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 Jeep Grand Cherokee L 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 Grand Cherokee L doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.
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 Grand Cherokee L 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 Grand Cherokee L doesn’t offer a system that can receive automated systems from other vehicles.
Both the GLE and Grand Cherokee L have rear cross-traffic warning, but the GLE has Active Brake Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Grand Cherokee L’s Rear Cross Path Detection doesn’t automatically brake.
Both the GLE and the Grand Cherokee L have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee 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, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available lane departure warning systems.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH moderate front offset crash tests on new cars. In this updated test, results indicate that the GLE is much safer than the Grand Cherokee L:
|
GLE |
Grand Cherokee L |
Overall Evaluation |
GOOD |
POOR |
Structure |
GOOD |
GOOD |
|
Driver Injury Measures |
|
Head/Neck Rating |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Chest Rating |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Thigh/hip Rating |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Leg/foot Rating |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Restraints |
GOOD |
GOOD |
|
Rear Passenger Injury Measures |
|
Head/Neck Rating |
ACCEPTABLE |
POOR |
Chest Rating |
GOOD |
POOR |
Thigh Rating |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Restraints |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
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 GLE is safer than the Grand Cherokee L:
|
GLE |
Grand Cherokee L |
Overall Evaluation |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Structure |
GOOD |
GOOD |
|
Driver Injury Measures |
|
Head/Neck |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Head Injury Criterion |
50 |
163 |
Neck Tension |
201 lbs. |
312 lbs. |
Neck Compression |
-45 lbs. |
67 lbs. |
Torso |
ACCEPTABLE |
ACCEPTABLE |
Shoulder Deflection |
.87 in |
1.06 in |
Shoulder Force |
156 lbs. |
178 lbs. |
Torso Deflection Rate |
6 MPH |
7 MPH |
Head Protection |
GOOD |
GOOD |
|
Passenger Injury Measures |
|
Head/Neck |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Neck Compression |
-89 lbs. |
134 lbs. |
Torso |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
Shoulder Deflection |
.28 in |
1.38 in |
Shoulder Force |
89 lbs. |
268 lbs. |
Torso Max Deflection |
.67 in |
1.69 in |
Torso Deflection Rate |
7 MPH |
11 MPH |
Pelvis |
ACCEPTABLE |
ACCEPTABLE |
Head Protection |
GOOD |
GOOD |
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 Grand Cherokee L is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2024.