2020 BMW X7 vs. 2020 Mercedes GLS: Comparison | who is best?
Mercedes GLS
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| BMW X7 |
So when it comes to German automakers, they tend to match each other very closely That's why when BMW released the all-new three row x7 earlier this year you already knew that Mercedes would surely be hot on its heels with their all-new GLS But now that they are both out the question remains who has executed better overall Without further ado. Let's find out The first thing on the agenda is pricing and equipment Now the equipment level of these two very more than we usually like So for fairness sake we will still mention a few features that may not actually be equipped We will be viewing these models as both having $15,000 of options over the base price, which is pretty close to fully loaded All told they're priced virtually identically So beginning things here with the exterior these two could honestly not look more different from each other than they do about The only thing they share are very similar dimensions of over 200 inches in length But outside that, they operate on very different design themes BMW has chosen the bolder route with large and in-your-face. Kidney grilles accented by slender LED lights While Mercedes chose the classic grille design and full LED lights that are more normal-looking Both these models are of the luxury design themes However, the BMW still looks sporty, er thanks to its more aggressive side body lines and rear design But overall, it's definitely going to be subjective whether you prefer the more conservative and classy look or a bolder design Which is why I'm not going to award any points here Both of them have 21 inch alloys. However, the X 7s are painted black which also contributes to that bolder design Now moving past the design choices both crossovers are loaded with features like the standard height adjustable air suspension For the mirrors both have every feature that can possibly be thrown at them including blind spot monitoring on the safety front Now as far as all your other safety features As you would expect these have some of the most advanced safety features available in the entire industry So in addition to your usual forward emergency braking Lane Keeping Assist adaptive cruise control and auto high beam headlights Both also come equipped with low-speed autonomous highway systems to take the stress off the driver Next we have the warranties which are both 4-year/50,000 mile for basic and powertrain, but Mercedes does not do complimentary maintenance at all while BMW does three years and Finally in regards to the maximum towing the two are very close to each other at 7,500 and 7,700 lbs in the GLS Which is below our five percent point threshold But that pretty much wraps up the exterior, so now let's see which cabin spoils the passengers the most So walking up to the vehicles both are obviously going to have smart entry systems, but you'll notice on the BMW We have the optional display key While it is cool realistically all the features it gives you are also in BMWs and Mercedes respective applications Now checking out the interiors they are vastly different just like the exterior on the Mercedes We have a clean design finished in black leather and accented by real grey Lindenwood Our BMW on the other hand has a much more colorful cabin featuring cognac vernasca leather and high-gloss walnut wood trim as Far as the seats themselves both have more ways of adjustment than one can count plus heating ventilation and massaging Beyond the seats both interiors offer absolutely amazing material selections On the GLS. We have a leather covered dashboard and then we have generous use of the wood all through the middle portions and Of course, all the lower areas are also covered in leather the BMW also features a full leather upper - and through the middle there is generous use of real wood and aluminum The two are pretty much the same however the x7 will get the edge for having the uber luxurious touch of all glass controls As you can see both come with fully customizable digital gauges however, the new MBUX system has the edge here since it allows for a lot more customized ability inside of three different sections of Course it pretty much goes without saying that both have power adjusting heated and leather wrapped steering wheels Complete with power shifters on the back and rain sensing wipers controls Now Mercedes and BMW are known for liking to match each other very closely and indeed with the storage It looks like they follow the same template They both have wireless phone charging USB type-c ports and heated and cooled cupholders Heading to the shifters both have electronic ones but in totally different locations and when it reverse both will pull up 360-degree camera systems That being said BMW system has an extra trick up its sleeve Since it has the ability to go into a drone like view and spin around the vehicle And now that brings us to our audio systems. So let's take a sample Overall both these sound systems sound fantastic Now the next thing to look at are the climate controls I like that both are controlled via physical knobs almost exclusively besides for a few extra functions like the fragrance systems The one problem with the x7 though, is that the buttons it uses are very small, especially To adjust the temperature up and down which is why the GLS is a little bit better here Another small ergonomic nitpick is that the x7 seat heating and ventilation share the same button thus requiring you press a second virtual button But now that brings us to the brands brand new infotainment systems first off these are very complicated systems So we will just be looking at the surface details With the new iDrive 7.0 system You have a twelve point three inch display that can be controlled four different ways the touch screen controller knob gesture or through the advanced voice assistant The all-new MBUX system in the GLS also has a 12.3 inch display and it can be controlled in these same ways Beyond the standard navigation systems with the Mercedes you have standard android auto and apple carplay while BMW only has apple carplay and BMW also makes you pay a subscription to keep apple carplay after the first year that Being said though the X7's carplay system can run wirelessly, which is something Mercedes has not rolled out yet Finally ending the front both have giant panoramic sunroof Now checking out their rear seats we