Range Rover vs. Mercedes: A Complete Brand Comparison
Mercedes-Benz and Land Rover make some of the most expensive luxury cars on the market right now. A great top-of-the-line Mercedes or Land Rover costs north of $100,000—a price a lot of brand loyalists will readily pay for—but what kind of value does that price net you?
That’s exactly what we’re about to find out in this post. We’ll be comparing Range Rover and Mercedes cars and helping you decide which luxury brand offers you the better deal for your money. When it comes to analyzing Range Rover vs. Mercedes, you’ll be an expert in no time.
Prestige
Range Rover and Mercedes cars are widely known as some of the most prestigious cars of the 20th century. Between their rich histories and contribution to the automotive industry, it can be difficult to decide which brand has more prestige.
Originally a subsidiary of the Rover motor company, the Range Rover we know today began with a single model line: the Road Rover. It was the English company’s attempt to break into the growing 4x4 market that was then dominated by the Ford Bronco, Jeep Waggoner, and other cars of that time.
Rover was determined to outperform the competition and had engineers Spen King and Bashford working on the Road Rover, releasing prototypes from 1955 to 1958. It wasn’t until 1966 that the company began rounding up their designs for the Road Rover that they changed the official name to Range Rover.
The Range Rover was officially launched in 1970 and was a massive success. It combined the raw power and rugged flexibility of a typical 4x4 with the luxury and trim of some of the best luxury sedans of the time.
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The original Range Rovers were powered by Buick V8 engines and had the suspension of a powerful 4x4, air-conditioned interiors, vinyl, carpeted floors, and power steering. They were widely lauded as a universal icon of progressive engineering. In later models, the Rover company doubled down on every feature that made the original Range Rover special.
The first generation of the classic Rover was so successful they continued production until 1996. The second generation started production in 1994, the third in 2001, the fourth in 2012, and the fifth in 2022.
Mercedes started much earlier than most other Luxury car manufacturers. The roots of the company can be traced back to Karl Benz. His creation of the Benz Motorwagen— the first road car to feature an internal combustion engine– sowed the roots of the Mercedes automobile. Karl Benz and his partner, Gottlieb Daimler, Wilhelm Maybach, and Emil Jellinek marketed their first automobile to the elites of Europe and America under Daimler-Motoren-Gesellschaft (DMG).
Through the early 20th century, Mercedes-Benz was responsible for many of the innovations we find in modern cars today. They invented the carburetor, drop chassis, the first diesel-powered passenger cars, ABS, airbags, Electronic stability program, brake assists, traction control systems, and so much more.
Between their two subsidiaries, Mercedes-AMG and Daimler Maybach boast of over 12 car lines. Mercedes-AMG is responsible for some of the fastest sedan and formula-one cars in the world, and their Maybachs are at the peak of luxury.
Range Rover vs. Mercedes: Performance and Technology
Mercedes and Range Rover cars are famous for their technological accomplishment in the automotive industry. In comparing Range Rover vs. Mercedes, how do their tech specs stack up?
Mercedes-Benz makes world-class engines that cut across motorsports, sedans, commercial cars, gasoline, diesel, and EVs industries. They are also well known for their advanced suspension system, braking, and electrical systems.
Mercedes was the first to offer their customers a 6x6 off-road car, inflatable tires, a formula one-engine in a hypercar, and an onboard virtual assistant.
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Range Rover’s accomplishments pale in comparison but are remarkable for their niche luxury-off road, adventuring market they operate.
Land Rover’s Range Rover classic is the SUV to feature All-Wheel Drive and a V8 engine. Their 2013 Evoque was rated for nearly 2-feet of safe driving underwater, and the Range Rover released alongside was also the first car to feature an aluminum unibody. As far back as 2006, they offered adaptive air suspension on their cars, which allowed them to adapt to both on-and-off-road situations. Their 2022 Range Rover is expected to arrive with Adaptive Cruise Control, a Head-Up Display, touch steering features, a dedicated mobile app, and the latest off-roading features.
