New Mercedes-Benz GLE vs Audi Q7 vs Land Rover Discovery

Space and practicality

Front space, rear space, seating flexibility, boot

Each car’s second row features sliding and reclining (electrically adjustable in the GLE) seats with plenty of head room, but the GLE offers the most leg room, followed by the Q7. If you’re tall, you might find leg room a little disappointing in the Discovery, and its seat bases are rather short.

The Q7 has powered third-row seats, whereas the Discovery’s and GLE’s need to be erected and stowed manually. Sitting in them reveals that the Discovery offers easily the most room for adults, while the GLE is worst for third row head and leg room and therefore not a fun place for taller adults to sit for any length of time.

With every seat in use, both the GLE and Q7 retain usable boots big enough for a few shopping bags, whereas the Discovery has barely any space left. Configured as five-seaters, though, all have huge cargo bays that will swallow between eight and 10 carry-on suitcases (the Q7’s being the biggest and the GLE’s the smallest), while folding away all but the front pair of seats provides the carrying capacity of a small van.

Audi Q7

The Q7 has the biggest boot no matter whether you have five or seven seats in place, plus it’s the only car with powered third-row seats. You get six Isofix child seat mounts as standard.

Boot 770-1955 litres Suitcases 10

Land Rover Discovery

If you need to put adults in the third row, the Discovery is easily to best of the three. However, it actually has the least knee room for those in the second row. Five Isofix mounts are standard.

Boot 629-2406 litres litres Suitcases 9

Mercedes-Benz GLE

It may have only two Isofix mounts (both in the second row), but the GLE provides the most leg room in the second row. Its boot is the smallest here but can hardly be considered poky.

Boot 630-2055 litres Suitcases 8

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