For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Infiniti QX60 have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Chrysler Pacifica doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.
The QX60 Sensory/Autograph’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Pacifica doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.
The QX60 Autograph 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 Pacifica doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.
With its standard Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection, the Infiniti QX60 is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Chrysler Pacifica, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:
|
QX60 |
Pacifica |
Overall Evaluation |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
|
Crossing Child - DAY |
|
25 MPH |
AVOIDED |
-4 MPH |
|
Crossing Adult - NIGHT |
|
12 MPH Brights |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
12 MPH Low beams |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
25 MPH Brights |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
25 MPH Low beams |
AVOIDED |
-6 MPH |
|
Parallel Adult - NIGHT |
|
25 MPH Brights |
AVOIDED |
AVOIDED |
25 MPH Low beams |
AVOIDED |
-1 MPH |
37 MPH Brights |
AVOIDED |
-22 MPH |
Warning Issued-Brights |
1.7 sec |
1.4 sec |
37 MPH Low beams |
AVOIDED |
No Slowing |
Warning Issued-Low beams |
1.5 sec |
No Warning |
The QX60 Luxe/Sensory/Autograph’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 Pacifica doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.
Both the QX60 and the Pacifica have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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 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 QX60 is safer than the Chrysler Pacifica:
|
QX60 |
Pacifica |
|
Front Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Chest Movement |
.9 inches |
1 inches |
Abdominal Force |
138 lbs. |
149 lbs. |
Hip Force |
244 lbs. |
395 lbs. |
|
Rear Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Spine Acceleration |
33 G’s |
54 G’s |
Hip Force |
461 lbs. |
764 lbs. |
|
Into Pole |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
234 |
293 |
Spine Acceleration |
37 G’s |
50 G’s |
Hip Force |
466 lbs. |
616 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 Infiniti QX60 is safer than the Pacifica:
|
QX60 |
Pacifica |
Overall Evaluation |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
|
Driver Injury Measures |
|
Head/Neck |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Head Injury Criterion |
125 |
167 |
Neck Tension |
268 lbs. |
335 lbs. |
Neck Compression |
22 lbs. |
45 lbs. |
Torso |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Shoulder Deflection |
.63 in |
.94 in |
Shoulder Force |
156 lbs. |
223 lbs. |
Torso Max Deflection |
.94 in |
1.26 in |
Head Protection |
GOOD |
GOOD |
|
Passenger Injury Measures |
|
Head/Neck |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Head Injury Criterion |
65 |
83 |
Neck Tension |
89 lbs. |
112 lbs. |
Torso |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
Shoulder Deflection |
.55 in |
1.1 in |
Shoulder Force |
178 lbs. |
424 lbs. |
Torso Max Deflection |
.75 in |
1.97 in |
Torso Deflection Rate |
4 MPH |
12 MPH |
Pelvis |
GOOD |
POOR |
Pelvis Force |
580 lbs. |
1450 lbs. |
Head Protection |
GOOD |
GOOD |
The Infiniti QX60 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 Pacifica last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2023.