Compare the2025 Audi Q8VS 2025 Mercedes GLE Coupe

Both the Q8 and GLE Coupe have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Q8 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 GLE Coupe’s 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.

A passive infrared night vision system optional on the Q8 Prestige helps the driver to more easily detect people, animals or other objects in front of the vehicle at night. Using an infrared camera to detect heat, the system then displays the image on a monitor in the dashboard. The GLE Coupe doesn’t offer a night vision system.

The Q8’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the GLE Coupe.

Both the Q8 and the GLE Coupe have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, 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 around view monitors.

The Audi Q8 achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The GLE Coupe has not yet been evaluated by the IIHS for 2024.

The Q8’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the GLE Coupe’s (12 vs. 5 years).

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 10 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

For better traction, the Q8 has larger tires than the GLE Coupe (285/45R21 vs. 275/50R20).

The Q8’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the GLE Coupe’s standard 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Q8 has standard 21-inch wheels. Smaller 20-inch wheels are standard on the GLE Coupe.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Q8’s wheelbase is 2.3 inches longer than on the GLE Coupe (117.9 inches vs. 115.6 inches).

The Q8 has .2 inches more front shoulder room and .3 inches more rear headroom than the GLE Coupe.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Q8’s rear seats recline. The GLE Coupe’s rear seats don’t recline.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Q8 has a standard rear wiper. The GLE Coupe doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

Laser headlights, standard on the Q8 Prestige, produce their light by firing blue lasers through phosphorus, a process that uses one-half the power of the GLE Coupe’s LED headlights. Laser headlights can have double the range of LEDs with a much smaller surface area.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The Q8 has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The GLE Coupe doesn’t offer headlight washers.

A manual rear sunshade is optional in the Q8 and power rear side window sunshades are optional in the Q8 (except Premium) to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The GLE Coupe doesn’t offer a rear sunshade.

The Q8 Prestige’s Park Assist Plus can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Park Assist Plus will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The GLE Coupe’s automatic parking system does not offer parking by remote control.