Compare the2024 Mercedes GLAVS 2024 Ford Escape

The GLA’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Escape doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The GLA’s standard pretensioning seatbelts also sense rear collisions and remove slack from the seatbelts to help protect the occupants from whiplash and other injuries. The Escape doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the GLA 4MATIC’s standard Downhill Speed Regulation allows you to creep down safely. The Escape doesn’t offer Downhill Speed Regulation.

Both the GLA and the Escape have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, 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, available all wheel drive, lane departure warning systems and around view monitors.

The GLA comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Escape’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the GLA’s engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the Escape’s camshafts. If the Escape’s belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the GLA third among small premium suvs in their 2023 Initial Quality Study. The Escape isn’t in the top three in its category.

The GLA’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 41 more horsepower (221 vs. 180) and 59 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 199) than the Escape’s standard 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Mercedes GLA is faster than the Ford Escape:

	GLA	Escape turbo 3 cyl.	Escape turbo 4 cyl.
Zero to 60 MPH	6.8 sec	8.4 sec	6.9 sec
Quarter Mile	15.3 sec	16.6 sec	15.3 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	90.8 MPH	84.5 MPH	89.3 MPH

On the EPA test cycle the GLA 250 4MATIC gets better fuel mileage than the Escape 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder (24 city/32 hwy vs. 23 city/31 hwy).

Regenerative brakes improve the GLA’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Escape doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The GLA has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Escape. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

The GLA offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Escape doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The GLA stops shorter than the Escape:

	GLA	Escape
60 to 0 MPH	123 feet	128 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	135 feet	137 feet	Consumer Reports

For better traction, the GLA has larger tires than the Escape (235/55R18 vs. 225/65R17).

The GLA’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Escape’s standard 65 series tires. The GLA’s optional tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Escape’s optional 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the GLA has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Escape. The GLA’s optional 20-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels optional on the Escape.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires available on the GLA can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The Escape doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

The GLA offers an optional driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Escape’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The GLA’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Escape doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the GLA is .8 inches wider in the front and 1.4 inches wider in the rear than on the Escape.

The GLA 250 4MATIC handles at .80 G’s, while the Escape AWD pulls only .76 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The GLA 250 4MATIC executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Escape (27.8 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 28.2 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

The GLA is 6.5 inches shorter than the Escape, making the GLA easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The GLA has 2.1 inches more front hip room and 4 inches more rear hip room than the Escape.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the GLA’s rear seats recline. The Escape’s rear seats don’t recline.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the GLA’s liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Escape doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

The GLA uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Escape uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

Unlike the driver-only memory seat and mirrors optional at extra cost in the Escape, the GLA has standard driver and passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The GLA’s standard easy entry and exit feature glides the driver’s seat back, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. An easy entry system costs extra on the Escape.

The GLA’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Escape’s standard power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully. Only its driver’s window opens automatically.

If the windows are left open on the GLA the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Escape can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The GLA’s standard Keyless-Go allow you to unlock the doors from any outside door handle, open the cargo door, and start the engine, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Intelligent Access standard on the Escape doesn’t offer a sensor on the rear doors, so you’ll have to reach a front handle to unlock the rear door.

The GLA’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Escape’s standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

Heated windshield washer fluid is optional on the GLA to defrost the washer nozzles and quickly clear ice and frost from the windshield without scraping. The Escape doesn’t offer heated windshield washer fluid.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the GLA offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Escape doesn’t offer cornering lights. The GLA also offers optional adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

The GLA’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Ford charges extra for heated mirrors on the Escape.

When the GLA is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The Escape’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

The GLA’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Escape offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Mercedes GLA has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the Escape.

The GLA offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Escape doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.