Compare the2025 Mercedes GLEVS 2025 GMC Yukon

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

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Mercedes GLE 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 GMC Yukon doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

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

The Mercedes GLE has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Yukon doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The GLE offers optional Post-Collision Brake, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Yukon doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

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

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the GLE uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The Yukon uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the GLE and the Yukon have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors, rear cross-path warning and available lane departure warning systems.

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

	GLE	Yukon
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	84	146
Neck Stress	208 lbs.	312 lbs.
Neck Compression	17 lbs.	51 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	209	233
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.6 inches
Neck Injury Risk	31%	47%
Neck Stress	125 lbs.	272 lbs.
Neck Compression	31 lbs.	66 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	401/438 lbs.	333/811 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 Mercedes GLE is safer than the GMC Yukon:

	GLE	Yukon
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.7 inches
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	14 inches
Spine Acceleration	35 G’s	38 G’s
Hip Force	615 lbs.	764 lbs.

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

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the GLE is 5.7% to 6.4% less likely to roll over than the Yukon.

The Mercedes GLE (with optional crash prevention) 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” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test. The Yukon has not yet been evaluated by the IIHS for 2024.

Warranty

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

The GLE’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Yukon’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

Reliability

For smoother operation, better efficiency and fewer moving parts, the engines in the GLE have an overhead cam design, rather than the old pushrod design of some of the engines in the Yukon.

Engine

The GLE has more powerful engines than the Yukon:

	Horsepower	Torque
GLE 450 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid	375 HP	369 lbs.-ft.
GLE 450e 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid	381 HP	479 lbs.-ft.
GLE 580 4.0 turbo V8 hybrid	510 HP	538 lbs.-ft.
Yukon 5.3 V8	355 HP	383 lbs.-ft.
Yukon 6.2 V8	420 HP	460 lbs.-ft.

As tested in Car and Driver the GLE 450 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid is faster than the GMC Yukon 6.2 V8:

	GLE	Yukon
Zero to 60 MPH	5.3 sec	6 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	13.9 sec	15.4 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	6 sec	6.4 sec
Quarter Mile	13.9 sec	14.5 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	100 MPH	97 MPH
Top Speed	129 MPH	112 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the GLE running on electricity gets better mileage than the Yukon:

			MPGe
GLE
	AWD	450e Electric Motor	57 city/63 hwy
Yukon
			MPG
	RWD	5.3 OHV V8	15 city/20 hwy
		6.2 OHV V8	15 city/20 hwy
	AWD	5.3 OHV V8	15 city/19 hwy
		6.2 OHV V8	14 city/18 hwy

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

			MPG
GLE
	RWD	350 2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	21 city/28 hwy
	AWD	450e 2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	21 city/26 hwy
		350 2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	19 city/26 hwy
		3.0 turbo 6-cyl. Hybrid	19 city/25 hwy
		4.0 turbo V8 Hybrid	15 city/20 hwy
Yukon
	RWD	5.3 OHV V8	15 city/20 hwy
		6.2 OHV V8	15 city/20 hwy
	AWD	5.3 OHV V8	15 city/19 hwy
		6.2 OHV V8	14 city/18 hwy

The GLE 450e can travel with zero emissions for 50 miles. The Yukon can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

Regenerative brakes improve the GLE’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Yukon doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The GLE has a standard locking fuel door and a locking charge port on the 350e which lock and unlock with the power locks. The Yukon doesn’t offer a locking fuel filler door. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank and a locking charge port prevents tampering and damage.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	GLE	Yukon
Front Rotors	14.8 inches	13.5 inches

The GLE stops much shorter than the Yukon:

	GLE	Yukon
70 to 0 MPH	174 feet	183 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	115 feet	129 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

The GLE’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 Yukon’s standard 60 series tires. The GLE 580’s optional 325/35R22 rear tires have a lower 35 series profile than the Yukon Denali’s optional 40 series tires.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires available on the GLE can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The Yukon doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

Suspension and Handling

The GLE has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the GLE flat and controlled during cornering. The Yukon’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The GLE 450/580 offers an available adjustable active suspension system, which counteracts cornering forces actively, limiting body roll and improving handling and stability. GMC doesn’t offer an active suspension on the Yukon.

The GLE 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 Yukon doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The GLE’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 Yukon doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

The GLE 450 handles at .84 G’s, while the Yukon Denali 4x4 pulls only .73 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The GLE 450 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 3.6 seconds quicker than the Yukon AT4 (27 seconds @ .69 average G’s vs. 30.6 seconds @ .51 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the GLE’s turning circle is .1 feet tighter than the Yukon’s (39.4 feet vs. 39.5 feet). The GLE’s turning circle is 1.4 feet tighter than the Yukon Denali Ultimate w/24” wheels’ (39.4 feet vs. 40.8 feet).

For greater off-road capability the GLE has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Yukon Denali Ultimate (7.9 vs. 7.3 inches), allowing the GLE to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The Mercedes GLE may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 200 to 800 pounds less than the GMC Yukon.

The GLE is 1 foot, 3.8 inches shorter than the Yukon, making the GLE easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Unibody construction lowers the GLE’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The Yukon doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

Passenger Space

The front step up height for the GLE is 3.2 inches lower than the Yukon (20” vs. 23.2”). The GLE’s rear step up height is 3.5 inches lower than the Yukon’s (20” vs. 23.5”).

Cargo Capacity

The GLE has a much larger cargo volume than the Yukon with its rear seat up (33.3 vs. 25.5 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the GLE easier. The GLE’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 30.7 inches, while the Yukon’s liftover is 37 inches.

Towing

The GLE’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Yukon’s (7700 vs. 7500 pounds).

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Yukon, the GLE has standard driver and passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position, outside mirror angle and radio stations and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The GLE’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Yukon’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully.

If the windows are left open on the GLE the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote (remote must be aimed at door sensor). On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Yukon can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

Heated windshield washer fluid is optional on the GLE to defrost the washer nozzles and quickly clear ice and frost from the windshield without scraping. The Yukon doesn’t offer heated windshield washer fluid.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the GLE offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Yukon doesn’t offer cornering lights. The GLE also offers optional adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

To better shield the driver and front passenger’s vision, the GLE has standard dual-element sun visors that can block glare from two directions simultaneously. The Yukon doesn’t offer secondary sun visors.

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

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the GLE is less expensive to operate than the Yukon because it costs $227 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the GLE than the Yukon, including $240 less for a muffler, $91 less for a fuel pump and $874 less for a timing belt/chain.

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