InSure

In the past year, midsize SUVs have dominated the market even as car sales throughout the nation slip. Private passenger car sales fell by 24 percent but certain crossover lineups saw a boost of as much as 21 percent.

This statistic proves that midsize SUVs are growing in popularity even as the demand for new vehicles declines. Some of the more popular brands selling vehicles in this segment of the market are Infiniti and Audi.

As the cost of high-end features is starting to shrink, more and more luxury manufacturers are focusing their production efforts on developing luxury midsize SUVs. 

The higher the quality the better, but luxury cars aren’t automatically the safest because they have higher price tags. Luxury consumers need to do their homework.

If you’ve already narrowed down your options and you’re convinced that Infiniti and Audi have the best options for you, it’s imperative that you look into safety ratings before you sit down in the sales office.

Use our free rate comparison tool to see how your car insurance premiums would differ between these two makes of vehicle. Enter your zip code above to get started.

You can’t just look at the design of a vehicle and assume that it’s safer than another. Here’s information on safety ratings so that you can determine if midsize luxury SUVs produced by Infiniti are safer than options produced by Audi:

How Safety Ratings Are Determined

Automakers don’t only design vehicles, they conduct testings in their facilities on closed tracks to spot flaws and fix them before they are sold on the market.

While many issues are addressed and resolved on the production line, the only way to really assess if a vehicle is safe in real-life situations is to test the car in a crash hall. This assessment is where IIHS comes in.

IIHS, which stands for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, is a non-profit organization that uses crash test results and other data to assign safety ratings to vehicles independently from automakers.

With a $30 billion Vehicle Research Center equipped with a safe crash hall, the IIHS is able to see what happens to a vehicle when it’s in a collision.

The mission of the IIHS is to determine if five different areas in a vehicle will hold up in a moderate crash. To do this, the research center uses crash testing technology to measure how a car performs and how likely it is that occupants will be injured.

The following areas are tested in areas like crashworthiness, front crash prevention, and child seat anchors:

• Small overlap front
• Moderate overlap front
• Side
• Roof strength
• Head restraints & seats
• Front crash prevention
• Headlights
• Child seat anchors (LATCH)

Compare Safety Ratings between Infiniti and Audi for Midsize Luxury SUVs

Even though crossovers have things in common, Infiniti and Audi have their own engineers and their own platform designs. This is part of the reason why models feel differently than others when they are being driven.

It is also the main reason why some luxury compact SUVs are safer than others.

Fortunately, all vehicles that are sold in a retail environment are tested. Ratings that the cars receive can really help give you the power to the consumer.

You should look are the safety ratings that are earned in each area to see areas where a car might struggle. Here are the ratings a car can receive once the mangled wreck is transported out of the crash hall:

• Good
• Acceptable
• Marginal
• Poor
• Front Crash Prevention only – Superior, Advanced, or Basic

The Infiniti QX60 vs. The Audi Q5

Makes may earn Top Safety Pick awards for certain models, but that doesn’t mean that all models from that automaker are safe. As you’re comparing safety ratings between Infiniti and Audi, you’ll have to compare similar models from the same year.

To determine which vehicle is safer in this scenario, it’s best to compare the 2017 Infiniti QX60 to the 2017 Audi Q5.

Safety Ratings for the 2017 Infiniti QX60

• Small overlap front – Good
• Moderate overlap front – Good
• Roof strength – Good
• Side – Good
• Head restraints & seats – Good
• Front Crash Prevention – Superior (with optional equipment)
• Headlights – Poor
• Child Seat Anchors Ease of Use – Marginal

In 2017, the Infiniti QX60 was awarded a Top Pick Safety Award because of its excellent performance in crash tests. In each of the five tests conducted, the QX60 received a “Good” rating.

The model also received a “Superior” rating in front crash prevention when the model is stocked with an optional Forward Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection system.

Where there’s good, there is also bad. It’s hard to believe that an award-winning vehicle could rank “Poor” in an area tested. With this being said, the vehicle’s headlights weren’t up to par. Testers reported too much glare, which is what led to the “Poor” grade.

Since headlight testing is new, it is not considered when choosing award recipients.

Safety Ratings for the 2017 Audi Q5

• Small overlap front – N/A
• Moderate overlap front – Good
• Roof strength – Good
• Side – Good
• Head restraints & seats – Good
• Front Crash Prevention – Advanced (with optional equipment)
• Headlights – Acceptable (only certain trims)
• Child Seat Anchors Ease of Use – Marginal

Like the QX60, the 2017 Audi Q5 earned “Good” ratings for all frontal crash tests performed. This was after Audi reinforced the occupant compartment structure to address protection issues that were found in models products before 2015.

While some issues were addressed, not all of them were.

The biggest concern with the Q5 is that it only earned an “Advanced” in front crash prevention when it is stocked with the extra Audi Pre Sense Front system.

In this test area, it only scored three out of six because of its low-quality high-speed auto brake system. The car also received a “Marginal” child seat LATCH rating and an “Acceptable” headlight rating.

2017 Top Safety Pick

After looking at all of the ratings, it’s helpful to see which vehicle is an award recipient.

When comparing the QX60 to the Q5, only Infiniti’s model earned a 2017 Top Pick Safety Award, and Audi’s model did not.

While the headlight rating needs to be improved, Infiniti’s midsize luxury SUV excelled in areas where Audi’s struggled.

When considering each area tested, Infiniti does produce safer midsize luxury SUVs than Audi. What made the vehicle stand out is it’s frontal crash test performance, and it’s superior crash prevention system.

If you do decide that Infiniti will be the next brand you buy, get auto insurance quotes online. It will be helpful to see how much you’re saving by choosing a safer brand. Enter your zip code below to get started.

Safety Comparisons

14.12.2017 / car safety features / safety comparison / SUV