Compare the2025 Land Rover DefenderVS 2025 Mercedes G-Class

Both the Defender 110/130 and G-Class have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Defender has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The G-Class’ child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Defender 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 G-Class uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Defender and the G-Class 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.

The Defender’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the G-Class’ (6 vs. 5 years).

The Defender OCTA’s 4.4 turbo V8 hybrid produces 47 more horsepower (626 vs. 579) than the G 580’s optional electric motors.

On the EPA test cycle the Defender 110/130 gets better mileage than the G-Class running its gasoline engine:

For better stopping power the Defender’s brake rotors are larger than those on the G-Class:

The Defender stops much shorter than the G-Class:

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Defender has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the G-Class. The Defender’s optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 21-inch wheels optional on the AMG G 63.

All Defenders have standard full size spares so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare is not available on the G-Class 580 Without it you must depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

For superior ride and handling, the Land Rover Defender has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Mercedes G-Class has a solid rear axle, with a non-independent rear suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Defender 110’s wheelbase is 5.2 inches longer than on the G-Class (119 inches vs. 113.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Defender is 3.3 inches wider in the front and 3.2 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the G-Class.

The Defender 130 Outbound handles at .77 G’s, while the AMG G 63 pulls only .75 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Defender 110 V8 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 3.7 seconds quicker than the G 550 (27 seconds @ .66 average G’s vs. 30.7 seconds @ .53 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Defender 110/130’s turning circle is 2.2 feet tighter than the AMG G 63’s (42.1 feet vs. 44.3 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Defender 110 OCTA has a 2.9 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the G 580 (12.7 vs. 9.8 inches), allowing the Defender to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Land Rover Defender may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs up to about 1000 pounds less than the Mercedes G-Class.

Unibody construction lowers the Defender’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 G-Class doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

The design of the Land Rover Defender amounts to more than styling. The Defender has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .38 Cd. That is significantly lower than the G-Class (.55). A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Defender get better fuel mileage.

The Defender 130 offers optional seating for 8 passengers; the G-Class can only carry 5. The Defender 90 offers optional seating for 6.

The Defender 110’s cargo area provides more volume than the G-Class.

The Defender 130’s cargo area provides more volume than the G-Class.

The Defender’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the G-Class’ (7716 vs. 7000 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Mercedes G-Class is only 7000 pounds. The Defender offers up to a 8201 lbs. towing capacity.

The Defender has a much higher standard payload capacity than the G-Class (1760 vs. 1235 lbs.).

The Defender has a much higher maximum payload capacity than the G-Class (1870 vs. 1576 lbs.).

The Defender offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The G-Class doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are optional on the Defender to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The G-Class doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Defender has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the G-Class only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The Defender’s standard side window demisters help clear frost or condensation from the side windows in the winter. The G-Class doesn’t even offer side window demisters, so the driver may have to wipe the windows from the outside to gain side vision.

Optional air conditioned front and second row seats keep the Defender’s passengers comfortable and take the sting out of hot leather in summer. The G-Class doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats in the rear.

The Defender has a 115-volt a/c outlet in the cargo area, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The G-Class doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Land Rover Defender comes in two door and four door bodystyles; the Mercedes G-Class isn’t available as a two door.

Motor Trend selected the Defender as their 2021 Sport Utility of the Year. The G-Class has never been chosen.

The Land Rover Defender outsold the Mercedes G-Class by over two to one during 2023.