Compare the2023 Infiniti Q50VS 2023 Subaru Legacy

The Q50 Red Sport 400’s optional pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Legacy doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The Q50 has a standard Around View® Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Legacy only offers a rear monitor and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or sides.

The Q50 has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them and moves the vehicle back into its lane. A system to reveal vehicles in the Legacy’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Q50 has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Rear cross-path warning costs extra on the Legacy and isn't available on the not available.

Both the Q50 and the Legacy have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and available all wheel drive.

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 Subaru Legacy:

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 Legacy’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 24,000 miles sooner.

Infiniti’s powertrain warranty covers the Q50 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Subaru covers the Legacy. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the Legacy ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The Q50’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Legacy’s (7 vs. 5 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 Legacy.

The Q50’s standard 3.0 turbo V6 produces 118 more horsepower (300 vs. 182) and 119 lbs.-ft. more torque (295 vs. 176) than the Legacy 2.5i’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Q50’s 3.0 turbo V6 produces 40 more horsepower (300 vs. 260) and 18 lbs.-ft. more torque (295 vs. 277) than the Legacy Sport/XT’s standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder. The Q50 Red Sport 400’s standard 3.0 turbo V6 produces 140 more horsepower (400 vs. 260) and 73 lbs.-ft. more torque (350 vs. 277) than the Legacy Sport/XT’s standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Infiniti Q50 3.0 is faster than the Legacy 2.5i 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder:

The Q50 has 1.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the Legacy (20 vs. 18.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

For better stopping power the Q50’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Legacy:

The Q50 stops shorter than the Legacy:

For better traction, the Q50 Red Sport 400’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Legacy (F:245/40R19 & R:265/35R19 vs. 225/55R17).

The Q50 Luxe’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Legacy Base/Premium’s standard 55 series tires. The Q50 Red Sport 400’s 245/40R19 front and 265/35R19 rear tires have a lower 40 series front and 35 series rear profile than the Legacy Sport/Limited/Touring’s 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Q50 Luxe has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Legacy Base/Premium. The Q50 Sensory/Red Sport 400 AWD’s 19-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels on the Legacy Sport/Limited/Touring.

The Q50 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 Legacy doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires standard on the Q50 can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The Legacy doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

The Q50 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. The Legacy’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The Q50 has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Legacy doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Q50 Sport’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 Legacy doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Q50’s wheelbase is 3.9 inches longer than on the Legacy (112.2 inches vs. 108.3 inches).

The Q50 Red Sport 400 handles at .88 G’s, while the Legacy Sport pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

To almost totally eliminate engine vibration in the passenger area, the Q50 has liquid-filled engine mounts. The liquid helps further dampen engine harshness. The Legacy uses conventional solid rubber engine mounts.

The Q50 has .1 inches more front headroom and 1.7 inches more front legroom than the Legacy.

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

The Q50 uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Legacy uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Infiniti service is better than Subaru. J.D. Power ranks Infiniti 9th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 10% lower rating, Subaru is ranked 16th.

The Q50’s standard easy entry system raises the steering wheel and glides the driver’s seat back, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Legacy doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

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

If the windows are left open on the Q50 the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Legacy 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 Legacy’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

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

The Q50’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Subaru only offers heated mirrors on the Legacy Premium/Sport/Limited/Touring.

The Q50 has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the car heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the Legacy.

The Q50 has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Legacy Premium/Sport/Limited/Touring.

Both the Q50 and the Legacy offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Q50 has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Legacy doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

The Q50 is available in both rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive configurations. The Legacy doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Q50 is less expensive to operate than the Legacy because it costs $309 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost less on the Q50 than the Legacy, including $110 less for a water pump and $2 less for front brake pads.