Compare the2023 Infiniti QX50VS 2023 Kia Sorento Hybrid

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Infiniti QX50 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The Kia Sorento Hybrid doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

The Infiniti QX50 has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Sorento Hybrid doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

Both the QX50 and the Sorento Hybrid have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Infiniti QX50 is safer than the Kia Sorento Hybrid:

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 post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Infiniti QX50 is safer than the Kia Sorento Hybrid:

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

The QX50’s corrosion warranty is 2 years and unlimited miles longer than the Sorento Hybrid’s (7/unlimited vs. 5/100,000).

Infiniti pays for scheduled maintenance on the QX50 for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Infiniti will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Kia doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Sorento Hybrid.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Infiniti vehicles are more reliable than Kia vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Infiniti 4 places higher in reliability than Kia.

The QX50’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 41 more horsepower (268 vs. 227) and 22 lbs.-ft. more torque (280 vs. 258) than the Sorento Hybrid’s 1.6 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Motor Trend the Infiniti QX50 is faster than the Kia Sorento Hybrid:

The QX50 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 Sorento Hybrid doesn’t offer a CVT.

For better stopping power the QX50’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Sorento Hybrid:

For better traction, the QX50 Sport/Sensory/Autograph’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Sorento Hybrid (255/45R20 vs. 235/65R17).

The QX50’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Sorento Hybrid’s standard 65 series tires. The QX50 Sport/Sensory/Autograph’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Sorento Hybrid’s optional 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the QX50 has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Sorento Hybrid. The QX50 Sport/Sensory/Autograph’s 20-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels optional on the Sorento Hybrid.

The QX50 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 Sorento Hybrid 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 QX50 can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The Sorento Hybrid doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

The QX50 AWD handles at .84 G’s, while the Sorento Hybrid EX pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The QX50 AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1 seconds quicker than the Sorento Hybrid EX (26.7 seconds @ .66 average G’s vs. 27.7 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the QX50’s turning circle is 1.5 feet tighter than the Sorento Hybrid’s (36.4 feet vs. 37.9 feet).

For greater off-road capability the QX50 has a 1.75 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Sorento Hybrid (8.6 vs. 6.85 inches), allowing the QX50 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The QX50 is 4.7 inches shorter than the Sorento Hybrid, making the QX50 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The QX50 uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Sorento Hybrid doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The front step up height for the QX50 is 1.8 inches lower than the Sorento Hybrid (17.2” vs. 19”). The QX50’s rear step up height is 1.3 inches lower than the Sorento Hybrid’s (17.7” vs. 19”).

The QX50 has a much larger cargo volume than the Sorento Hybrid with its rear seat up (31.4 vs. 12.6 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the QX50 easier. The QX50’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 26.6 inches, while the Sorento Hybrid’s liftover is 31.7 inches.

Maximum trailer towing in the Kia Sorento Hybrid is limited to 2000 pounds. The QX50 AWD offers up to a 3000 lbs. towing capacity.

The QX50 uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Sorento Hybrid 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 Kia. J.D. Power ranks Infiniti 9th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 28% lower rating, Kia is ranked 26th.

The QX50 Sensory/Autograph has a standard heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Sorento Hybrid doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The QX50’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 Sorento Hybrid’s passenger windows don’t open or close automatically.

If the windows are left open on the QX50 the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Sorento Hybrid can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The QX50’s standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Sorento Hybrid’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the QX50 Sensory/Autograph has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Sorento Hybrid doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The QX50’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Sorento Hybrid offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Both the QX50 and the Sorento Hybrid offer available heated front seats. The QX50 Sport/Sensory/Autograph also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated second row seats aren’t available in the Sorento Hybrid.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Infiniti QX50, based on reliability, safety and performance.