Compare the2025 Volvo XC60VS 2024 Mercedes GLE

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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Both the XC60 and GLE have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The XC60 Plus/Ultra/Polestar has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The GLE’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

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 XC60 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 Volvo XC60 offers optional built in child booster seats. They’re more crash worthy than an added child seat because of their direct attachment to the seat. Mercedes doesn’t offer the convenience and security of a built-in child booster seat in the GLE. Their owners must carry a heavy booster seat in and out of the vehicle; XC60 owners can just fold their built-in child seat up or down.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the XC60 deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The XC60’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The GLE’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

The XC60 has a standard Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS), which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the WHIPS allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. At the same time the pretensioning seatbelts fire, removing slack from the belts. The GLE doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The XC60 has standard CTA Auto Brake 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 XC60’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 XC60 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, plastic fuel tanks, 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.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Volvo XC60 is safer than the Mercedes GLE:

	XC60	GLE
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	22%	24%
Neck Stress	198 lbs.	208 lbs.
Neck Compression	15 lbs.	17 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	178	209
Neck Injury Risk	28%	31%
Leg Forces (l/r)	329/351 lbs.	401/438 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Volvo XC60 is safer than the Mercedes GLE:

	XC60	GLE
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.7 inches
Abdominal Force	126 lbs.	151 lbs.
Hip Force	190 lbs.	287 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	237	264
Spine Acceleration	29 G’s	35 G’s
Hip Force	410 lbs.	615 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

The XC60’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the GLE’s (12 vs. 5 years).

Volvo pays for scheduled maintenance on the XC60 for 3 years and 30,000 miles. Volvo will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Mercedes doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the GLE.

Reliability

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Volvo vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Volvo 4 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

Engine

As tested in Motor Trend the XC60 B5 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the GLE 350 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder:

	XC60	GLE
Zero to 60 MPH	6.2 sec	7.6 sec
Quarter Mile	14.7 sec	15.8 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	91.5 MPH	87.5 MPH

As tested in Car and Driver the XC60 T8 2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cylinder hybrid is faster than the GLE 450 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid:

	XC60	GLE
Zero to 60 MPH	4.2 sec	5.3 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	10.2 sec	13.9 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	4.7 sec	6 sec
Passing 30 to 50 MPH	2.5 sec	3.2 sec
Passing 50 to 70 MPH	3.2 sec	4.3 sec
Quarter Mile	12.6 sec	13.9 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	111 MPH	100 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the XC60 running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the GLE running its gasoline engine:

			MPG
XC60
	AWD	2.0 turbo/supercharged 4-cyl. Hybrid	28 city/28 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/30 hwy
GLE
	AWD	350 2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	21 city/28 hwy
		3.0 turbo 6-cyl. Hybrid	19 city/26 hwy
		4.0 turbo V8 Hybrid	15 city/20 hwy

The XC60 has 1.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the GLE 450e’s standard fuel tank (18.8 vs. 17.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The XC60 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 GLE doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the XC60’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the GLE:

	XC60	GLE
Front Rotors	13.6 inches	13 inches

The XC60’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 XC60 stops shorter than the GLE:

	XC60	GLE
70 to 0 MPH	165 feet	174 feet	Car and Driver

Tires and Wheels

The XC60’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 35 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the GLE 580’s optional 40 series front tires.

Suspension and Handling

The XC60 handles at .88 G’s, while the GLE 450 pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The XC60 B5 Core executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.6 seconds quicker than the GLE 350 (26.6 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 28.2 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the XC60’s turning circle is 2 feet tighter than the GLE’s (37.4 feet vs. 39.4 feet).

For greater off-road capability the XC60 has a greater minimum ground clearance than the GLE (8.5 vs. 7.9 inches), allowing the XC60 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The Volvo XC60 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 750 to 1000 pounds less than the Mercedes GLE.

The XC60 is 8.9 inches shorter than the GLE, making the XC60 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The XC60 has 1.2 inches more front legroom and 1.1 inches more rear headroom than the GLE.

Cargo Capacity

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the XC60 easier. The XC60’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 26 inches, while the GLE’s liftover is 30.7 inches.

Towing

A Trailer Stability Assist (TSA) is standard on the XC60, using the Dynamic Stability and Traction 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.

Ergonomics

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the XC60 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.

Consumer Reports rated the XC60’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the GLE’s headlights, which were rated “Poor.”

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The XC60 offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The GLE doesn’t offer headlight washers.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the XC60 owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the XC60 will cost $1380 less than the GLE over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the XC60 is less expensive to operate than the GLE because it costs $146 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the XC60 than the GLE, including $385 less for a water pump, $385 less for a muffler, $50 less for front brake pads, $74 less for a starter, $127 less for fuel injection, $193 less for front struts, $21 less for a timing belt/chain and $739 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Volvo XC60 will be $14532 to $22184 less than for the Mercedes GLE.

Recommendations

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the XC60 as the 2018 North American Utility Vehicle of the Year. The GLE has never been chosen.

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