Range Rover vs. Mercedes: Price
When comparing Range Rover vs. Mercedes, which brand offers more value for the price? On average, Range Rovers are more expensive than Mercedes GLS SUVs on comparable specifications and pricing. For example, the base 2022 Land Rover Range Rover Sport starts at $70,900, $19,000 more than a 2022 Mercedes-Benz GLE-SUV Class SUV, and ships out with a weaker engine.
The Mercedes GLE comes with a 2.0L Turbo Inline-4 Gas Engine that generates 255 at 5800 RPM, while the Range Rover Sport has a 3.0L Turbo inline - 6 Gas Inline Engine that generates 355 hp at 5500 RPM.
On the highest specifications, the disparity between price and value only grows. The Range Rover Sport with a V8 Supercharged SVR Carbon Edition costs $132,000, while the GLE 580 4MATIC SUV costs $75,800. Granted, the Range Rover provides a better engine and a larger tank, but it hardly justifies the nearly-double price hike.
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Range Rover vs. Mercedes: Model Line Up
When comparing Range Rover vs. Mercedes in terms of their available model options, which offers more variety?
Discounting their discontinued model lines, Range Rover currently offers 7 cars:
- The 2022 Range Rover
- The Range Rover Sport
- Range Rover Velar
- Range Rover Evoque
- Range Rover Discovery
- Range Rover Discovery Sport
- Range Rover Defender
Mercedes provides a more robust vehicle selection for buyers shopping for Luxury Sedans, Sports cars, Performance Sedans, SUVs, Off-road cars, Hatchbacks, Vans, etc. Mercedes has over 12 car model lines currently in operation. Limiting the comparison to just SUVs, Mercedes offers:
- The GLA SUV
- The GLB SUV
- The GLC SUV
- The GLC Coupe
- The Mercedes-Maybach GLS SUV
- G-Class SUV
Range Rover vs. Mercedes: Maintenance, Repairs, and Warranty
Although Mercedes’s SUV line is fairly young—started as recently as 2015—they make some of the most reliable commercial SUVs on the market. Repairpal.com rates Mercedes-Benz 3.0 over 5.0 for reliability, and the brand scores 3.75 rating from Consumer reports.
While the score is considerably higher than most luxury car manufacturers, Mercedes does have a history of breaking down when not properly maintained. Their electrical systems, in particular, are known to glitch, malfunction, or fail. According to Mercedes-Benz of Henderson, it costs car owners somewhere under $1000 to maintain their Mercedes yearly, and YourMechanic estimates a typical repair can cost you anywhere from $95 to $7824.
Range Rover scored lower on RepairPal’s reliability rating, placing 15th out of the 17th cars in the comparison. Range Rover was also named one of the most unreliable cars to use by the Daily Mail.
Like the Mercedes, Range Rover cars are also famous for their electrical system failures and malfunctions, especially on the higher-tier models. However, unlike the Mercedes, Range Rovers routinely have problems with their air suspension, electrical system, parking brakes, as well as leaks from their sunroof and Windshield. YourMechanic estimates that it costs anywhere between $95 and $5955 to repair a Range Rover.
Range Rover and Mercedes have very different Warranty packages available. They both provide the basic New Limited and Powertrain warranties but vary in their offerings on their higher levels. Depending on the dealership and Insurance company you acquired the Range Rover car from, you might be able to purchase a Corrosion Perforation Warranty, Standard Battery Warranty, Hybrid Battery Warranty, Wear Item, and Adjustment Warranties.
Mercedes-Benz, in contrast, offers a prepaid maintenance package, Extended and Electrical Warranties to new car owners.
Range Rover vs. Mercedes: The Bottom Line
When comparing Range Rover vs. Mercedes in terms of their entire brand offerings, we find that Mercedes-Benz seems to provide a better automobile experience across categories. While Range Rovers are, without a doubt, wonderful cars, they are not worth the $100,000 to $200,000 they cost. If money’s no object, we say take whichever brand appeals to your sensibilities the most—both brands offer luxurious and amazing automobiles.
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