Compare the2026 Toyota 4Runner VS 2026 Mercedes GLE

The Toyota 4Runner 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.

With its standard Toyota Safety Sense 3.0, the Toyota 4Runner is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Mercedes GLE, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

	4Runner	GLE
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Crossing Child - DAY
12 MPH	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 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
37 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
Warning Issued-Brights	2 sec	1.8 sec
37 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-8 MPH
Warning Issued-Low beams	2.3 sec	.9 sec

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Toyota 4Runner achieved a “Good” rating - the highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Mercedes GLE has not been tested.

The 4Runner’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 Toyota 4Runner comes with a standard Panoramic View/Multi-Terrain Monitor and it also offers an optional rear camera washer to make backing always safe, regardless of road dirt or grime, while the Mercedes GLE doesn’t offer a camera washer, requiring manual cleaning.

Both the 4Runner 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 four-wheel drive and around view monitors.

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 4189-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Toyota 4Runner is safer than the GLE:

	4Runner	GLE
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	30	50
Neck Tension	89 lbs.	201 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.43 in	.87 in
Torso Max Deflection	.79 in	1.34 in
Torso Deflection Rate	5 MPH	6 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	446 lbs.	1026 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	51	232
Neck Tension	67 lbs.	89 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Torso Deflection Rate	4 MPH	7 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	424 lbs.	1116 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

Toyota’s powertrain warranty covers the 4Runner 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.

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the 4Runner for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Mercedes doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the GLE.

There are over 3 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Mercedes dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the 4Runner’s warranty.

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 4Runner’s reliability 54 points higher than the GLE.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than Mercedes vehicles. With 10 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Toyota higher than Mercedes.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota fourth in reliability, above the industry average. With 81 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mercedes is ranked 28th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2026 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota first in overall reliability. Mercedes is ranked 19th.

As tested in Motor Trend the Toyota 4Runner turbo 4 cyl. is faster than the GLE 350 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder:

	4Runner	GLE
Zero to 60 MPH	7.3 sec	7.6 sec
Quarter Mile	15.6 sec	15.8 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	91.3 MPH	87.5 MPH

On the EPA test cycle the 4Runner gets better mileage than the GLE running its gasoline engine:

			MPG
4Runner
	AWD	2.4 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	23 city/24 hwy
		SR5/TRD Sport 2.4 turbo 4-cyl.	19 city/25 hwy
		Limited 2.4 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/24 hwy
GLE
	AWD	350 2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	19 city/26 hwy
		3.0 turbo 6-cyl. Hybrid	19 city/25 hwy
		4.0 turbo V8 Hybrid	15 city/20 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Toyota 4Runner uses regular unleaded gasoline. The GLE requires premium, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The 4Runner has 1.8 gallons more fuel capacity than the GLE 450e’s standard fuel tank (19 vs. 17.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

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

The 4Runner stops shorter than the GLE:

	4Runner	GLE
70 to 0 MPH	170 feet	174 feet	Car and Driver

The Toyota 4Runner’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Mercedes GLE only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The 4Runner 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.

The 4Runner offers an active front sway bar, which helps keep it flat and controlled during cornering, but disconnects at lower speeds to smooth the ride and offer greater off-road suspension articulation. This helps keep the tires glued to the road on-road and off. The GLE doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the 4Runner is 1.1 inches wider in the front and .4 inches wider in the rear than the track on the GLE.

The 4Runner’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (49.4% to 50.6%) than the GLE’s (53.5% to 46.5%). This gives the 4Runner more stable handling and braking.

For greater off-road capability the 4Runner SR5 has a greater minimum ground clearance than the GLE (8.1 vs. 7.9 inches), allowing the 4Runner to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The 4Runner Trailhunter/TRD Pro’s minimum ground clearance is .9 inch higher than on the GLE Airmatic (10.1 vs. 9.2 inches).

The Toyota 4Runner may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 250 to 350 pounds less than the Mercedes GLE.

The 4Runner has 1.5 inches more front legroom and .9 inches more rear headroom than the GLE.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the 4Runner’s middle and third row seats recline. The GLE’s third row seats don’t recline.

The 4Runner’s cargo area provides more volume than the GLE.

	4Runner	GLE
Third Seat Folded	44.8 cubic feet	n/a
Third Seat Removed	48.4 cubic feet	33.3 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	84.4 cubic feet	74.9 cubic feet

The 4Runner’s cargo area is larger than the GLE’s in almost every dimension:

	4Runner	GLE
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	10”/41.5”/65”	n.a./40”/76.5”
Max Width	56”	n/a
Min Width	44”	43.7”
Height	40.1”	35.5”

The 4Runner has a standard third row seat which folds flat into the floor. This completely clears a very large cargo area quickly. The GLE doesn’t offer seats that fold into the floor.

The 4Runner’s rear cargo window opens separately from the rest of the liftgate door to allow quicker loading of small packages. The GLE’s rear cargo window doesn’t open.

A Trailer Sway Control (TSC) is standard on the 4Runner, using the Enhanced Vehicle Stability Control 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.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the 4Runner 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® recommends the Toyota 4Runner, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Mercedes GLE isn't recommended.

The Toyota 4Runner outsold the Mercedes GLE by 39% during 2025.