Compare the2024 Mercedes GLC CoupeVS 2024 Dodge Hornet

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Mercedes GLC Coupe have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Dodge Hornet doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

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

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 GLC Coupe are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Hornet doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Earlier warning of stopped traffic, traffic signals, dangerous road conditions, weather, or accidents, can keep driver's safer and prevent crashes. The GLC Coupe has Car-to-X Communication, a system that seamlessly communicates important warnings to the driver about impending danger, if they're available. The Hornet doesn’t offer a system that can receive automated systems from infrastructure or other vehicles.

Both the GLC Coupe and Hornet have rear cross-traffic warning, but the GLC Coupe has Active Brake Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Hornet’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the GLC Coupe and the Hornet have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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 and available lane departure warning systems.

Warranty

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

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Mercedes vehicles are better in initial quality than Dodge vehicles. With 95 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Mercedes higher than Dodge.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the GLC 300 Coupe gets better fuel mileage than the Hornet GT running its gasoline engine (24 city/30 hwy vs. 21 city/29 hwy).

The GLC Coupe has 6.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Hornet R/T’s standard fuel tank (17.4 vs. 11.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The GLC Coupe has 3.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the Hornet GT’s standard fuel tank (17.4 vs. 13.5 gallons).

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Mercedes GLC Coupe higher (7 out of 10) than the Dodge Hornet (6 to 7). This means the GLC Coupe produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Hornet every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the GLC Coupe’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Hornet:

	GLC Coupe	GLC Coupe	Hornet GT	Hornet R/T
Front Rotors	13.5 inches	14.6 inches	12.1 inches	13.5 inches
Rear Rotors	12.6 inches	12.6 inches	10.9 inches	12.1 inches

The GLC Coupe’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Hornet are solid, not vented.

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the GLC Coupe has larger standard tires than the Hornet (235/55R19 vs. 215/60R17). The GLC Coupe’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Hornet (F:255/45R20 & R:285/40R20 vs. 235/40R20).

The GLC Coupe’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 Hornet GT’s standard 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the GLC Coupe has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Hornet GT.

Suspension and Handling

The GLC Coupe has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Hornet doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The GLC Coupe’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 Hornet doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the GLC Coupe’s wheelbase is 9.9 inches longer than on the Hornet (113.7 inches vs. 103.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the GLC Coupe is 1.7 inches wider in the front and 2.5 inches wider in the rear than on the Hornet.

Passenger Space

The GLC Coupe has .1 inches more front headroom, 1.6 inches more front shoulder room, .1 inches more rear headroom and 1 inch more rear shoulder room than the Hornet.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the GLC Coupe’s rear seats recline. The Hornet’s rear seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the GLC Coupe easier. The GLC Coupe’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 29.4 inches, while the Hornet’s liftover is 31.8 inches.

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

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the GLC Coupe. The Hornet doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Towing

The GLC Coupe’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Hornet’s (3500 vs. 2000 pounds).

Optional Trailer Stability Assist on the GLC Coupe uses the Electronic Stability Program sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Hornet doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the GLC Coupe is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Hornet. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory system optional at extra cost in the Hornet, the GLC Coupe has standard driver and passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The GLC Coupe’s standard easy entry and exit feature raises the steering wheel and glides the driver’s seat back, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Hornet doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The GLC Coupe 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 Hornet doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The GLC Coupe’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 Enter-N-Go standard on the Hornet doesn’t offer a sensor on the rear doors, so you’ll have to reach a front handle to unlock the rear door.

Heated windshield washer fluid is standard on the GLC Coupe to defrost the washer nozzles and quickly clear ice and frost from the windshield without scraping. The Hornet doesn’t offer heated windshield washer fluid.

The Hornet’s optional cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The GLC Coupe’s optional adaptive cornering lights turn the actual headlight unit up to several degrees, depending on steering wheel angle and vehicle speed. This lights a significant distance into corners at any speed.

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

When the GLC Coupe is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The Hornet’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

The GLC Coupe’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Hornet offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

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

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Mercedes GLC has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the Hornet.

The GLC Coupe’s Active Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Hornet’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park.

Recommendations

Motor Trend selected the GLC as their 2017 Sport Utility of the Year. The Hornet has never been chosen.

The Mercedes GLC outsold the Dodge Hornet by over four to one during 2023.