For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Mercedes GLC 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 BMW X1 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.
The GLC’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The X1 doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.
For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Mercedes GLC are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The BMW X1 doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.
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 are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The X1 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.
The GLC 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 X1 doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.
The GLC has standard NECK-PRO front head restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the NECK-PRO front head restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The X1 doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.
Earlier warning of stopped traffic, traffic signals, dangerous road conditions, weather, or accidents, can keep driver's safer and prevent crashes. The GLC offers optional Car-to-X Communication, a system that seamlessly communicates important warnings to the driver about impending danger, if they're available. The X1 doesn’t offer a system that can receive automated systems from infrastructure or other vehicles.
Both the GLC and the X1 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive, lane departure warning systems and around view monitors.
The Mercedes GLC weighs 417 to 1277 pounds more than the BMW X1. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.
Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Mercedes GLC is safer than the X1:
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GLC |
X1 |
Overall Evaluation |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Structure |
GOOD |
GOOD |
|
Driver Injuy Measures
|
Head/Neck |
|
GOOD |
GOOD |
|
Head Peak Forces |
no contact |
|
48 G’s |
Neck Tension |
|
156 lbs. |
201 lbs. |
|
Neck Compression |
22 lbs. |
|
67 lbs. |
Torso |
|
GOOD |
GOOD |
|
Shoulder Deflection |
.55 in |
|
.94 in |
Shoulder Force |
|
134 lbs. |
245 lbs. |
|
Torso Max Deflection |
.94 in |
|
1.1 in |
Pelvis |
|
GOOD |
GOOD |
|
Head Protection |
GOOD |
|
ACCEPTABLE |
|
|
Passenger Injury Measures |
Head/Neck |
|
GOOD |
GOOD |
|
Neck Tension |
112 lbs. |
|
134 lbs. |
Neck Compression |
|
134 lbs. |
201 lbs. |
|
Torso |
GOOD |
|
GOOD |
Shoulder Force |
|
67 lbs. |
245 lbs. |
|
Torso Max Deflection |
.98 in |
|
1.14 in |
Pelvis |
|
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
|
Pelvis Force |
558 lbs. |
|
959 lbs. |
Head Protection |
|
GOOD |
GOOD |
The Mercedes GLC has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2024 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned a “Good” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, and an “Acceptable” to “Good” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test. The X1 is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2024, though it hasn’t yet been rated in the updated moderate overlap frontal test, a requirement for the “Top Safety Pick Plus” award.