Compare the2025 Honda PilotVS 2025 Mercedes GLE

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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The Honda Pilot has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags help prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The GLE doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Pilot deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Pilot’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The GLE’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

With its standard Collision Mitigation Braking System, the Honda Pilot is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Mercedes GLE, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

	Pilot	GLE
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Crossing Child - DAY
12 MPH	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
	Crossing Adult - NIGHT
12 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
12 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-23 MPH
	Parallel Adult - NIGHT
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-24 MPH
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-22 MPH
Warning Issued-Brights	2.4 sec	1.8 sec
37 MPH Low beams	-28 MPH	-8 MPH
Warning Issued-Low beams	1.6 sec	.9 sec

The Pilot’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.

The Honda Pilot’s Multi-View Camera System offers available integrated front and rear camera washers, ensuring clear, all-weather visibility without the need for manual cleaning. In contrast, the Mercedes GLE lacks camera washers, requiring you to manually clean the cameras for optimal performance.

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

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Honda Pilot is safer than the Mercedes GLE:

	Pilot	GLE
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.6 inches	.7 inches
Abdominal Force	59 lbs.	151 lbs.
Hip Force	276 lbs.	287 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	100	103
Spine Acceleration	39 G’s	40 G’s
Hip Force	540 lbs.	677 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	10 inches	12 inches
Spine Acceleration	34 G’s	35 G’s
Hip Force	444 lbs.	615 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Honda Pilot is safer than the GLE:

	Pilot	GLE
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	31	50
Neck Tension	112 lbs.	201 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.67 in	.87 in
Torso Max Deflection	.59 in	1.34 in
Torso Deflection Rate	5 MPH	6 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	335 lbs.	1026 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	101	232
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Torso Deflection Rate	6 MPH	7 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	513 lbs.	1116 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

Warranty

Honda’s powertrain warranty covers the Pilot 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Mercedes covers the GLE. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the GLE ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 3 times as many Honda dealers as there are Mercedes dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Pilot’s warranty.

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Pilot’s reliability 29 points higher than the GLE.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Honda above average in initial quality. With 25 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mercedes is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes With 12 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Honda higher than Mercedes.

Engine

The Pilot’s 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 30 more horsepower (285 vs. 255) than the GLE 350’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Motor Trend the Honda Pilot is faster than the GLE 350 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder:

	Pilot	GLE
Zero to 60 MPH	6.9 sec	7.6 sec
Quarter Mile	15.3 sec	15.8 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	91.6 MPH	87.5 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Pilot gets better mileage than the GLE running its gasoline engine:

			MPG
Pilot
	AWD	3.5 DOHC V6	19 city/25 hwy
		TrailSport 3.5 DOHC V6	18 city/23 hwy
GLE
	AWD	4.0 turbo V8 Hybrid	15 city/20 hwy

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Pilot’s fuel efficiency. The GLE doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Honda Pilot uses regular unleaded gasoline. The GLE requires premium, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Pilot has 1.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the GLE 450e’s standard fuel tank (18.5 vs. 17.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Pilot has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The GLE doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Honda Pilot higher (6 out of 10) than the Mercedes GLE (4 to 6). This means the Pilot produces up to 12.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the GLE every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

A 10-speed automatic is standard on the Honda Pilot, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a nine-speed automatic is available for the GLE.

Tires and Wheels

The Pilot has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The GLE doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Pilot TrailSport has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the GLE; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

Suspension and Handling

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Pilot is 1.8 inches wider in the front and 1.2 inches wider in the rear than the track on the GLE.

The Pilot TrailSport handles at .85 G’s, while the GLE 450 pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Pilot Elite executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the GLE 350 4MATIC (27.7 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 28.2 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Pilot TrailSport’s turning circle is 1.7 feet tighter than the GLE’s (37.7 feet vs. 39.4 feet). The Pilot’s turning circle is 1.6 feet tighter than the GLE’s (37.8 feet vs. 39.4 feet).

Chassis

The Honda Pilot may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 500 to 1050 pounds less than the Mercedes GLE.

To almost totally eliminate engine vibration in the passenger area, the Pilot has an electronically controlled liquid-filled main engine mount. A computer-controlled electric current in the liquid changes its viscosity, allowing the mount to dampen the engine completely at all RPMs. The GLE uses conventional solid rubber engine mounts.

The front grille of the Pilot uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The GLE doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Pilot uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The GLE doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Pilot offers optional seating for 8 passengers; the GLE can only carry up to 7.

The Pilot has .7 inches more front legroom, 2.6 inches more front shoulder room, 3.3 inches more rear headroom and 3.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the GLE.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Pilot’s middle and third row seats recline. The GLE’s third row seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

The Pilot’s cargo area is larger than the GLE’s in almost every dimension:

	Pilot	GLE
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	19.4”/51.3”/84.2”	n.a./40”/76.5”
Max Width	57.6”	n/a
Min Width	44.7”	43.7”
Height	33.9”	35.5”

Towing

A Trailer Stability Assist is standard on the Pilot, using the Vehicle Stability Assist sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. A trailer sway program costs extra on the GLE.

Servicing Ease

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Honda service is better than Mercedes. J.D. Power ranks Honda 7th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 7% lower rating, Mercedes is ranked 14th.

Ergonomics

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

Consumer Reports rated the Pilot’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the GLE’s headlights, which were rated “Poor.”

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Honda Pilot, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Mercedes GLE isn't recommended.

The Honda Pilot outsold the Mercedes GLE by over two to one during 2024.

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