Part of the prestige of owning a Mercedes-Benz is bragging that you can afford not only the sticker price, but the premium maintenance that comes with buying a European luxury car. Meanwhile, Lexus is the smart choice for luxury buyers, offering a comparable high-end driving experience to German offerings while wearing the most reliable badge in the industry, according to JD Power.
Let’s take a closer look at a pair of their premium SUVs. The Lexus GX goes up against the Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class. They might not immediately seem like the closest competitors, but the details reveal similarities.
The Lexus GX Beats The Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class By Nearly $22,000
2024 Lexus GX 550 Overtrail side angle in tan while parkedLexus
Checking the sticker price on the full-size SUV offerings from both Lexus and Mercedes-Benz, the 2026 GLS-Class starts at $90,250 for an entry-level GLS 450 4Matic. A 2026 Lexus GX 550 Premium 4WD starts at $68,335. That’s a $21,915 price difference. That means that, for the price of the Benz, you could buy a brand-new Lexus GX and a Hyundai Venue.
Comparing specs, the Lexus GX runs on a 3.4-liter twin-turbo V6, producing 349 horsepower and 479 lb-ft of torque through a 10-speed automatic transmission. The Mercedes GLS-Class packs a 3.0-liter turbo-hybrid straight-six, cranking out 375 hp and 369 lb-ft of torque. Both SUVs are all-wheel-drive at the entry level.
The Lexus GX clears 60 mph in as little as 6.2 seconds, while the GLS-Class usually gets there in around 5.8 seconds. Both are confident accelerators despite their massive curb weights at around three tons at their heaviest. Quick takeoffs aren’t really the point of a three-row luxury SUV.
It’s Hard To Pick A Favorite On Performance And Comfort
2024 – 2026 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class SUV front 3/4 angle in grayMercedes
The GLS-Class and the GX 550 are remarkably close to one another when it comes to most of their interior dimensions. The third row of the GX 550 is a couple of inches more spacious in every dimension, while the other rows feel the same across both models. If you plan on doing a lot of road-tripping, the GLS-Class devotes more of its space to storage, offering up to 84.7 cubic feet of cargo space, compared to the Lexus GX’s 76.9 cubic feet of storage.
In our reviews for both models, we had nothing negative to say about the passenger experience. Both SUVs offer a cushy feel on the road without being floaty, both are decked out in premium materials, and both can comfortably seat six or seven people. For the driver, the GX is more capable on rough terrain, while the GLS offers a refined feel on paved roads, but, honestly, you shouldn’t be buying a three-row luxury bus in the first place if “sporty” is a priority.
As far as which cabin feels more upscale, you could go either way depending on where your priorities lie. The Mercedes boasts real leather seats to the GX 550’s leatherette, but the GX features a 14-inch touchscreen to the 12.3-inch display in the GLS-Class. We’re splitting hairs, because the bottom line is that they provide a comparable experience.
In other words, we’re reiterating what we said from the start: a Lexus GX gives you an experience comparable to that of a Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class, but at a much more reasonable price.
The Second-Hand Market Actually Favors Mercedes Buyers
2024 – 2026 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class SUV exteriorMercedes
At the entry-level, a new GX 550 starts at $66,785 while the GLS-Class starts at $90,250. A GLS 580 4Matic goes for $116,150, and a top-of-the-line AMG GLS 63 starts at $151,050. With a Lexus GX, you’re starting at $68,335, and you can go up to $80,800 for the Luxury model, or $75,980 for an Overtrail.
Check out the used market, and it’s completely inverted. The CarBuzz Marketplace price-tracking tool sees an entry-level 2021 GLS-Class trending at $37,750, from an MSRP of $76,000, while a 2021 Lexus GX is trending at $40,111 from an MSRP of $53,450.
Lexus Is One Of The Slowest Depreciators On The Market
2024 Lexus GX Overtrail Nori Green frontLexus
Lexus is known to be one of the best brands in the world at holding value, while European luxury cars are notoriously fast depreciators for a number of reasons.
- European cars often require expensive specialty maintenance, meaning that, as soon as the warranty is up, you’re on the hook for pricey repairs.
- Many Mercedes buyers prefer to lease, so you have an influx of three-to-five-year-old models coming in.
- European luxury buyers like the prestige that comes with owning the newest model on the road.
- Mercedes-Benz and BMW see rapid obsolescence as a result of cutting-edge cabin technology.
- Higher repair costs lead to a perception of European cars as being less reliable. This isn’t entirely fair, but it’s not 100% unfair, either, when comparing to a Lexus.
JD Power last rated the Lexus GX for the 2023 model year, handing it a Quality & Reliability score of 89/100. The 2026 Mercedes-Benz GLS holds a Q&R rating of 78/100 with JD Power.
RepairPal estimates a Lexus GX owner spends around $551 a year on maintenance, while a Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class owner spends around $908. The most expensive common repair in a GLS 450 is a replacement for the engine front cover gasket for up to $2,267, while a Lexus GX’s most expensive common repair is a pre-purchase car inspection, costing up to $336.
This is to say that, while a five-year-old Mercedes-Benz may look like a steal, you’ll want to bear in mind that it’s going to cost you an arm and a leg to keep running, and that it’s well outside of warranty. Mercedes-Benz will cover you for four years or 50,000 miles on a new car warranty, and after that, you’re on your own.
A Used Mercedes Makes More Sense As A Beater
2024 – 2026 Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class SUV exteriorMercedes
Our advice is if you want to buy a used Mercedes and it’s not your dream car, skip the five-year-old models and wait until they’re really showing their age. Look for something 10, 15, 20 years old, and drive it like a rental. To pick out a few beaters from our own marketplace.
- A 99,700-mile 2017 GLS 450 is selling for $14,995 in Washington.
- A 136,504-mile 2017 GLS 450 is selling for $11,985 in California.
- A 116,932-mile 2017 GLS 450 is selling for $12,967 in New Mexico.
- A 140,011-mile 2017 GLS 450 is selling for $13,900 in Wisconsin.
- A 162,159-mile 2017 GLS 450 is selling for $14,499 in Colorado.
Note that these listings are only provided to give you an example of what’s out there on the “dirt-cheap” end of the market. There’s no telling what will be available in your price range, and in your area, when you’re ready to buy.
In any event, this helps to prove that spending twice your rent to keep a second-hand SUV running is a sucker’s game. The real flex is buying a $12,000 Mercedes and driving it as a throwaway.
Lexus Has Long Been The Smart Buyer’s Luxury Brand Of Choice
2024 Lexus GX 550 Overtrail rear 3/4 angle in tan while drivingLexus
Lexus first hit the market in 1989, with the debut of the Lexus LS 400. This was a luxury sedan intended to compete directly with brands like Mercedes-Benz and BMW, after a billion dollars in research and development. The car was aimed squarely at the US market. In Japan, Toyota was already regarded as a high-end brand, but here in the US, we associated the badge with modestly priced compacts.
It’s been close to 40 years since the launch of the LS 400, and Lexus is still beating German automakers at their own game, delivering comparable luxury and performance at a far lower price. A Lexus GX will save you more than $20,000 on the price of a Mercedes-Benz GLS-Class, but this goes beyond full-size SUVs.
Any Benz or Bimmer you have your eye on? Our advice is to see what the Lexus alternative costs, then take them both for a test drive before you make up your mind.
Sources: Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, RepairPal, JD Power.
