Compared: 2023 Audi Q5 vs. 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLB-Class
Whether you're shopping for style or utility, this pair of German SUVs offers plenty of choices.
Audi | Mercedes-Benz
QuickTakes:
As the boxier version of the subcompact, GLA-Class, the 2023 Mercedes-Benz GLB SUV's exterior design pays off in terms of ample passenger space and cargo volume for its size. It's also one of the few small luxury SUVs offering a third row.
The 2023 Audi Q5, compact SUV offers two body styles and four engine tunes, plus the automaker's renowned all-wheel drive (AWD) is standard.
Audi
The Audi Is Priced Higher Than the Mercedes
A turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 221 horsepower powers the base Mercedes-Benz GLB 250, which, in front-wheel-drive form, starts at around $41,000. Adding AWD costs an additional $1,900. That extra grip is standard on the performance-minded AMG GLB 35. With an asking price of about $53,000, the AMG-tuned SUV features a punchier 302-hp turbo-four.
Mercedes-Benz
The base Audi Q5 Premium 40 TFSI with its 201-hp 2.0-liter turbo-four starts around $45,000 with AWD included. The 45 TFSI trim gets a 261-hp version of the same engine, starting at $48,000 for the regular body style and $52,000 for the sleeker Q5 Sportback coupe-SUV.
The sporty SQ5 gets a turbocharged 3.0-liter six-cylinder with 349 horsepower. That engine is in both the traditional SUV body style starting at $58,000 and the $61,000 Sportback. Unlike the small Benz SUV, Audi offers a plug-in hybrid Q5; the 55 TFSI e begins at $57,000 and is the most potent Q5, with 362 horsepower.
Audi
The Smaller GLB Actually Carries More Cargo Than the Q5
The GLB-Class has the convenience of an available $850 third row, making it a seven-seater. However, the space back there is tight and usable only by children. A notable upgrade to the GLB is the Premium package, which adds a 10.3-inch digital gauge cluster alongside a 10.3-inch infotainment screen — a pair of 7.0-inch screens is standard.
Depending on where you drive, having traction at all four wheels standard can be a major plus point with the Q5 lineup. The Audi also has more standard touches over the smaller Mercedes, including wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, adaptive cruise control, and a larger 10.1-inch touchscreen.
As for luggage space, the two-row GLB-Class has a roomier cargo area with 27.0 cubic-feet of room behind its second row, compared with the Q5's 25.6 cu-ft and Q5 Sportback's 24.7 cu-ft. However, the three-row version of the GLB offers 24.0 cu-ft when its third row is folded and only 5.1 cu-ft when in use.
Maximum cargo volume for the GLB is 62.0 cu-ft when equipped with five seats and 56.7 cu-ft for the seven-seater. The Q5 maxes out at 53.5 cu-ft of cargo volume with the back seats folded, and Sportback versions swallow up to 51.9 cu-ft.
Mercedes-Benz
The Audi Q5 Can Be the Most Efficient Option Here
The plug-in hybrid is the most powerful Audi Q5 and the most frugal, posting an EPA-estimated 60 MPGe with 23 miles of all-electric range and 26 mpg when operating as a conventional hybrid. The four-cylinder, non-hybrid versions are estimated up to 23/29/25 mpg city/highway/combined, and the sporty SQ5 at 19/24/21 mpg.
At 24/32/27 mpg, the front-wheel-drive versions of the GLB 250 are the most fuel efficient, followed by the 22/30/25-mpg AWD versions. The sportier AMG GLB 35 returns a 21/27/23-mpg estimate.
All vehicle pricing includes MSRP plus destination charges (set at the time of publication), and will be rounded to the nearest thousand.
