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 Toyota 4Runner 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 4Runner 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 4Runner 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.
Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The GLE has a standard Maneuvering Assistant that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The 4Runner doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.
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 4Runner doesn’t offer a system that can receive automated systems from other vehicles.
Both the GLE and 4Runner have Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, but the GLE has Active Brake Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The 4Runner’s Rear Cross-Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.
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 4Runner uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.
Both the GLE and the 4Runner 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, driver alert monitors 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 Toyota 4Runner:
|
GLE |
4Runner |
OVERALL STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
|
Driver |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
HIC |
84 |
267 |
Neck Injury Risk |
24% |
47% |
Neck Stress |
208 lbs. |
438 lbs. |
Neck Compression |
17 lbs. |
54 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
301/184 lbs. |
488/468 lbs. |
|
Passenger |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
3 Stars |
HIC |
209 |
367 |
Chest Compression |
.4 inches |
.7 inches |
Neck Injury Risk |
31% |
57% |
Neck Stress |
125 lbs. |
271 lbs. |
Neck Compression |
31 lbs. |
58 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
A significantly tougher test than their original offset frontal crash test, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH small overlap frontal offset crash tests. In this test, where only 25% of the total width of the vehicle is struck, results indicate that the Mercedes GLE is safer than the 4Runner:
|
GLE |
4Runner |
Overall Evaluation |
GOOD |
MARGINAL |
Restraints |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Head Neck Evaluation |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Peak Head Forces |
0 G’s |
0 G’s |
Steering Column Movement Rearward |
0 cm |
12 cm |
Chest Evaluation |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Hip & Thigh Evaluation |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Femur Force R/L |
1.9/1.3 kN |
3.9/2.4 kN |
Hip & Thigh Injury Risk R/L |
0%/0% |
1%/0% |
Lower Leg Evaluation |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
Tibia index R/L |
.42/.42 |
.95/.85 |
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 Toyota 4Runner:
|
GLE |
4Runner |
|
Front Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
40 |
41 |
Chest Movement |
.7 inches |
1.1 inches |
Abdominal Force |
151 lbs. |
179 lbs. |
|
Into Pole |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
Max Damage Depth |
12 inches |
20 inches |
HIC |
264 |
507 |
Spine Acceleration |
35 G’s |
43 G’s |
Hip Force |
615 lbs. |
895 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, with its four-star roll-over rating, is 9.1% less likely to roll over than the 4Runner, which received a three-star rating.
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 4Runner is not even a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2024.