Compare the2025 Audi Q8VS 2025 Mercedes GLE

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Ergonomics

Safety

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Both the Q8 and GLE have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Q8 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’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.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Q8. But it costs extra on the GLE.

A passive infrared night vision system optional on the Q8 Prestige helps the driver to more easily detect people, animals or other objects in front of the vehicle at night. Using an infrared camera to detect heat, the system then displays the image on a monitor in the dashboard. The GLE doesn’t offer a night vision system.

The Q8’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.

Both the Q8 and the GLE have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact 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 and available around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Audi Q8 is safer than the Mercedes GLE:

	Q8	GLE
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Stress	120 lbs.	125 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	47/47 lbs.	401/438 lbs.

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

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 Audi Q8 is safer than the Mercedes GLE:

	Q8	GLE
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.7 inches
Abdominal Force	128 lbs.	151 lbs.
Hip Force	260 lbs.	287 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	593 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 Audi Q8 is safer than the GLE:

	Q8	GLE
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Torso Max Deflection	.94 in	1.34 in
Torso Deflection Rate	5 MPH	6 MPH
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	937 lbs.	1026 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	40	232
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	803 lbs.	1116 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

Warranty

The Q8’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the GLE’s (12 vs. 5 years).

Reliability

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 10 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

Engine

The Q8’s 3.0 turbo V6 hybrid produces 80 more horsepower (335 vs. 255) and 74 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 295) than the GLE 350’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Motor Trend the Audi Q8 is faster than the GLE 350 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder:

	Q8	GLE
Zero to 60 MPH	5.9 sec	7.6 sec
Quarter Mile	14.4 sec	15.8 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	97.6 MPH	87.5 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Q8 gets better fuel mileage than the GLE 580 4.0 turbo V8 Hybrid running its gasoline engine (17 city/23 hwy vs. 15 city/20 hwy).

The Q8 has 5.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the GLE 450e’s standard fuel tank (22.5 vs. 17.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Q8 has larger tires than the GLE (285/45R21 vs. 255/50R19).

The Q8’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the GLE’s standard 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Q8 has standard 21-inch wheels. Smaller 19-inch wheels are standard on the GLE.

Suspension and Handling

The Q8 Prestige handles at .83 G’s, while the GLE 350 4MATIC pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Q8 Prestige executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.3 seconds quicker than the GLE 350 4MATIC (26.9 seconds @ .69 average G’s vs. 28.2 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

Passenger Space

The Q8 has 1.3 inches more front legroom, .2 inches more front shoulder room, 1.2 inches more rear headroom and .2 inches more rear shoulder room than the GLE.

Ergonomics

Laser headlights, standard on the Q8 Prestige, produce their light by firing blue lasers through phosphorus, a process that uses one-half the power of the GLE’s LED headlights. Laser headlights can have double the range of LEDs with a much smaller surface area.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The Q8 has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The GLE doesn’t offer headlight washers.

A manual rear sunshade is optional in the Q8 and power rear side window sunshades are optional in the Q8 (except Premium) to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The GLE doesn’t offer a rear sunshade.

The Q8 Prestige’s Park Assist Plus can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Park Assist Plus will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The GLE’s automatic parking system does not offer parking by remote control.

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