency Brake 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 Outlander’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 Outlander 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, front wheel drive, 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.

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 Outlander the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 98 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The GLB has not been tested, yet.

The Outlander comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The GLB’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Mitsubishi’s powertrain warranty covers the Outlander 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than Mercedes covers the GLB. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the GLB ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The Outlander’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the GLB’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Mitsubishi pays for scheduled maintenance on the Outlander for 2 years and 30,000 miles. Mitsubishi will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance (up to 3 visits). Mercedes doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the GLB.

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 Outlander’s reliability 47 points higher than the GLB.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Mitsubishi vehicles are better in initial quality than Mercedes vehicles. With 8 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Mitsubishi higher than Mercedes.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Mitsubishi vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Mitsubishi above average in long-term dependability. With 9 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Mercedes is rated below average.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Mitsubishi Outlander uses regular unleaded gasoline. The GLB requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Outlander has a gallon more fuel capacity than the GLB (14.5 vs. 13.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Outlander 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.

The Outlander 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 GLB doesn’t offer a CVT.

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

The Outlander’s standard 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 Outlander stops shorter than the GLB:

For better traction, the Outlander SE/Black Edition/SEL’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the GLB (255/45R20 vs. 235/55R18).

The Outlander has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The GLB doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Outlander SEL AWC handles at .87 G’s, while the GLB 250 4MATIC pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Outlander’s turning circle is 2.3 feet tighter than the GLB’s (36.1 feet vs. 38.4 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Outlander ES has a greater minimum ground clearance than the GLB (8.3 vs. 7.9 inches), allowing the Outlander to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Outlander SE/Black Edition/SEL’s minimum ground clearance is .5 inch higher than on the GLB (8.4 vs. 7.9 inches).

The front grille of the Outlander 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 Outlander has .6 inches more front legroom, 2 inches more front shoulder room, 1.8 inches more rear legroom, 1 inch more rear shoulder room and 7.4 inches more third row shoulder room than the GLB.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Outlander’s middle and third row seats recline. The GLB’s third row seats don’t recline.

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

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the Outlander’s second row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The GLB doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Outlander has a 2000 lbs. towing capacity. The GLB has no towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Stability Assist on the Outlander uses the Active Stability Control 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.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Outlander 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 Outlander’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the GLB’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The Outlander S-AWC has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The GLB doesn’t offer headlight washers.

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

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

Both the Outlander and the GLB offer available heated front seats. The Outlander SEL 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.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Mitsubishi Outlander, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Mercedes GLB isn't recommended.

The Mitsubishi Outlander outsold the Mercedes GLB by almost three to one during 2023.