Compare the2026 BMW iXVS 2025 Mercedes GLE Coupe

Both the iX and GLE Coupe have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The iX has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The GLE Coupe’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The BMW iX 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 Coupe doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The iX’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 Coupe.

The BMW iX’s optional Surround View offers available integrated front and rear camera washers, ensuring clear, all-weather visibility without the need for manual cleaning. In contrast, the Mercedes GLE Coupe lacks camera washers, requiring you to manually clean the cameras for optimal performance.

Both the iX and the GLE Coupe have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, all wheel drive, 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 and available around view monitors.

The BMW iX weighs 452 to 734 pounds more than the Mercedes GLE Coupe. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

The iX’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the GLE Coupe’s (12 vs. 5 years).

BMW pays for scheduled maintenance on the iX for 3 years and 36,000 miles. BMW will pay for tire rotations, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Mercedes doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the GLE Coupe.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that BMW vehicles are better in initial quality than Mercedes vehicles. With 14 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks BMW higher than Mercedes.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that BMW vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks BMW above average in long-term dependability. With 13 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Mercedes is rated below average.

The iX xDrive45’s standard electric motors produces 27 more horsepower (402 vs. 375) and 147 lbs.-ft. more torque (516 vs. 369) than the GLE Coupe’s 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid. The iX xDrive60’s standard electric motors produces 161 more horsepower (536 vs. 375) and 195 lbs.-ft. more torque (564 vs. 369) than the GLE Coupe’s 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid. The iX M70’s standard electric motors produces 275 more horsepower (650 vs. 375) and 442 lbs.-ft. more torque (811 vs. 369) than the GLE Coupe’s 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid.

On the EPA test cycle the iX gets better mileage than the GLE Coupe:

The iX can travel with zero emissions for 312 to 364 miles (dependent on model). The GLE Coupe can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the BMW iX higher (10 out of 10) than the Mercedes GLE Coupe (6). This means the iX produces up to 12.9 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the GLE Coupe every 15,000 miles.

The iX M70’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The GLE Coupe doesn’t offer launch control.

The iX’s optional tires provide better handling because they have a lower 35 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the GLE Coupe’s optional 40 series front tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the iX offers optional 23-inch wheels. The GLE Coupe’s largest wheels are only 22-inches.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the iX’s wheelbase is 2.5 inches longer than on the GLE Coupe (118.1 inches vs. 115.6 inches).

The iX’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (48.6% to 51.4%) than the GLE Coupe’s (55% to 45%). This gives the iX more stable handling and braking.

The front grille of the iX 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 Coupe doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The iX has 1 inch more front headroom, .9 inches more front hip room, 2.2 inches more front shoulder room, 1.8 inches more rear headroom and .1 inches more rear hip room than the GLE Coupe.

The iX has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the GLE Coupe with its rear seat up (35.5 vs. 31.6 cubic feet). The iX has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the GLE Coupe with its rear seat folded (77.9 vs. 64.1 cubic feet).

A Trailer Stabilization Control is standard on the iX, using the Dynamic 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 Coupe.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the iX has a standard rear wiper. The GLE Coupe doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

Laser headlights, optional on the iX, produce their light by firing blue lasers through phosphorus, a process that uses one-half the power of the GLE Coupe’s LED headlights. Laser headlights can have double the range of LEDs with a much smaller surface area.

The iX has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the GLE Coupe.

The iX’s Parking Assistant can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Control Parking will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The GLE Coupe’s automatic parking system does not offer parking by remote control.