6,000 Mile Update

VS

A few months ago, following my accident(s) on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, I decided to get a new car. Well, it has been nearly two months and over 6,000 miles since I made the leap from my repaired 2015 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk to my 2016 Mercedes Benz GLC 300 4Matic and, so far, the results have been great. To do a direct comparison on every aspect of these vehicles would be a disservice to both the Jeep and the Mercedes so I am going to stick to some of the basics based on my experiences.

The hard numbers that we can compare side mostly with the Mercedes with the only exceptions being that of maintenance and fuel costs which are, not surprisingly, higher than that of the Jeep. However, Mercedes has a clear advantage in the other categories. To be specific, I averaged about 23.5 miles per gallon combined in the Cherokee over the course of about 22,000 miles. So far, the GLC is averaging about 27.5 miles per gallon combined over this initial 6,000 mile break in period. Basically, the difference in MPG wipes out, almost exactly, the additional cost of premium versus regular gas. With a bigger gas tank and about 60 more horsepower, the GLC has the clear advantage in both of those categories as well.

Now we are going to discuss the subjective aspects of the change from one car to the other. This really comes down to personal preference but, for me, the GLC definitely has a more comfortable ride which is to be expected given the two manufacturers. And since 90-95% of my driving is on the highway this is hugely important. But it is not just more comfortable for me behind the wheel, both my wife and my son have noticed a difference in how the car rides and how much more interior space we have in the GLC over the Cherokee. However, I will say that the Cherokee is a superior off road vehicle but, for me and my use, that really is a non-factor at this point.

Bear in mind that, while the perception of these two brands is completely different, when compared with nearly the same equipment in each (obviously the Mercedes has more things that are standard) the price difference is nominal, about $1,000-2,000 more for the GLC. Many of the dimensions are similar as well including height, width, clearance, and turning radius. Both are great cars but my preference is firmly with the GLC and, at this point, I would be hard pressed to switch to another brand in the future. Clearly, given the initial results and experiences, I would recommend the GLC to anyone looking for a midsized SUV.