2022 Land Rover Defender vs 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE

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 was a different story. The 2021 GLE featured a redesigned, streamlined cabin that was a masterpiece of quality, layout, colors, and textures. The red and black interior 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 touch and operate.

The 2022 Land Rover Defender retained its distinctive, boxy profile, tailgate-mounted spare tire, and flat hood, visually tying it to the original version and classic Series Land Rovers. Despite these retro callbacks, the Defender's design was thoroughly modern, with rounded corners for better aerodynamics and recessed LED headlights giving it a unique personality. The modern Defender was also much larger than its predecessor, offering more interior space and better ergonomics. The interior design emphasized the Defender's rugged character without seeming cheesy, featuring a mix of leather upholstery and suede, along with bare metal and exposed screws for a different kind of look. The high-end Defender 90 V8 test car's interior was designed to handle mud and dirt better than traditional all-leather approaches, making it a practical choice for off-road enthusiasts.

The 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE excelled as a multi-purpose vehicle, offering a complex suspension and engine setup. The base GLE 350 featured a coil-sprung setup, while the GLE 450 came with AIRMATIC self-leveling air springs. The AMG Ride Control+ and E-Active Body Control systems provided advanced handling capabilities, including the ability to lean into turns like a motorcyclist. The AMG GLE 53 Coupe featured an electric supercharger for instant throttle response, while the GLE 580 and AMG GLE 63 S offered twin-turbo V8 engines with up to 603 hp and 627 lb-ft of torque. All GLE models, except the base GLE 350, were hybrids with a 48-volt battery system, providing up to 21 additional horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque. The GLE's towing capacity was impressive at 7,700 pounds, and its ride quality and steering were exceptional.

The 2022 Land Rover Defender offered three powertrains: a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 296 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque, a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six mild-hybrid powertrain with 395 hp and 406 lb-ft, and a new-for-2022 V8 engine producing 518 hp and 461 lb-ft. The V8 could accelerate the Defender 90 from zero to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds, with a top speed of 149 mph. V8 models also featured an electronic active rear differential, Dynamic drive mode, and unique transmission and suspension tuning for sportier handling. Despite its off-road capabilities, the Defender was impressively comfortable on pavement, with a suspension that absorbed bumps well and minimized noise from the massive 22-inch tires. The Defender's off-road prowess was supported by a 4WD system with low range, good approach, departure, and breakover angles, and up to 11.5 inches of ground clearance.

The 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE was a roomy two-row SUV with an optional third row, allowing seating for 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 only fit for five people and had less cargo capacity, with 23 cubic feet behind the second row and 61 cubic feet with all rows folded. The new MBUX infotainment system improved usability, featuring a single touchpad and a simplified interface. Seat controls on the doors, rocker switches for the suspension, and shortcuts for driving modes were easy to use, although the thumbpads on the steering wheel were fussier.

The 2022 Land Rover Defender offered 40/20/40 split-folding rear seats, which were surprisingly comfortable in the Defender 90 test vehicle. Accessing them was a bit of a chore, but they provided usable space and could be folded down for more cargo room. The four-door Defender 110 model was available in two-row, five-seat, and three-row, seven-seat configurations. Three-row models had 11.4 cubic feet of cargo space with all seats in place, 35.4 cubic feet with the third row folded, and 70.4 cubic feet with the second row folded. Two-row versions offered 18.1 cubic feet with the rear seats up and 51.7 cubic feet with the rear seats folded. The interior design emphasized functionality, with a large caged storage space below the dashboard and a massive center-console storage bin that could be equipped with refrigeration. Optional exterior cargo solutions included a basket-style roof rack and cargo boxes that mounted to the side pillars.

The 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE featured a 12-inch touchscreen with Interior Assistant, which could read certain hand gestures. The system included a touchpad, right thumbpad, and a simplified interface with search bars and larger type. The AMG models had a Track Pace app for virtual pit crew functions and GPS lap timing. The Seat Kinetics system made small adjustments as you drove, and the head-up display and instrument panel could be reconfigured in dozens of layouts. The ambient lighting had 64 colors, and the navigation system projected the front camera feed with overlay arrows and street names. Standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a natural voice assistant, and semi-automated functionality were also included.

The 2022 Land Rover Defender came with a standard Pivi Pro infotainment system, featuring a 10-inch central touchscreen and wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto connectivity. A 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster was standard on all trims except the base model, and an 11.4-inch touchscreen was newly available for 2022. The user interface was well-designed, with easy-to-find features and a distinctive look. Optional features included a 14-speaker Meridian audio system, head-up display, and a surround-view camera system, which was particularly useful for off-roading.

The 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE earned the Top Safety Pick+ rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for its top ratings 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 Pre-Safe Sound system played "pink noise" to reduce hearing damage in a crash, and the Pre-Safe Impulse Side system could inflate the side bolsters of the front seats to better position occupants during a side impact.

The 2022 Land Rover Defender came with standard driver-assist tech, including lane-keep assist, automatic emergency braking, and traffic-sign recognition with speed-limit adapter. Blind-spot monitoring and adaptive cruise control were optional. The IIHS and NHTSA had not published safety ratings for the Defender, which was not unusual for luxury vehicles.