Compare the2018 Infiniti Q50VS 2018 BMW 5 Series 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 BMW 5 Series Sedan doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Q50 (except Pure) offers optional Back-up Collision Intervention which use rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The 5 Series Sedan doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

To help make backing safer, the Q50 (except Pure)’s optional cross-path warning system uses wide-angle radar in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The 5 Series Sedan doesn’t offer a cross-path warning system.

Both the Q50 and the 5 Series 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 around view monitors.

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 5 Series Sedan’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 10,000 miles sooner.

Infiniti’s powertrain warranty covers the Q50 2 years and 20,000 miles longer than BMW covers the 5 Series Sedan. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the 5 Series Sedan ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2018 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Infiniti vehicles are more reliable than BMW vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Infiniti fourth in reliability, above the industry average. With 7 more problems per 100 vehicles, BMW is ranked 8th.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Q50 3.0t 3.0 turbo V6 is faster than the 530i 2.0 turbo 4 cyl.:

On the EPA test cycle the Q50 Hybrid RWD gets better fuel mileage than the 530i RWD (27 city/32 hwy vs. 24 city/34 hwy).

The Q50’s standard fuel tank has 2 gallons more fuel capacity than the 5 Series Sedan (20 vs. 18 gallons).

The Q50 stops much shorter than the 5 Series Sedan:

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 5 Series Sedan doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

The Q50 handles at .95 G’s, while the 540i pulls only .87 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Q50 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the 530i (25.5 seconds @ .76 average G’s vs. 26.3 seconds @ .68 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Q50’s turning circle is 2.8 feet tighter than the 5 Series Sedan’s (36.7 feet vs. 39.5 feet). The Q50 AWD’s turning circle is 2.7 feet tighter than the 5 Series Sedan xDrive’s (37.4 feet vs. 40.1 feet).

The Q50 is 5 inches shorter than the 5 Series Sedan, making the Q50 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

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 5 Series Sedan doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Q50 has 2.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the 5 Series Sedan (101.5 vs. 98.8).

The Q50 has 1.4 inches more front headroom, 3.1 inches more front legroom and .2 inches more rear shoulder room than the 5 Series Sedan.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Infiniti service is better than BMW. J.D. Power ranks Infiniti first in service department satisfaction. With a 19% lower rating, BMW is ranked 8th.

The Q50 3.0t offers a remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The 5 Series Sedan doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

Consumer Reports rated the Q50’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the 5 Series Sedan’s headlights, which were rated “Poor.”

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Q50 has standard extendable sun visors. The 5 Series Sedan doesn’t offer extendable visors.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Q50 is less expensive to operate than the 5 Series Sedan because typical repairs cost much less on the Q50 than the 5 Series Sedan, including $46 less for a water pump, $342 less for an alternator, $90 less for front brake pads, $191 less for a starter, $169 less for a fuel pump and $147 less for front struts.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Infiniti Q50 will be $11399 to $13361 less than for the BMW 5 Series Sedan.

The Infiniti Q50 outsold the BMW 5 Series by 81 units during 2017.