2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE vs 2021 Chevrolet Traverse

The 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE had a somewhat underwhelming exterior design. Despite its aggressive nose and sloping hood, the vehicle's styling seemed to lose its edge past the A-pillar, making it almost indistinguishable from its predecessors. The flat taillights and contoured rear helped mitigate its minivan-like appearance, but it still lacked the pitch-perfect proportions seen in competitors like BMW, Audi, and Jaguar. Even in AMG trim, the GLE struggled to match the visual appeal of rivals such as the BMW X5 M and Porsche Cayenne Turbo.

However, the interior of the GLE was a different story. Mercedes made significant improvements, creating a masterpiece of quality, layout, colors, and textures. The red and black interior of the tested GLE Coupe was both loud and luxurious, surpassing even Porsche and Audi in opulence. The twin arching grab handles, LED lighting, and a mix of wood, metal, leather, and suede made the interior a delight to experience. Despite some flimsy gear selectors and turn signal stalks, the GLE exuded a sense of pampering, especially when optioned with high-end features.

The 2021 Chevrolet Traverse had a more traditional SUV look, with a tall roof, chunky wheel arches, and a big grille. While its exterior design was generic, it was clean and handsome, more so than the Toyota Highlander or Hyundai Palisade. The Traverse's restrained styling allowed for distinct cosmetic elements across different trim levels. The RS model featured blacked-out trim, while the High Country model had chrome accents. The base Traverse L came with 18-inch wheels, with 20-inch wheels available on higher trims.

Underneath, the Traverse shared a platform with the Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia, and Cadillac XT6, but it aimed for a more blue-collar feel. The interior mirrored the exterior's restrained styling, with the standout feature being the optional Dual SkyScape two-panel sunroof. Materials in the higher-level RS tester were fairly good but not quite up to the $50,000 MSRP. Despite this, the Traverse offered substantial cargo space, with 23.0 cubic feet behind the third row, 57.8 cubic feet with the third row stowed, and 98.2 cubic feet with all rear seats folded.

The 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE excelled as a multi-purpose vehicle, thanks to its complex suspension and engine setup. The base GLE 350 used a coil-sprung setup, while the GLE 450 featured self-leveling air springs with adaptive dampers. The AMG Ride Control+ and E-Active Body Control systems offered advanced features like roll stabilization and the ability to lean into turns. The AMG GLE 53 Coupe had an electric supercharger for instant throttle response, while the GLE 580 and AMG GLE 63 S offered even more power with twin-turbo V8 engines.

Every GLE except the base model was a hybrid, featuring a 48-volt battery that powered an electric motor-generator. This setup provided up to 21 additional horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque for brief periods, improving the auto stop-start system and overall driving experience. The GLE 350 had 255 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque, while the GLE 450 offered 362 hp and 369 lb-ft. The AMG GLE 53 had 429 hp and 384 lb-ft, the GLE 580 had 483 hp and 516 lb-ft, and the AMG GLE 63 S topped the range with 603 hp and 627 lb-ft. All GLE models could tow up to 7,700 pounds, and the driving experience was exceptional, with amazing ride quality and perfect steering.

The 2021 Chevrolet Traverse was powered by a 3.6-liter V6 engine producing 310 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque, paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission. While the V6 didn't feel particularly strong off the line, it provided ample power for highway merging and overtaking. The nine-speed automatic performed well overall, though it occasionally had rough shifts.

The Traverse impressed with its highway road manners, offering a quiet cabin and bump-absorbing suspension. However, it lacked agility on twistier roads, partly due to its AWD system, which required manual activation. The system could send up to 50% of torque to either front wheel or 85% to either rear wheel, but this capability wasn't fully felt from behind the wheel. The Traverse had off-road and tow/haul drive modes, with a maximum towing capacity of 5,000 pounds, which was average for the segment.

The 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE was primarily a roomy two-row SUV, with an optional third row for seating up to seven. The second-row seats had power controls for recline, fore-aft, and headrest adjustments, and could slide and fold for easier access to the third row. The GLE Coupe, however, was limited to five seats, with less cargo capacity due to its sloping roofline. The standard GLE offered 34 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second row and 75 cubic feet with all rows folded, while the Coupe had 23 and 61 cubic feet, respectively.

The GLE's usability was enhanced by the new MBUX infotainment system, which featured a single touchpad and a simplified interface. Seat controls on the doors, rocker switches on the center console, and shortcuts for driving modes on the steering wheel were all easy to use. However, the thumbpads on the steering wheel were fussier. Overall, the GLE's interior was less complicated than its predecessor but still required some setup time.

The 2021 Chevrolet Traverse offered seating for seven or eight, depending on the second-row configuration. Headroom and legroom in all three rows were above average, with heated front seats standard on the RS trim and ventilated front seats and heated outboard rear seats available on higher trims. The Traverse excelled in cargo space, offering 23.0 cubic feet with all three rows in place, 57.8 cubic feet with the third row stowed, and 98.2 cubic feet with all rear seats folded. A power liftgate was optional on the LT Cloth trim and standard on higher trims, with a gesture-activated liftgate available on the Premier and High Country models.

Despite its large size, the Traverse was somewhat stingy on interior storage options, a common issue among midsize three-row crossovers. Minivans offered better practicality for carrying lots of people or cargo, with their low floors and sliding doors providing easier loading and unloading.

The 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE featured a 12-inch touchscreen with Interior Assistant, which could read certain hand gestures. The system allowed for easy control of various functions, including seat massage settings and navigation. The AMG models had a Track Pace app for virtual pit crew functions and GPS lap timing. The GLE also offered features like Seat Kinetics, which made small adjustments to the seat as you drove, and a head-up display with customizable layouts. The ambient lighting had 64 colors, and the navigation system could overlay arrows and street names on the front camera feed. Standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a natural voice assistant, and semi-automated functionality were also available.

The 2021 Chevrolet Traverse came with a standard 7-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, and Bluetooth. Higher trims offered an 8-inch touchscreen, navigation, a 4G-LTE WiFi hotspot, and a Bose 10-speaker audio system. The Traverse's infotainment system was easy to use, with large smartphone-like icons and analog controls for audio volume and climate control. The Traverse also featured a rearview camera mirror and an optional HD surround-view camera system. Standard USB ports for each row and wireless phone charging on higher trims added to the vehicle's tech offerings.

The 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE earned the Top Safety Pick+ rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for its top scores in six crash tests, headlights, and standard forward emergency braking. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) had not rated the GLE. Standard safety features included blind-spot monitoring and a driver attention monitor, while optional features included adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, evasive steering assist, front cross-traffic braking, and semi-automated control. The GLE also had Pre-Safe Sound, which played a "pink noise" to reduce hearing damage in a crash, and Pre-Safe Impulse Side, which could inflate the side bolsters of the front seats to better position occupants during a side impact.

The 2021 Chevrolet Traverse received top "Good" scores in all crash tests from the IIHS, as well as a "Superior" rating for front-crash prevention tech. However, it received "Acceptable" and "Poor" headlight ratings and an "Acceptable" rating for LATCH child-seat anchor ease of use. The NHTSA gave the Traverse a five-star overall safety rating, with four stars in frontal and rollover crash tests and five stars in side-impact crash tests. Chevy offered less standard driver-assist tech than competitors, with adaptive cruise control only available on the top High Country trim. Other optional features included automatic emergency braking, forward-collision warning, lane-keep assist, lane-departure warning, automatic high beams, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert.