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 GV70 are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Q5 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.
The Genesis GV70 has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Q5 doesn’t offer knee airbags.
The GV70 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 Q5 doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.
Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the GV70 deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The GV70’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Q5’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.
With its standard Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist with Pedestrian Detection, the Genesis GV70 is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Audi Q5, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:
|
GV70 |
Q5 |
Overall Evaluation |
ACCEPTABLE |
MARGINAL |
|
Crossing Child - DAY |
|
12 MPH |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
|
Crossing Adult - NIGHT |
|
12 MPH Brights |
AVOIDED |
-8 MPH |
12 MPH Low beams |
AVOIDED |
-1 MPH |
25 MPH Brights |
AVOIDED |
-13 MPH |
25 MPH Low beams |
-19 MPH |
-2 MPH |
|
Parallel Adult - NIGHT |
|
25 MPH Brights |
AVOIDED |
-2 MPH |
25 MPH Low beams |
AVOIDED |
No Slowing |
37 MPH Brights |
-21 MPH |
No Slowing |
Warning Issued-Brights |
1.6 sec |
No Warning |
37 MPH Low beams |
-17 MPH |
No Slowing |
Warning Issued-Low beams |
1 sec |
No Warning |
The GV70’s 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 Q5 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.
Both the GV70 and the Q5 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.
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 Genesis GV70 is safer than the Q5:
|
GV70 |
Q5 |
Overall Evaluation |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
Structure |
GOOD |
GOOD |
|
Driver Injury Measures |
|
Head/Neck |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Head Injury Criterion |
57 |
96 |
Neck Tension |
201 lbs. |
245 lbs. |
Neck Compression |
-67 lbs. |
89 lbs. |
Pelvis |
ACCEPTABLE |
ACCEPTABLE |
Pelvis Force |
959 lbs. |
1116 lbs. |
Head Protection |
GOOD |
GOOD |
|
Passenger Injury Measures |
|
Head/Neck |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Head Injury Criterion |
130 |
346 |
Neck Tension |
67 lbs. |
223 lbs. |
Neck Compression |
-89 lbs. |
89 lbs. |
Torso |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
Shoulder Deflection |
.43 in |
1.73 in |
Shoulder Force |
178 lbs. |
402 lbs. |
Torso Max Deflection |
1.1 in |
1.54 in |
Torso Deflection Rate |
9 MPH |
11 MPH |
Pelvis |
GOOD |
MARGINAL |
Pelvis Force |
736 lbs. |
1249 lbs. |
Head Protection |
GOOD |
GOOD |
The Genesis GV70 (built after November 2023) achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The Q5 last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2023.