Compare the2025 Mercedes GLSVS 2024 Land Rover Discovery

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Mercedes GLS 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 Land Rover Discovery 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 GLS are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Discovery doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Mercedes GLS 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 Discovery doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The GLS offers an optional Post Collision Brake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Discovery 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 GLS 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 Discovery doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

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

Both the GLS and the Discovery have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, 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 and driver alert monitors.

Warranty

There are almost 2 times as many Mercedes dealers as there are Land Rover dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the GLS’ warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Mercedes vehicles are better in initial quality than Land Rover vehicles. With 8 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Mercedes higher than Land Rover.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Mercedes vehicles are more reliable than Land Rover With 50 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Mercedes higher than Land Rover.

Engine

The GLS has more powerful engines than the Discovery:

	Horsepower	Torque
GLS 450 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid	375 HP	369 lbs.-ft.
GLS 580 4.0 turbo V8 hybrid	510 HP	538 lbs.-ft.
Maybach GLS 600 4.0 turbo V8 hybrid	550 HP	538 lbs.-ft.
Discovery 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder	296 HP	295 lbs.-ft.
Discovery P360 3.0 turbo/supercharged 6-cylinder hybrid	355 HP	369 lbs.-ft.

As tested in Motor Trend the GLS 450 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid is faster than the Discovery P360 3.0 turbo/supercharged 6-cylinder hybrid:

	GLS	Discovery
Zero to 60 MPH	5.5 sec	6.6 sec
Quarter Mile	14 sec	15.2 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	99.8 MPH	78.1 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

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

Transmission

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Mercedes GLS, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Discovery.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the GLS’ front brake rotors are larger than those on the Discovery:

	GLS	Discovery P300	Discovery P360
Front Rotors	14.8 inches	13.8 inches	14.4 inches

The GLS stops much shorter than the Discovery:

	GLS	Discovery
70 to 0 MPH	154 feet	170 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	107 feet	128 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the GLS has larger standard tires than the Discovery (F:275/45R21 & R:315/40R21 vs. 255/55R20).

The GLS’ standard 275/45R21 front and 315/40R21 rear tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series front and 40 series rear profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Discovery’s standard 55 series tires. The GLS’ optional 325/35R23 rear tires have a lower 35 series profile than the Discovery’s optional 40 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the GLS has standard 21-inch wheels. Smaller 20-inch wheels are standard on the Discovery. The GLS’ optional 23-inch wheels are larger than the 22-inch wheels optional on the Discovery.

Suspension and Handling

The GLS offers an available adjustable active suspension system, which counteracts cornering forces actively, limiting body roll and improving handling and stability. Land Rover doesn’t offer an active suspension on the Discovery.

The GLS’ 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 Discovery doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the GLS’ wheelbase is 8.3 inches longer than on the Discovery (123.4 inches vs. 115.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the GLS is 1.1 inches wider in the rear than the track on the Discovery.

The GLS 450 handles at .92 G’s, while the Discovery Dynamic SE pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Maybach GLS 600 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.6 seconds quicker than the Discovery Dynamic SE (26.5 seconds @ .69 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Maybach GLS 600’s turning circle is 5 feet tighter than the Discovery’s (35.7 feet vs. 40.7 feet).

For greater off-road capability the GLS Off-Road Package has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Discovery (11.3 vs. 11.1 inches), allowing the GLS to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Cargo Capacity

The GLS’ cargo area provides more volume than the Discovery.

	GLS	Discovery
Behind Third Seat	17.4 cubic feet	9.1 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	84.7 cubic feet	74.3 cubic feet

Towing

The GLS’ standard towing capacity is much higher than the Discovery’s (7700 vs. 5925 pounds).

Ergonomics

If the windows are left open on the GLS 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 Discovery can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

Heated windshield washer fluid is optional on the GLS to defrost the washer nozzles and quickly clear ice and frost from the windshield without scraping. The Discovery doesn’t offer heated windshield washer fluid. Its optional heated washer nozzles will defrost the washer fluid but not the windshield.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the GLS has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Discovery doesn’t offer cornering lights. The GLS also has standard 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 GLS has standard dual-element sun visors that can block glare from two directions simultaneously. The Discovery doesn’t offer secondary sun visors.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the GLS has standard extendable sun visors. The Discovery doesn’t offer extendable visors.

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

The GLS offers an optional center folding armrest for the third row rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and can provide a barrier between children. The Discovery doesn’t offer a third row rear seat center armrest.

Both the GLS and the Discovery offer available massaging front seats. The GLS also offers optional massaging second row seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging second row seats aren’t available in the Discovery.

The GLS has a 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Discovery doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The GLS’ Active Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Discovery’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park.

Recommendations

J.D. Power and Associates rated the GLS third among large premium suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Discovery isn’t in the top three.

The Mercedes GLS outsold the Land Rover Discovery by almost 10 to one during 2023.

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