Compare the2024 Subaru OutbackVS 2023 Infiniti QX55

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

Safety

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In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Outback are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The QX55 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Outback 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 QX55 doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Outback’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The QX55 doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

The Outback’s optional 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 QX55 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Outback and the QX55 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, all wheel drive, 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 Outback is safer than the Infiniti QX55:

	Outback	QX55
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	158	384
Neck Injury Risk	26%	36%
Neck Stress	281 lbs.	439 lbs.
Neck Compression	57 lbs.	95 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	230/249 lbs.	983/651 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	241	285
Chest Compression	.6 inches	1.2 inches
Neck Stress	147 lbs.	219 lbs.
Neck Compression	51 lbs.	78 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	161/137 lbs.	452/534 lbs.

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 Outback is safer than the QX55:

	Outback	QX55
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Structure	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	69	141
Neck Tension	156 lbs.	178 lbs.
Neck Compression	45 lbs.	89 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.94 in	1.06 in
Torso Max Deflection	1.54 in	1.73 in
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Pelvis Force	1026 lbs.	1316 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Outback its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 30 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The QX55 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 Outback’s warranty.

Reliability

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Outback has a standard 150-amp alternator (190-amp - Outback XT). The QX55’s 130-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are better in initial quality than Infiniti vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Subaru above average in initial quality. With 27 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 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 Outback lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability (That’s why Porsche uses boxer engines.). The QX55 doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Outback gets better mileage than the QX55:

			MPG
Outback
	AWD	2.5 DOHC flat-4	26 city/32 hwy
		XT 2.4 turbo flat-4	22 city/29 hwy
QX55
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/28 hwy

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Outback’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 QX55 doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Subaru Outback uses regular unleaded gasoline. The QX55 requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Outback has 2.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the QX55 (18.5 vs. 16 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Tires and Wheels

The Outback Wilderness/Onyx XT has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the QX55; 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 greater off-road capability the Outback has a greater minimum ground clearance than the QX55 (8.7 vs. 8.6 inches), allowing the Outback to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Outback Wilderness’ minimum ground clearance is .9 inch higher than on the QX55 (9.5 vs. 8.6 inches).

Chassis

The Subaru Outback may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 200 to 450 pounds less than the Infiniti QX55.

The front grille of the Outback 2.5i uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The QX55 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

The Outback has 8.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the QX55 (109 vs. 100.2).

The Outback has .2 inches more front headroom, 3.2 inches more front legroom, .2 inches more front shoulder room, 2.2 inches more rear headroom, .8 inches more rear legroom, 1 inch more rear hip room and .3 inches more rear shoulder room than the QX55.

Cargo Capacity

The Outback has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the QX55 with its rear seat up (32.6 vs. 26.9 cubic feet). The Outback has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the QX55 with its rear seat folded (75.6 vs. 54.1 cubic feet).

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the Outback easier. The Outback’s trunk lift-over height is 28.4 inches, while the QX55’s liftover is 29.9 inches.

Towing

The Outback has a 2700 lbs. towing capacity. The QX55 has no towing capacity.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Outback is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the QX55. 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 Outback’s available exterior PIN entry system (not available on Outback Base). The QX55 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.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Outback to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The QX55 doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Outback’s optional 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 QX55 has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Both the Outback and the QX55 offer available heated front seats. The Outback Limited/Touring/Onyx XT/Wilderness also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the QX55.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Subaru Outback (except Base) offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The QX55 doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Subaru Outback, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Subaru Outback outsold the Infiniti QX55 by almost 29 to one during 2022.

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