don't have exact dimensions for both of them, but they do feel pretty much the same Both seats are actually power adjusting but our Mercedes does not have the optional seat feeding Digging into the rear features both have power Sunshades as well as two more zones of climate and vents in the center and on the pillar Both also have two USB ports, but the GLS also throws in a household outlet Now moving back to the third row both have fully automated seat folding processes Which we did totally mess up on the BMW, but rest assure it does work Legroom once again is roughly even and we're looking at the same kind of amenities with vents and USB ports The BMW has the advantage though because as eclipse, it has both a fifth zone of climate and heated third row seats Plus BMW also throws in a special moonroof for just the third row Now moving on to utility we don't have full measurements for every single configuration But as far as maximum cargo volume the x7 does have the edge with ninety point four cubic feet versus eighty four point seven cubic feet All right, so we still have a close race so now let's get under the hoods and see how they drive So heading out onto the road in these two you'll find that they have two very different ways of coming to similar results BMW uses a traditional setup with a three litre turbo inline six while Mercedes also uses a three liter inline six but with an extra mild hybrid component this gives it more horsepower at 365 versus 335 horsepower in the x7 and a similar advantage for torque as well Alright so we just got a little Short initial takeoff here than the GLS But power is definitely Feels really good right from the start. They're remarkably good Power feels really good. That was kind of like a I don't know what you wanna call it rolling start Yeah, you don't find this engine flat anywhere and the power is available to you as you need it So first taking off in the BMW x7 I'm saying definitely an impressive how it takes off. I was not even pressing the throttle very much at all as a matter of fact and It really has a lot of grunt for sure right off the line Both put down power through extremely smooth shifting 8 and 9 speed automatic transmissions and advanced all-wheel drive systems But one important drivetrain difference is the GLS is ability to have an advanced auto start/stop system Thanks to that mild hybrid setup Because of this it can engage more frequently operate with uncanny smoothness and even go into a coasting mode before stopping Alright now if you're paying attention you will notice that The auto start/stop engages before you come to a complete stop That's what I was talking about And the powertrain where I was taught at the advanced auto start/stop system This basically has a coasting ability So as you come to a stop and you're coasting down the engine power is off and it powers off when it's not needed That's because it has the battery power to go off now That does save fuel But it's tremendously smooth yeah, it all just works together in a way that you can't feel it and By having the engine turn off while you're still even in motion. It just blends it Seamlessly and then when I take back off I'm going to start the battery power is going to be the first thing that kicks in Yeah, we talked extensively about this in the g le review and like drew mentioned. This is the same powertrain. I Seriously hold that as the best auto start/stop system in the entire automotive industry and I the same is true here Find it you just don't feel anything. It's hard to describe how good it is You may have experienced different types of auto start-stop systems and vehicles That you don't have written in Really until you experienced this set up here in this GLS and the goe You can't really understand how smooth it is like it is truly imperceptible As far as driving dynamics are concerned as you would expect the BMW has more of a sport emphasis It is surprisingly button down feeling when rounding corners and the steering is definitely more dialed in than the GLS Around that corner there You can immediately tell just how good the handling is. Yeah This is a huge vehicle. So obviously don't expect it to drive like an exotic sports car or anything, but boy it feels a Surprisingly buttoned-down for something so big, you know, usually when you get in a vehicle like this, it's a big lumbering You know monstrosity but I have to say this definitely has a much more manageable feel than I expected Yet honestly Riding along even in the passenger seat you can tell the huge difference like between this and an Escalade even though they are technically competitors the Escalade is just a big vehicle and Well, this car does not feel nearly as big in it Like you said, it doesn't have the body roll or anything that that car does But I mean it actually feels surprisingly agile For its size. The steering is really quite responsive as you can see it responds really fast there's something so big and it really doesn't have It's a little touch of numbness. Of course, the steering is on the lighter side That's not to say that the GLS is sloppy since it Definitely is not it's just to say that it's more luxury focused which is also why it's bride is softer in out really comfortable, you know, I'm just kind of trying to take this in for a second because you know we're cruising down 40/45 miles an hour and I mean almost no car on the light no cars on the market have like the level of isolation that Right now I feel like I am completely isolated from everyone and everything around me like I can't hear a car have you know anything I mean, no traffic a Helicopter went over it is the second to go couldn't hear it. You could just see it couldn't hear it And finally, the last thing to mention is the fuel economy oddly enough the mild hybrid GLS actually comes in a little bit below the X7 at 21 combined versus 22 combined though. That's not a big enough difference for a point Well guys that's where we're going to finish up this comparison video as you can probably tell these two crossovers do an outstanding job at delivering the full flagship experience at The end of the day what it's really going to boil down to is personal taste So make sure you check them both out in person before making a buying decision Anyways, thanks for joining us on another car confections comparison and be sure to subscribe for more comparisons and our signature Full Review videos Take care
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