Land Rover Defender vs Land Rover Discovery vs Mercedes-Benz GLS (2026)
The classic luxury suv shortlist, settled with numbers (October 2026):
- Pick the Land Rover Defender if you want the lowest starting price (₹1.07 Crore), the most power (626 bhp), the most seats (8).
- Pick the Land Rover Discovery as the balanced middle path — it wins no single spec outright but concedes little anywhere.
- Pick the Mercedes-Benz GLS as the balanced middle path — it wins no single spec outright but concedes little anywhere.
Three-Way Specification Comparison
Land Rover Defender in short
The Defender is Land Rover's icon and its widest Indian range: three body lengths (three-door 90, five-door 110, eight-seat 130) and four engines spanning ₹1.07 crore for the 2.0 petrol 110 X-Dynamic HSE to ₹2.62 crore for the 635 PS OCTA Black — the most extreme Defender ever made. In between sit the 350 PS D350 diesel, the 5.0L V8 across all three bodies, and the twin-turbo 4.4L V8 OCTA flagship. All prices are from Land Rover India's official July 2026 pan-India price list. Its only real rival in capability-plus-status terms is the Mercedes G-Class, at roughly double the entry money.
Full Defender prices & variants →Land Rover Discovery in short
The Discovery is Land Rover's dedicated seven-seater, updated for MY26 in October 2025 with a new trim walk: Gemini at ₹1.26 crore, Dynamic HSE at ₹1.30 crore and the new Tempest flagship at ₹1.39 crore, all powered by the 350 PS D350 mild-hybrid diesel. Prices are from Land Rover India's official pan-India list. Unlike the five-seat Range Rover Sport it shares showrooms with, all three rows here are genuinely usable — its rivals are the Mercedes GLS, BMW X7 and Volvo XC90.
Full Discovery prices & variants →Mercedes-Benz GLS in short
The GLS is Mercedes' full-size seven-seat SUV — the 'S-Class of SUVs' — priced from ₹1.375 crore for the petrol GLS 450 and ₹1.397 crore for the GLS 450d diesel, both 3.0L six-cylinders with 4MATIC. It is locally assembled in India, which keeps it sharply priced against the CBU BMW X7. We currently list only the two officially confirmed base prices; the trim ladder above them is under verification after aggregator listings disagreed.
Full GLS prices & variants →Head-to-head pairs
Frequently Asked Questions
Defender vs Discovery vs GLS — which should I buy?
Pick the Land Rover Defender if you want the lowest starting price (₹1.07 Crore), the most power (626 bhp), the most seats (8). Pick the Land Rover Discovery as the balanced middle path — it wins no single spec outright but concedes little anywhere. Pick the Mercedes-Benz GLS as the balanced middle path — it wins no single spec outright but concedes little anywhere. Test-drive at least two before deciding — ride and dealer experience differ by city.
Which is the cheapest among Defender, Discovery, GLS?
The Land Rover Defender starts lowest at ₹1.07 Crore, against ₹1.26 Crore for the Discovery and ₹1.38 Crore for the GLS (ex-showroom, October 2026).
Which is the safest of the three?
Land Rover Defender: not yet NCAP-tested; Land Rover Discovery: not yet NCAP-tested; Mercedes-Benz GLS: not yet NCAP-tested.