Both the Sorento Hybrid and QX50 have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Sorento Hybrid has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The QX50’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.
In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Kia Sorento Hybrid achieved a “Good” rating - the highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Infiniti QX50 has not been tested.
When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Sorento Hybrid’s standard Downhill Brake Control allows you to creep down safely. The QX50 doesn’t offer Downhill Brake Control.
Both the Sorento Hybrid and QX50 have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Sorento Hybrid has Rear Cross-Traffic Collision-Avoidance Assist (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The QX50’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.
The Sorento Hybrid’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 QX50 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.
Both the Sorento Hybrid and the QX50 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front 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, 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 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Kia Sorento Hybrid is safer than the Infiniti QX50:
|
Sorento Hybrid |
QX50 |
|
Driver |
|
STARS |
4 Stars |
4 Stars |
Neck Injury Risk |
23% |
26% |
Neck Stress |
208 lbs. |
245 lbs. |
|
Passenger |
|
STARS |
4 Stars |
4 Stars |
Chest Compression |
.4 inches |
.6 inches |
Neck Stress |
139 lbs. |
161 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
118/119 lbs. |
504/622 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
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 Kia Sorento Hybrid is safer than the Infiniti QX50:
|
Sorento Hybrid |
QX50 |
|
Front Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
25 |
98 |
Chest Movement |
.7 inches |
1 inches |
Abdominal Force |
117 lbs. |
151 lbs. |
Hip Force |
196 lbs. |
306 lbs. |
|
Rear Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
73 |
73 |
Hip Force |
196 lbs. |
227 lbs. |
|
Into Pole |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Max Damage Depth |
15 inches |
17 inches |
HIC |
228 |
333 |
Spine Acceleration |
32 G’s |
39 G’s |
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 Kia Sorento Hybrid is safer than the QX50:
|
Sorento Hybrid |
QX50 |
Overall Evaluation |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
Structure |
GOOD |
MARGINAL |
|
Driver Injury Measures |
|
Head/Neck |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Head Injury Criterion |
64 |
141 |
Neck Compression |
-89 lbs. |
89 lbs. |
Torso |
GOOD |
ACCEPTABLE |
Shoulder Deflection |
.71 in |
1.06 in |
Torso Max Deflection |
1.14 in |
1.73 in |
Torso Deflection Rate |
7 MPH |
9 MPH |
Pelvis |
ACCEPTABLE |
MARGINAL |
Pelvis Force |
959 lbs. |
1316 lbs. |
Head Protection |
GOOD |
GOOD |
|
Passenger Injury Measures |
|
Head/Neck |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Neck Compression |
-67 lbs. |
89 lbs. |
Torso |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Shoulder Deflection |
.55 in |
.67 in |
Shoulder Force |
134 lbs. |
201 lbs. |
Torso Max Deflection |
1.18 in |
1.42 in |
Torso Deflection Rate |
4 MPH |
7 MPH |
Pelvis |
GOOD |
GOOD |
Head Protection |
GOOD |
GOOD |