2024 Honda CR-V Hybrid vs 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLE

The 2024 Honda CR-V Hybrid presented a sporty exterior with its black 18-inch wheels and blacked-out trim, though its interior remained basic. The Touring Hybrid, priced at $50,909, featured Canyon River Blue paint and no optional accessories. Its conservative styling, with a technical face and tusks framing the lower air intake, gave it a unique look, though it appeared visually heavy over the front wheels. The rear quarter view was its best angle, with Volvo-like taillights and a tidy design. Inside, the Touring model offered leather seats with orange stitching and a sophisticated cabin feel, thanks to details like a soft-touch dashboard and metal mesh air vent covers.

The 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLE, facelifted for 2024, maintained a distinct identity within the Mercedes lineup. Its rounded profile and squared-off wheel arches gave it a wide stance, though the tapered side glass and rakish windshield created odd proportions, especially in the GLE Coupe models. Despite not being the most handsome in the lineup, it adhered to Mercedes' design orthodoxy. The interior offered unique colour options, like the unavailable Yacht Blue in Canada, and featured upscale elements such as chunky air vents, mesh speaker grilles, and 64-colour ambient lighting, creating a special atmosphere.

The 2024 Honda CR-V Hybrid featured a fourth-generation two-motor hybrid drive system, combining a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine with two electric motors, delivering 204 horsepower to all four wheels. Despite its complexity, the system operated transparently, though it produced a low-speed acoustic warning and engine droning on hills. It achieved 8.7 L/100 km in testing, falling short of the expected 6.4 L/100 km. The CR-V Hybrid offered a quiet ride, predictable handling, and impressive grip, though the steering felt unusually heavy.

The 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLE offered five powertrain options, starting with the GLE 350's 2.0-litre turbocharged engine producing 255 horsepower. The GLE 450 4Matic featured a 3.0-litre inline-six with 375 hp, while the GLE 450e 4Matic combined a turbo-four with electric assist for 381 hp. The AMG GLE 53 and AMG GLE 63 S performance models delivered 429 hp and 603 hp, respectively, with the latter achieving 0-100 km/h in 3.9 seconds. The GLE impressed with its refinement, though it felt larger than it was, making urban maneuvering challenging despite its powerful engines.

The 2024 Honda CR-V Hybrid excelled in form and function, offering quality materials, intuitive controls, and comfortable seating. It featured a 10-way power-adjustable driver's seat, heated front and rear seats, and dual-zone climate control. The CR-V's back seat provided excellent leg support and generous legroom, while the cargo area offered 1,028 litres, expandable to 2,030 litres with the seats folded.

The 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLE came in two-row and three-row configurations, though third-row specs were not published. It offered competitive headroom and legroom, with the second row providing more space than most rivals. The GLE's cargo space was 894 litres behind the second row, expanding to 1,790 litres with seats folded. It featured a bulky centre console for storage and a maximum towing capacity of 3,500 kilograms.

The 2024 Honda CR-V Hybrid included a 9-inch infotainment display with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a 12-speaker Bose audio system in the Touring trim. The voice recognition system was basic, and the walk-away automatic locking feature provided peace of mind.

The 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLE featured dual 12.3-inch screens for the digital instrument cluster and infotainment system, with MBUX offering wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Multiple access methods, including a touchpad and voice recognition, were available. The AMG GLE 63 S Coupe had additional drive modes and settings, with off-road displays and a "transparent hood" function for the 360-degree camera system.

The 2024 Honda CR-V Hybrid came with Honda Sensing, offering features like forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control, and lane-centring assist. It received a 2024 Top Safety Pick award from the IIHS, though it scored poorly in the updated moderate overlap front test.

The 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLE offered standard safety features like forward collision warning and blind spot monitoring, with adaptive cruise control available in the Driver Assistance Package. It received a Top Safety Pick+ award from the IIHS, though its front-crash prevention tech had mixed ratings.