Compare the2025 Cadillac EscaladeVS 2024 Mercedes GLS

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 GLS doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Cadillac Escalade 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 GLS doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

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 GLS 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 GLS doesn’t offer a night vision system.

Both the Escalade and the GLS have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, 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, around view monitors, 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 GLS. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the GLS ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The Escalade’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the GLS’ (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 GLS doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

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 Escalade’s reliability 11 points higher than the GLS.

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

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 45 more horsepower (420 vs. 375) and 91 lbs.-ft. more torque (460 vs. 369) than the GLS 450’s standard 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid.

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Escalade’s fuel efficiency. The GLS doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Cadillac Escalade uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The GLS 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 GLS 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 GLS.

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

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Escalade has standard 22-inch wheels. Smaller 21-inch wheels are standard on the GLS. The Escalade’s optional 24-inch wheels are larger than the 23-inch wheels optional on the GLS.

The Cadillac Escalade’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Mercedes GLS 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 GLS doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Escalade has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the GLS; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Escalade is 1.8 inches wider in the front and .6 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the GLS.

For better maneuverability, the Escalade’s turning circle is 1.5 feet tighter than the GLS’ (39.5 feet vs. 41 feet). The Escalade with 24” wheels’ turning circle is .4 feet tighter than the GLS’ (40.6 feet vs. 41 feet).

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 GLS 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 GLS doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Escalade offers optional seating for 8 passengers; the GLS can only carry up to 7.

The Escalade’s cargo area provides more volume than the GLS.

The Escalade’s cargo area is larger than the GLS’ in every dimension:

The Escalade’s minimum standard towing capacity is much higher than the GLS’ (7900 vs. 7716 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 GLS can’t be towed flat on the ground.

Trailer Sway Control is standard on the Escalade, using the StabiliTrak® 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 GLS.

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 GLS does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The Escalade’s available power side swing out doors make it much easier to load and unload kids and cargo. One touch opens the door, before you even get to the sport utility. The GLS doesn’t offer a power rear door.

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 GLS only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

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

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 GLS.

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

Insurance will cost less for the Escalade owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Escalade will cost $5460 to $11410 less than the GLS over a five-year period.

The Escalade will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Escalade will retain 48.69% to 51.52% of its original price after five years, while the GLS only retains 45.74% to 47.18%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Escalade is less expensive to operate than the GLS because typical repairs cost much less on the Escalade than the GLS, including $418 less for a water pump, $100 less for front brake pads, $398 less for a starter and $214 less for fuel injection.

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 GLS was rated third.

The Cadillac Escalade outsold the Mercedes GLS by 73% during 2023.