2024 Chrysler Pacifica vs 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLE

The 2024 Chrysler Pacifica maintained its contemporary appeal despite not undergoing frequent redesigns. Its smooth exterior styling, featuring a modest grille, offered a refreshing alternative to the flashier designs of competitors like the Toyota Sienna. Chrysler's decision to avoid dressing up the Pacifica as an SUV, unlike the Kia Carnival, resulted in a clean look with sliding-door tracks cleverly hidden above and below the door frame. The Pacifica was available in various trims, including Touring, Touring L, Limited, and Pinnacle, with options for LED lighting and wheel sizes ranging from 17 to 20 inches. The interior of the Pacifica was equally distinctive, with a minimalist dashboard design that integrated controls seamlessly. The Pinnacle trim, in particular, boasted luxurious features like brown Nappa leather upholstery and quilted contrast stitching, although some interior elements felt less upscale.

The 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLE, last redesigned in 2020 and facelifted for 2024, stood out with its unique design that combined the visual bulk of other Mercedes SUVs with a more rounded profile. The GLE's styling, while not the most handsome in the lineup, adhered closely to the brand's orthodoxy, ensuring it was unmistakably a Benz. For 2025, Mercedes introduced new paint colors and Manufaktur interior options, allowing buyers to personalize their GLEs further. The interior of the GLE impressed with its upscale feel, featuring chunky air vents, mesh speaker grilles, and 64-color ambient lighting. The Yacht Blue interior of the test car was particularly striking, adding to the overall sense of luxury and refinement.

The 2024 Chrysler Pacifica was equipped with a 3.6-liter V6 engine, producing 287 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque, paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive was standard, while all-wheel drive was available on higher trims. The Pacifica's V6 engine, known as the Pentastar, had a long history in the Stellantis lineup and provided peppy acceleration with a towing capacity of 3,600 pounds. The minivan's chassis tuning prioritized comfort and stability, making it a quiet and comfortable ride compared to rivals like Honda, Kia, and Toyota.

The 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLE offered a range of powertrain options, starting with the GLE 350's 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, producing 255 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. The GLE 450 4Matic featured a 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six engine with 375 horsepower and 369 pound-feet of torque. The GLE 450e 4Matic combined a turbo-four with electric assist for 381 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque, offering an EPA-rated 50 miles of electric range. The GLE 580 4Matic boasted a twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 engine with 510 horsepower and 538 pound-feet of torque. The AMG GLE 53 4Matic+ and AMG GLE 63 S 4Matic+ performance models delivered even more power, with the latter producing 603 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque. Despite its impressive powertrains, the GLE felt larger than it was, making maneuvering in tight spaces challenging.

The 2024 Chrysler Pacifica featured the innovative Stow 'n Go seating, allowing second-row seats to fold flat into the floor, creating large in-floor storage bins. The Pacifica offered a seven-seat configuration with second-row bucket seats and a 60/40 split-folding third-row bench seat. An eight-seat configuration was available with the Touring L trim but couldn't be combined with Stow 'n Go or AWD. The Pacifica's passenger space compared favorably to other minivans, with ample headroom and legroom in the first two rows. Cargo space was generous, with 32.3 cubic feet behind the third row, 87.5 cubic feet behind the second row, and 140.5 cubic feet with both rows folded. The Stow 'n Vac built-in vacuum cleaner was a convenient feature, although the raised center console's storage area was challenging to access.

The 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLE offered two-row, five-seat, and three-row, seven-seat configurations, although Mercedes didn't publish third-row space specs. The GLE provided competitive headroom and legroom, with second-row passengers enjoying slightly more space than in most competitor SUVs. Cargo space was competitive, with 33.3 cubic feet behind the second row and 74.9 cubic feet with all seats folded. The GLE's center console offered reasonable storage for small items, and its maximum towing capacity of 7,700 pounds ensured it could handle real work.

The 2024 Chrysler Pacifica came standard with a 10.1-inch touchscreen running the Uconnect 5 infotainment system, featuring wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Bluetooth, SiriusXM, and Amazon Alexa compatibility. The instrument cluster included analog gauges with a 7-inch digital display. The Pacifica offered up to 12 USB-C ports, built-in navigation, and a 19-speaker Harman Kardon audio system. The Uconnect Theater system provided rear-seat entertainment with dual 10.1-inch touchscreens, wireless headphones, and Amazon Fire TV connectivity. The FamCam rear-facing interior camera allowed parents to monitor rear-seat occupants.

The 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLE featured a pair of 12.3-inch screens, one serving as a digital instrument cluster and the other as an infotainment touchscreen. The MBUX system included wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, built-in navigation, and a native voice recognition system. The AMG GLE 63 S Coupe test car offered additional settings, including six drive modes and various performance adjustments. Some GLE models could be equipped with off-road displays and a "transparent hood" function for the 360-degree camera system, enhancing off-road capabilities.

The 2024 Chrysler Pacifica received a 2023 Top Safety Pick award from the IIHS, missing the highest Top Safety Pick+ award due to low scores in certain crash tests and middling ratings for headlights and front crash prevention tech. The NHTSA awarded the Pacifica a five-star overall safety rating, with five stars in frontal and side crash tests and four stars in rollover crash tests. Standard safety features included blind-spot monitoring, forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control, and rear park assist. An Emergency Vehicle Alert System was new for 2024.

The 2025 Mercedes-Benz GLE offered a comprehensive suite of driver-assist features, although some were optional. Standard features included forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, crosswind assist, parking assist, a driver attention monitor, and a 360-degree camera system. The optional Driver Assistance Package added adaptive cruise control, evasive steering assist, and an expanded driver-monitoring system. The GLE received a 2025 Top Safety Pick+ award from the IIHS, although its front-crash prevention tech received mixed ratings.