Compare the2023 Infiniti QX80VS 2023 Subaru Ascent

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

Safety

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The QX80 Sensory’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Ascent doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

For enhanced safety, the front and middle seat shoulder belts of the Infiniti QX80 are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Subaru Ascent doesn’t offer height-adjustable middle seat belts.

The Infiniti QX80 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 Ascent doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The QX80 has a standard blind spot warning system that 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. Only the Ascent Premium/Limited/Touring offers a blind spot warning system.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the QX80 has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Back-up Collision Intervention automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Only the Ascent Premium/Limited/Touring offers Rear Cross Traffic Alert and the Ascent’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert does not include automatic braking.

Both the QX80 and the Ascent 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, 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, rearview cameras and available all wheel drive.

The Infiniti QX80 weighs 1111 to 1664 pounds more than the Subaru Ascent. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

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 QX80 is safer than the Subaru Ascent:

	QX80	Ascent
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	27	37
Hip Force	144 lbs.	274 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	31	81
Spine Acceleration	21 G’s	27 G’s
Hip Force	151 lbs.	346 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	16 inches	18 inches
Spine Acceleration	39 G’s	52 G’s

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

Warranty

The QX80 comes with a full 4-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Ascent’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 24,000 miles sooner.

Infiniti’s powertrain warranty covers the QX80 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Subaru covers the Ascent. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the Ascent ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The QX80’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Ascent’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Infiniti pays for scheduled maintenance on the QX80 for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Infiniti will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Subaru doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Ascent.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the QX80 has a standard 780-amp battery. The Ascent’s 530-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

Engine

The QX80’s 5.6 DOHC V8 produces 140 more horsepower (400 vs. 260) and 136 lbs.-ft. more torque (413 vs. 277) than the Ascent’s 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Infiniti QX80 is faster than the Subaru Ascent:

	QX80	Ascent
Zero to 60 MPH	6.1 sec	7.5 sec
Quarter Mile	14.8 sec	16 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	93.9 MPH	88.6 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

The QX80 has 6.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the Ascent (26 vs. 19.3 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the QX80’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Ascent:

	QX80	Ascent
Front Rotors	13.8 inches	13.1 inches
Rear Rotors	13.8 inches	13 inches

The QX80 stops shorter than the Ascent:

	QX80	Ascent
60 to 0 MPH	122 feet	125 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the QX80 has larger tires than the Ascent (275/60R20 vs. 245/60R18).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the QX80 Luxe has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Ascent. The QX80 Premium Select/Sensory’s 22-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels on the Ascent Onyx/Limited/Touring.

The Infiniti QX80’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Subaru Ascent only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The QX80 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 Ascent doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The QX80 has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Ascent; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

Suspension and Handling

The QX80 has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Ascent’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The rear suspension of the QX80 uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the Ascent, which uses coil springs. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

The QX80 Sensory has a standard automatic rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Ascent doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

The QX80 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 Ascent doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the QX80’s wheelbase is 7.3 inches longer than on the Ascent (121.1 inches vs. 113.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the QX80 is 3.1 inches wider in the front and 3.7 inches wider in the rear than on the Ascent.

The QX80’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (51% to 49%) than the Ascent’s (54.2% to 45.8%). This gives the QX80 more stable handling and braking.

For greater off-road capability the QX80 has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Ascent (9.2 vs. 8.7 inches), allowing the QX80 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Passenger Space

The QX80 has 1.5 inches more front hip room, 2.7 inches more front shoulder room, 2.4 inches more rear legroom, .9 inches more rear hip room, 3.2 inches more rear shoulder room, .6 inches more third row headroom, 2.9 inches more third row hip room and 3.3 inches more third row shoulder room than the Ascent.

Cargo Capacity

The QX80’s cargo area provides more volume than the Ascent.

	QX80	Ascent
Third Seat Folded	49.6 cubic feet	43.5 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	95.1 cubic feet	75.6 cubic feet

The QX80 has a standard third row seat which folds flat into the floor. This completely clears a very large cargo area quickly. The Ascent doesn’t offer seats that fold into the floor.

Pressing a switch automatically lowers the QX80 Sensory’s second row seats and pressing a switch automatically lowers or raises the QX80’s third row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Ascent doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Towing

The QX80’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Ascent’s (8500 vs. 2000 pounds).

Servicing Ease

The QX80 uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Ascent 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.

Ergonomics

The QX80’s standard Entry/Exit Assist raises the steering wheel and glides the driver’s seat back, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Ascent doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The QX80’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Ascent does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The QX80’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 Ascent’s 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 QX80 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 Ascent can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The QX80’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 Ascent’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Consumer Reports rated the QX80’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Ascent’s headlights, which were rated “Good.”

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The QX80 Sensory has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Ascent doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The QX80’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Subaru only offers heated mirrors on the Ascent Premium/Limited/Touring.

When the QX80 is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Ascent’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The QX80 has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel is only available on the Ascent Onyx/Limited/Touring.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Infiniti QX80 has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the Ascent.

Model Availability

The QX80 is available in both rear-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Ascent doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the QX80 is less expensive to operate than the Ascent because typical repairs cost much less on the QX80 than the Ascent, including $162 less for a water pump, $92 less for a starter and $328 less for front struts.

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