Compare the2022 Subaru LegacyVS 2021 Infiniti Q50

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Subaru Legacy have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Infiniti Q50 doesn’t offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

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 Legacy are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Q50 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Subaru Legacy has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Q50 doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Legacy has standard Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash-Reducing Front Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Q50 doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Legacy. But it costs extra on the Q50.

The Legacy’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Q50 and is only available on Q50 Sensory/Red Sport 400.

The Legacy’s optional driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Q50 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Legacy and the Q50 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Subaru Legacy is safer than the Infiniti Q50:

	Legacy	Q50
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	3 Stars

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

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 Subaru Legacy is safer than the Infiniti Q50:

	Legacy	Q50
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	50	79
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.9 inches
Abdominal Force	216 G’s	262 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	14 inches	19 inches
HIC	104	190

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

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Legacy its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2021, a rating granted to only 62 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Q50 has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

There are over 3 times as many Subaru dealers as there are Infiniti dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Legacy’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Infiniti vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Subaru 17th in reliability. With 12 more problems per 100 vehicles, Infiniti is ranked 23rd.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Infiniti vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru 3 places higher in reliability than Infiniti.

Engine

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Legacy lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability (That’s why Porsche uses boxer engines.). The Q50 doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Legacy XT CVT turbo 4 cyl. gets better fuel mileage than the Q50 AWD with its standard turbo V6 (24 city/32 hwy vs. 19 city/27 hwy).

Regardless of its engine, the Legacy’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. (Start/Stop isn’t accounted in present EPA fuel mileage tests.) Infiniti only offers an automatic engine start/stop system on the Q50 2.0t.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Subaru Legacy uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Q50 requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

Transmission

The Legacy has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Q50 doesn’t offer a CVT.

Tires and Wheels

The Legacy has a standard 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 Q50; 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.

Suspension and Handling

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Legacy is 1.6 inches wider in the front and 1.8 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Q50.

Chassis

The front grille of the Legacy 2.5i uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Q50 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Legacy a Large car, while the Q50 is rated a Mid-size.

The Legacy has 4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Q50 (105.5 vs. 101.5).

The Legacy has 2.3 inches more front hip room, 1.4 inches more front shoulder room, 4.4 inches more rear legroom, 2.3 inches more rear hip room and 1.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Q50.

Cargo Capacity

The Legacy has a much larger trunk than the Q50 (15.1 vs. 13.5 cubic feet).

The Legacy’s standard rear seats fold to accommodate long and bulky cargo. The Q50 Pure doesn’t offer folding rear seats, only a ski pass-through.

Ergonomics

The Legacy’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Q50’s parking brake has to released manually.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Legacy’s available exterior PIN entry system (not available on Legacy Base). The Q50 doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Emergency Call with Automatic Collision Notification can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

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 Legacy’s headlights were rated “Good” to “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Q50’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Marginal.”

Both the Legacy and the Q50 offer available heated front seats. The Legacy Limited/Touring also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Q50.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Legacy Touring XT keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Q50 doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Subaru Legacy (except Base) offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Q50 doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Legacy owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Legacy will cost $2975 to $12170 less than the Q50 over a five-year period.

The Legacy will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Legacy will retain 53.49% to 55.52% of its original price after five years, while the Q50 only retains 46.1% to 57.17%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Legacy is less expensive to operate than the Q50 because typical repairs cost much less on the Legacy than the Q50, including $365 less for a muffler, $51 less for a starter, $194 less for fuel injection, $72 less for a fuel pump, $217 less for front struts, $126 less for a timing belt/chain and $963 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Subaru Legacy and the Infiniti Q50, based on reliability, safety and performance.