Compare the2024 Infiniti Q50VS 2023 BMW 5 Series Sedan

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Infiniti Q50 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 BMW 5 Series Sedan doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

The Q50 has a standard Around View® Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The 5 Series Sedan only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

Both the Q50 and 5 Series Sedan have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Q50 has Back-up Collision Intervention (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The 5 Series Sedan’s Cross Traffic Warning doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the Q50 and the 5 Series Sedan have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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 and available all wheel drive.

The Q50 comes with a full 4-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The 5 Series Sedan’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 10,000 miles sooner.

Infiniti’s powertrain warranty covers the Q50 2 years and 20,000 miles longer than BMW covers the 5 Series Sedan. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the 5 Series Sedan ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Infiniti Q50 3.0 is faster than the 530i 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder:

On the EPA test cycle the Q50 gets better mileage than the 5 Series Sedan:

The Q50 has 2 gallons more fuel capacity than the 5 Series Sedan (20 vs. 18 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Q50 stops shorter than the 5 Series Sedan:

The Q50 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 5 Series Sedan doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Q50 Sport’s optional drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The 5 Series Sedan doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

The Q50 Red Sport 400 handles at .88 G’s, while the 540i pulls only .87 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Q50’s turning circle is 2.7 feet tighter than the 5 Series Sedan’s (36.7 feet vs. 39.4 feet). The Q50 AWD’s turning circle is 3.4 feet tighter than the 5 Series Sedan xDrive’s (37.4 feet vs. 40.8 feet).

The Q50 is 6.2 inches shorter than the 5 Series Sedan, making the Q50 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Q50 has .7 inches more front headroom, 3.1 inches more front legroom and .2 inches more rear shoulder room than the 5 Series Sedan.

Consumer Reports rated the Q50’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the 5 Series Sedan’s headlights, which were rated “Poor.”

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Q50 has standard extendable sun visors. The 5 Series Sedan doesn’t offer extendable visors.

The Q50 has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the car heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the 5 Series Sedan.

The Q50 will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Q50 will retain 45.32% to 45.77% of its original price after five years, while the 5 Series Sedan only retains 42.28% to 44.93%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Q50 is less expensive to operate than the 5 Series Sedan because typical repairs cost much less on the Q50 than the 5 Series Sedan, including $463 less for a water pump, $474 less for a muffler, $94 less for front brake pads, $126 less for a starter, $20 less for fuel injection, $52 less for a fuel pump and $626 less for a timing belt/chain.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Infiniti Q50 will be $7017 to $21020 less than for the BMW 5 Series Sedan.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Infiniti Q50 and the BMW 5 Series Sedan, based on reliability, safety and performance.