Compare the2023 Subaru ForesterVS 2023 Infiniti QX50

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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The Forester 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 QX50 doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Forester. But it costs extra on the QX50.

The Forester Touring’s 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 QX50 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Forester and the QX50 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear 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, available blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors 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 Forester is safer than the Infiniti QX50:

	Forester	QX50
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	186	236
Neck Injury Risk	23%	26%
Neck Compression	22 lbs.	42 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	293	333
Neck Injury Risk	31%	31%
Leg Forces (l/r)	105/93 lbs.	504/622 lbs.

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 Forester is safer than the Infiniti QX50:

	Forester	QX50
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	66	98
Chest Movement	.6 inches	1 inches
Abdominal Force	122 lbs.	151 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	16 inches	17 inches
HIC	121	333

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

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Subaru Forester is safer than the QX50:

	Forester	QX50
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Structure	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	107	141
Neck Compression	67 lbs.	89 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.91 in	1.06 in
Torso Max Deflection	1.5 in	1.73 in
Torso Deflection Rate	8 MPH	9 MPH
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Pelvis Force	1071 lbs.	1316 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Torso Max Deflection	1.26 in	1.42 in
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Forester the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 53 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The QX50 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 Forester’s warranty.

Reliability

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 Forester’s reliability 25 points higher than the QX50.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are better in initial quality than Infiniti vehicles. With 13 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Subaru higher than Infiniti.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 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 With 2 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Subaru higher than Infiniti.

Engine

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Forester lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability without compromising ground clearance. The QX50 doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Forester gets better mileage than the QX50:

			MPG
Forester
	AWD	2.5 DOHC flat-4	26 city/33 hwy
		Wilderness 2.5 DOHC flat-4	25 city/28 hwy
QX50
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/29 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/28 hwy

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Forester’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. The QX50 doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Subaru Forester uses regular unleaded gasoline. The QX50 requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Subaru Forester higher (7 out of 10) than the Infiniti QX50 (6). This means the Forester produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the QX50 every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

The Forester stops shorter than the QX50:

	Forester	QX50
60 to 0 MPH	117 feet	126 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

The Forester Wilderness has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the QX50; 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 maneuverability, the Forester’s turning circle is 1 foot tighter than the QX50’s (35.4 feet vs. 36.4 feet).

Chassis

The Subaru Forester may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 400 to 550 pounds less than the Infiniti QX50.

The front grille of the Forester uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The QX50 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

The Forester has 7.2 cubic feet more passenger volume than the QX50 (111.6 vs. 104.4).

The Forester has .2 inches more front headroom, 3.7 inches more front legroom, .2 inches more front shoulder room, .5 inches more rear headroom, .7 inches more rear legroom and .1 inches more rear shoulder room than the QX50.

The front step up height for the Forester is 1.7 inches lower than the QX50 (15.5” vs. 17.2”). The Forester’s rear step up height is .4 inches lower than the QX50’s (17.25” vs. 17.7”).

Cargo Capacity

The Forester has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the QX50 with its rear seat folded (74.2 vs. 65.1 cubic feet).

The Forester’s cargo area is larger than the QX50’s in almost every dimension:

	Forester	QX50
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	35.7”/73.1”	39”/71.7”
Max Width	51.5”	54.5”
Min Width	43.3”	41.5”
Height	34.8”	31.2”

Towing

The Forester’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the QX50’s (1500 vs. 0 pounds).

Standard Trailer Stability Assist on the Forester uses the Vehicle Dynamics Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The QX50 doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Forester is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the QX50. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Forester Premium/Sport/Wilderness/Limited/Touring’s exterior PIN entry system. The QX50 doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Infiniti Connection can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Forester owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Forester will cost $1420 to $5775 less than the QX50 over a five-year period.

The Forester will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Forester will retain 54.16% to 57.43% of its original price after five years, while the QX50 only retains 43.84% to 45.08%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Forester is less expensive to operate than the QX50 because typical repairs cost much less on the Forester than the QX50, including $304 less for a water pump, $299 less for a muffler, $51 less for a fuel pump, $183 less for a timing belt/chain and $1019 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Subaru Forester will be $18285 to $26825 less than for the Infiniti QX50.

Recommendations

Both are recommended, but Consumer Reports® chose the Subaru Forester as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance.

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its January 2019 issue and they ranked the Subaru Forester Touring higher than the Infiniti QX50 AWD.

The Subaru Forester outsold the Infiniti QX50 by over 10 to one during 2022.