Compare the2023 GMC AcadiaVS 2023 Infiniti QX50

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

Safety

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The Acadia Denali’s optional pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The QX50 doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

For enhanced safety, the front shoulder belts of the GMC Acadia are height-adjustable, and the middle seat shoulder belts have child comfort guides to move the belt to properly fit children. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages children to buckle up. The Infiniti QX50 has only front height-adjustable seat belts.

The Acadia has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The QX50 doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Acadia AT4’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The QX50 doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

Both the Acadia and the QX50 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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 GMC Acadia is safer than the Infiniti QX50:

	Acadia	QX50
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	21%	26%
Neck Stress	191 lbs.	245 lbs.
Neck Compression	29 lbs.	42 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	319	333
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.6 inches
Leg Forces (l/r)	210/60 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 GMC Acadia is safer than the Infiniti QX50:

	Acadia	QX50
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.9 inches	1 inches
Hip Force	243 lbs.	306 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	14 inches	17 inches
Spine Acceleration	36 G’s	39 G’s

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

For its top level performance in all IIHS frontal, side, rear impact and roof-crush tests, and its standard front crash prevention system, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Acadia the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2017, a rating granted to only 233 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The QX50 has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

There are over 8 times as many GMC dealers as there are Infiniti dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Acadia’s warranty.

Reliability

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Acadia has a standard 220-amp alternator (155-amp - Acadia V6 and 170 V6). The QX50’s 130-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Acadia third among upper midsize suvs in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The QX50 isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that GMC vehicles are better in initial quality than Infiniti vehicles. J.D. Power ranks GMC above average in initial quality. With 42 more problems per 100 vehicles, Infiniti is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that GMC vehicles are more reliable than Infiniti With 36 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks GMC higher than Infiniti.

Engine

The Acadia’s optional 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 42 more horsepower (310 vs. 268) than the QX50’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Acadia’s fuel efficiency. The QX50 doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

Regenerative brakes improve the Acadia 2.0 Turbo’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The QX50 doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Acadia’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. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The QX50 doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the GMC Acadia uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended with the 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder engine for maximum performance). The QX50 requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Acadia FWD’s standard fuel tank has 3.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the QX50 (19.4 vs. 16 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Acadia AWD’s standard fuel tank has 5.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the QX50 (21.7 vs. 16 gallons).

The Acadia has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The QX50 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Tires and Wheels

The GMC Acadia’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Infiniti QX50 only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Acadia 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 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

The Acadia 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 or off-road. The QX50’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Acadia’s wheelbase is 2.3 inches longer than on the QX50 (112.5 inches vs. 110.2 inches).

Chassis

The front grille of the Acadia FWD 4 cyl. 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 Acadia offers optional seating for 7 passengers; the QX50 can only carry 5.

The Acadia has 39.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the QX50 (143.8 vs. 104.4).

The Acadia has 1.4 inches more front legroom, .1 inches more front hip room, 1.5 inches more front shoulder room, .5 inches more rear headroom, 1 inch more rear legroom and 1.6 inches more rear shoulder room than the QX50.

Cargo Capacity

The Acadia’s cargo area provides more volume than the QX50.

	Acadia	QX50
Third Seat Folded	41.7 cubic feet	n/a
Third Seat Removed	n/a	31.4 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	79 cubic feet	65.1 cubic feet

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

	Acadia	QX50
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	18.5”/48”/83”	n.a./39”/71.7”
Max Width	50”	54.5”
Min Width	42.5”	41.5”
Height	33”	31.2”

Towing

The Acadia’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the QX50’s (1000 vs. 0 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Infiniti QX50 AWD is only 3000 pounds. The Acadia offers up to a 4000 lbs. towing capacity.

Ergonomics

The power windows standard on both the Acadia and the QX50 have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Acadia is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The QX50 prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Acadia’s available 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.

The Acadia offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The QX50 doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Acadia owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Acadia will cost $195 to $4890 less than the QX50 over a five-year period.

The Acadia will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Acadia will retain 47.29% to 50.03% 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 Acadia is less expensive to operate than the QX50 because typical repairs cost much less on the Acadia than the QX50, including $293 less for a water pump, $74 less for a muffler, $181 less for a starter, $7 less for fuel injection, $120 less for front struts and $206 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the GMC Acadia will be $7339 to $13364 less than for the Infiniti QX50.

Recommendations

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

The GMC Acadia outsold the Infiniti QX50 by almost five to one during 2022.

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