Compare the2025 Cadillac EscaladeVS 2024 Mercedes G-Class

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

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Escalade has standard Reverse Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The G-Class doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

A passive infrared night vision system optional on the Escalade (except Luxury) helps the driver to more easily detect people, animals or other objects in front of the vehicle at night. Using an infrared camera to detect heat, the system then displays the image on a monitor in the dashboard. The G-Class doesn’t offer a night vision system.

The Escalade has a standard HD Surround Vision to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The G-Class 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.

Both the Escalade and the G-Class have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front 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, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available all wheel drive.

Cadillac’s powertrain warranty covers the Escalade 2 years and 20,000 miles longer than Mercedes covers the G-Class. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the G-Class ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The Escalade’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the G-Class’ (6 vs. 5 years).

There are over 47 percent more Cadillac dealers than there are Mercedes dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Escalade’s warranty.

The Escalade has a standard “limp home system” to keep drivers from being stranded if most or all of the engine’s coolant is lost. The engine will run on only half of its cylinders at a time, reduce its power and light a warning lamp on the dashboard so the driver can get to a service station for repairs. The G-Class doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Escalade second among large premium suvs in their 2024 Initial Quality Study. The G-Class isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Cadillac vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes With 22 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Cadillac higher than Mercedes.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Cadillac vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Cadillac 13 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

The Escalade’s 6.2 V8 produces 4 more horsepower (420 vs. 416) and 10 lbs.-ft. more torque (460 vs. 450) than the G 550’s standard 4.0 turbo V8.

On the EPA test cycle the Escalade gets better mileage than the G-Class:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Cadillac Escalade uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The G-Class requires premium, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Escalade 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 G-Class doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

A 10-speed automatic is standard on the Cadillac Escalade, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a nine-speed automatic is available for the G-Class.

For better stopping power the Escalade’s brake rotors are larger than those on the G-Class:

The Escalade stops much shorter than the G-Class:

The Escalade’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the G 550’s standard 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Escalade has standard 22-inch wheels. Smaller 19-inch wheels are standard on the G 550. The Escalade’s optional 24-inch wheels are larger than the 22-inch wheels optional on the G-Class.

The Cadillac Escalade’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Mercedes G-Class only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Escalade 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 G-Class doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For superior ride and handling, the Cadillac Escalade has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Mercedes G-Class has a solid rear axle, with a non-independent rear suspension.

The Escalade Permium/Sport/Platinum has a standard automatic load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The G-Class doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Escalade’s wheelbase is 7.1 inches longer than on the G-Class (120.9 inches vs. 113.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Escalade is 3.6 inches wider in the front and 3.3 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the G-Class.

The Escalade Sport 4WD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the G 550 (30.1 seconds @ .53 average G’s vs. 30.7 seconds @ .53 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Escalade’s turning circle is 5.1 feet tighter than the G-Class’ (39.5 feet vs. 44.6 feet). The Escalade with 24” wheels’ turning circle is 4 feet tighter than the G-Class’ (40.6 feet vs. 44.6 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Escalade Air Suspension has a greater minimum ground clearance than the G-Class (10 vs. 9.5 inches), allowing the Escalade to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

For excellent aerodynamics, the Escalade has standard flush composite headlights. The G-Class has recessed headlights that spoil its aerodynamic shape and create extra drag.

The front grille of the Escalade uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The G-Class doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Escalade (except Luxury) offers available computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The G-Class doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Escalade offers optional seating for 8 passengers; the G-Class can only carry 5.

The Escalade has 61.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the G-Class (168.4 vs. 107).

The Escalade has .4 inches more front headroom, 5.8 inches more front legroom, 7.7 inches more front shoulder room, 2.3 inches more rear legroom and 6.8 inches more rear shoulder room than the G-Class.

The Escalade’s cargo area provides more volume than the G-Class.

Pressing a switch automatically lowers the Escalade’s second and third row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The G-Class doesn’t offer automatic folding second row seats.

The Escalade’s liftgate lifts up in one piece, completely out of the way of loading and unloading, while sheltering the cargo loading area. The G-Class’ swing out door blocks loading from the driver’s side.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Escalade’s power cargo door can be opened just by waiting momentarily behind the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Escalade’s power cargo door can also be opened or closed by pressing a button. The G-Class doesn’t offer a power or hands-free opening cargo door.

The Escalade’s minimum standard towing capacity is much higher than the G-Class’ (7900 vs. 7000 pounds).

The Escalade 4WD with optional equipment can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Escalade can be unhitched and driven around locally. The G-Class can’t be towed flat on the ground.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Cadillac service is better than Mercedes. J.D. Power ranks Cadillac fifth in service department satisfaction. With a 25% lower rating, Mercedes is ranked 17th.

The Escalade’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The G-Class does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The Escalade Premium/Platinum/Sport has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning, navigation instruction and infotainment readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The G-Class doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Escalade’s standard Keyless Access 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-Start standard on the G-Class only offers hands-free access for the ignition, none to unlock the vehicle.

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

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

The Escalade Premium/Platinum/Sport has standard front air conditioned seats and the Escalade Platinum offers them optionally in the second row. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The G-Class doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats in the rear.

The Escalade has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the G-Class.

Both the Escalade and the G-Class offer available massaging front seats. The Escalade Platinum also offers optional massaging second row seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging rear seats aren’t available in the G-Class.

The Escalade is available in both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The G-Class doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Escalade second among large premium suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The G-Class isn’t in the top three.

The Cadillac Escalade outsold the Mercedes G-Class by over four to one during 2023.