Compare the2018 GMC AcadiaVS 2017 Infiniti QX60

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Acadia are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The QX60 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Acadia has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The QX60 doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Acadia SLE/SLT’s optional Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The QX60 doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

Both the Acadia and the QX60 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, plastic fuel tanks, 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, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

GMC pays for scheduled maintenance on the Acadia for 2 years and 24,000 miles. GMC will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance (up to 2 oil changes). Infiniti doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the QX60.

There are over 8 times as many GMC dealers as there are Infiniti dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Acadia’s warranty.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Acadia has a standard 660-amp battery. The QX60’s 550-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2017 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that GMC vehicles are better in initial quality than Infiniti vehicles. J.D. Power ranks GMC 16th in initial quality. With 8 more problems per 100 vehicles, Infiniti is ranked 23rd.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2016 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that GMC vehicles are more reliable than Infiniti vehicles. J.D. Power ranks GMC fifth in reliability, above the industry average. With 16 more problems per 100 vehicles, Infiniti is ranked 13th.

The Acadia’s optional 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 15 more horsepower (310 vs. 295) and 1 lbs.-ft. more torque (271 vs. 270) than the QX60 3.5’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the GMC Acadia uses regular unleaded gasoline. The QX60 requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Acadia AWD’s standard fuel tank has 2.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the QX60 (21.7 vs. 19.5 gallons).

The Acadia has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The QX60 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

The Acadia stops shorter than the QX60:

For better traction, the Acadia’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the QX60 (245/65R17 vs. 235/65R18).

The GMC Acadia’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Infiniti QX60 only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Acadia has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The QX60 doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Acadia offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The QX60’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The Acadia Denali AWD handles at .85 G’s, while the QX60 3.5 AWD pulls only .76 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Acadia SLT AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.4 seconds quicker than the QX60 3.5 AWD (26.9 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 29.3 seconds @ .56 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Acadia has a greater minimum ground clearance than the QX60 (7.2 vs. 6.5 inches), allowing the Acadia to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Acadia All Terrain’s minimum ground clearance is 1.3 inches higher than on the QX60 (7.8 vs. 6.5 inches).

The GMC Acadia may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 300 to 450 pounds less than the Infiniti QX60.

The Acadia is 6.5 inches shorter than the QX60, making the Acadia easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The front grille of the Acadia FWD 4 cyl. uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The QX60 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Acadia has 1.3 inches more rear headroom, .7 inches more third row headroom, .3 inches more third row legroom and .9 inches more third row hip room than the QX60.

The Acadia’s cargo area provides more volume than the QX60.

The power windows standard on both the Acadia and the QX60 have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Acadia is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The QX60 prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

Standard IntelliLink for the Acadia allows the driver and passengers access to select programs on their smartphones, including reading text messages aloud, playing internet radio stations and other connected activities without taking their eyes off the road or their hands from the wheel. The QX60 doesn’t offer factory integrated smartphone program access.

The Acadia will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Acadia will retain 46.28% to 52.71% of its original price after five years, while the QX60 only retains 45.13% to 45.56%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Acadia is less expensive to operate than the QX60 because typical repairs cost much less on the Acadia than the QX60, including $217 less for a water pump, $57 less for an alternator, $40 less for a starter, $69 less for fuel injection, $499 less for front struts, $357 less for a timing belt/chain and $478 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the GMC Acadia will be $4385 to $12918 less than for the Infiniti QX60.

The GMC Acadia outsold the Infiniti QX60 by 83% during the 2016 model year.