Compare the2018 Infiniti Q50VS 2018 Cadillac ATS Sedan

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Infiniti Q50 are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Cadillac ATS Sedan doesn’t offer height-adjustable front seat belts.

The Q50 (except Pure) offers an optional Around View® Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The ATS Sedan only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

Both the Q50 and the ATS Sedan have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available all-wheel drive, crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Infiniti Q50 is safer than the Cadillac ATS Sedan:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The Q50 comes with a full 4-year/60,000 mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The ATS Sedan’s 4-year/50,000 mile basic warranty expires 10,000 miles sooner.

The Q50’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the ATS Sedan’s (7 vs. 6 years).

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Q50’s reliability 17 points higher than the ATS Sedan.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2016 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Infiniti vehicles are more reliable than Cadillac vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Infiniti 13th in reliability, above the industry average. With 9 more problems per 100 vehicles, Cadillac is ranked 15th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ April 2017 Auto Issue reports that Infiniti vehicles are more reliable than Cadillac vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Infiniti 13 places higher in reliability than Cadillac.

The Q50 has more powerful engines than the ATS Sedan:

As tested in Motor Trend the Q50 Hybrid 3.5 DOHC V6 hybrid is faster than the Cadillac ATS Sedan turbo 4 cyl.:

As tested in Car and Driver the Q50 Red Sport 400 3.0 turbo V6 is faster than the Cadillac ATS Sedan 2.0:

On the EPA test cycle the Q50 Hybrid gets better fuel mileage than the ATS Sedan:

Regenerative brakes improve the Q50 Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The ATS Sedan doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The Q50 Hybrid’s standard fuel tank has 1.8 gallons more fuel capacity than the ATS Sedan (17.8 vs. 16 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Q50’s standard fuel tank has 4 gallons more fuel capacity than the ATS Sedan (20 vs. 16 gallons).

For better stopping power the Q50 Sport’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the ATS Sedan:

The Q50 stops much shorter than the ATS Sedan:

For better traction, the Q50 Red Sport 400’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the ATS Sedan (F:245/40R19 & R:265/35R19 vs. F:225/40R18 & R:255/35R18).

The Q50 Red Sport 400 RWD offers an optional space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the ATS Sedan; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed.

The Q50’s optional drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The ATS Sedan doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Q50’s wheelbase is 2.9 inches longer than on the ATS Sedan (112.2 inches vs. 109.3 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Q50 is 1 inch wider in the front and .6 inches wider in the rear than the track on the ATS Sedan.

The Q50 handles at .95 G’s, while the ATS Sedan pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Q50 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.2 seconds quicker than the ATS Sedan (25.5 seconds @ .76 average G’s vs. 26.7 seconds @ .66 average G’s).

The Q50 Hybrid uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The ATS Sedan doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the Q50 is rated a Mid-size car by the EPA, while the ATS Sedan is rated a Compact.

The Q50 has 10.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the ATS Sedan (101.5 vs. 90.9).

The Q50 has 1.6 inches more front headroom, 2 inches more front legroom, .2 inches more front hip room, 1.5 inches more front shoulder room, .7 inches more rear headroom, 1.6 inches more rear legroom, .2 inches more rear hip room and 2.2 inches more rear shoulder room than the ATS Sedan.

The Q50 has a much larger trunk than the ATS Sedan (13.2 vs. 10.4 cubic feet).

With its sedan body style, valet key, locking rear seatbacks and remote trunk release lockout, the Q50 offers cargo security. The ATS Sedan’s non-lockable folding seat defeats cargo security.

The Q50’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The ATS Sedan’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully.

If the windows are left down on the Q50 the driver can raise them all using the key in the outside lock cylinder. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from outside the vehicle using the key in the outside lock cylinder or the keyless remote. The driver of the ATS Sedan can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Q50’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The ATS Sedan’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Consumer Reports rated the Q50’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the ATS Sedan’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Q50’s available headlights were rated “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the ATS Sedan’s headlights are rated “Poor.”

Insurance will cost less for the Q50 owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Q50 with a number “5” insurance rate while the ATS Sedan is rated higher at a number “8” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Q50 is less expensive to operate than the ATS Sedan because it costs $297 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Q50 than the ATS Sedan, including $511 less for an alternator, $32 less for front brake pads, $123 less for a starter and $4 less for fuel injection.

The Infiniti Q50 outsold the Cadillac ATS by 82% during the 2016 model year.