Certified Benz & Beemer Compares 2015 Mercedes Benz S-Class VS 2015 Infiniti Q70 Near Scottsdale, AZ

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Mercedes S-Class 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 Infiniti Q70 doesn’t offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

The rear seatbelts optional on the S-Class inflate when a collision is detected, helping to spread crash forces over a much larger area of the body and limiting head and neck movement. This can help prevent spinal and internal injuries. The Q70 doesn’t offer inflatable seatbelts.

The Mercedes S-Class has Daytime Running Lights to help keep it more visible under all conditions. Canadian government studies show that driving with lights during the day reduces accidents by 11% by making vehicles more conspicuous. The Q70 doesn’t offer Daytime Running Lights.

An active infrared night vision system optional on the S-Class helps the driver to more easily detect people, animals or other objects in front of the vehicle at night. Using an infrared camera and near-infrared lights to detect heat, the system then displays the image on a monitor in the dashboard. The Q70 doesn’t offer a night vision system.

To help make backing safer, the S-Class’ optional cross-path warning system uses wide-angle radar in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The Q70 doesn’t offer a cross-path warning system.

The S-Class’ 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 Q70 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

The S-Class has standard mbrace, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Q70 doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the S-Class and the Q70 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, rearview cameras, available lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems and around view monitors.

There are almost 2 times as many Mercedes dealers as there are Infiniti dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the S-Class’ warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2014 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Mercedes vehicles are better in initial quality than Infiniti vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Mercedes 13th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 13 more problems per 100 vehicles, Infiniti is ranked 23rd, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2015 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Mercedes vehicles are more reliable than Infiniti vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Mercedes 7th in reliability, above the industry average. With 25 more problems per 100 vehicles, Infiniti is ranked 17th.

The S-Class has more powerful engines than the Q70:

As tested in Motor Trend the S550 is faster than the Infiniti Q70:

On the EPA test cycle the S550 gets better fuel mileage than the Q70 5.6:

Regardless of its engine, the S-Class’ engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. (Start/Stop isn’t accounted in present EPA fuel mileage tests.) Infiniti only offers an automatic engine start/stop system on the Q70 Hybrid.

The S-Class has 4.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Q70 Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (21.9 vs. 17.8 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The S-Class has 1.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the Q70 3.7/5.6’s standard fuel tank (21.9 vs. 20 gallons).

For better stopping power the S-Class’ brake rotors are larger than those on the Q70:

The S-Class S63/S65 offers optional heat-treated ceramic brake rotors, which last ten to twenty times as long as conventional cast iron rotors, don’t rust, don’t fade during repeated high speed braking, and their lighter weight contribute to better braking, handling and acceleration. The Q70 doesn’t offer ceramic brake rotors.

The S-Class stops shorter than the Q70:

For better traction, the S63/S65’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Q70 (F:255/40R20 & R:285/35R20 vs. 245/40R20).

The S-Class’ standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Q70’s standard 50 series tires. The S-Class’ optional 275/35R20 rear tires have a lower 35 series profile than the Q70’s optional 40 series tires.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires available on the S-Class can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The Q70 doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

The front and rear suspension of the S-Class uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the Q70, which uses coil springs. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

The S-Class offers an available active suspension system, which counteracts cornering forces actively, limiting body roll and improving handling and stability. Infiniti doesn’t offer an active suspension on the Q70.

The S-Class has a standard driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads. The Q70’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The S-Class has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Q70 doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

The S-Class’ 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 Q70 doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the S-Class’ wheelbase is 10.4 inches longer than on the Q70 (124.6 inches vs. 114.2 inches). The S-Class’ wheelbase is 4.5 inches longer than on the Q70L (124.6 inches vs. 120.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the S-Class is 1 inch wider in the front and 1.5 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Q70.

The Maybach S600 handles at .88 G’s, while the Q70 3.7 pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The S600 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.1 seconds quicker than the Q70 Hybrid (25.8 seconds @ .75 average G’s vs. 26.9 seconds @ .68 average G’s).

The design of the Mercedes S-Class amounts to more than styling. The S-Class has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .24 Cd. That is lower than the Q70 (.26 to .27) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the S-Class get better fuel mileage.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the S550 is quieter than the Q70 3.7:

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the S-Class is rated a Large car by the EPA, while the Q70 is rated a Mid-size.

The S-Class has 8.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Q70 (112 vs. 103.6).

The S-Class has .6 inches more front headroom, 1.3 inches more front shoulder room, 1.5 inches more rear headroom, 6.8 inches more rear legroom and 2.4 inches more rear shoulder room than the Q70.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the S-Class’ available rear seats recline. The Q70’s rear seats don’t recline.

The S-Class has a much larger trunk than the Q70 (16.3 vs. 14.9 cubic feet).

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier, especially for short adults or children, the S-Class has a standard power trunk, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button, or optionally by just kicking your foot under the back bumper, completely leaving your hands free. The Q70 doesn’t offer a power trunk.

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Q70, the S-Class has standard driver and passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The S-Class offers an optional heads-up display which projects speed readouts onto the windshield, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Q70 doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The power windows standard on both the S-Class and the Q70 have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the S-Class is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Q70 prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

Heated windshield washer fluid is standard on the S-Class to defrost the washer nozzles and quickly clear ice and frost from the windshield without scraping. The Q70 doesn’t offer heated windshield washer fluid.

Consumer Reports rated the S-Class’ headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Q70’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

While driving with high beams on, sensitive light sensors standard on the S-Class detect other vehicles which could be blinded and automatically switch to low beams. The Q70 doesn’t offer automatic dimming high beams.

To better shield the driver and front passenger’s vision, the S-Class has standard dual-element sun visors that can block glare from two directions simultaneously. The Q70 doesn’t offer secondary sun visors.

Optional air conditioned front and rear seats keep the S-Class’ passengers comfortable and take the sting out of hot leather in Summer. The Q70 doesn’t offer air conditioned seats in the rear.

Optional Mercedes-Benz Apps for the S-Class allows the driver and passengers access to select programs on their smartphones, including reading text messages aloud, finding fuel prices at nearby service stations, searching the internet and other connected activities without taking their eyes off the road or their hands from the wheel. The Q70 doesn’t offer factory integrated smartphone program access.

The S-Class has a 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Q70 doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The S-Class’ optional Active Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Q70 doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Both the Mercedes S-Class and Infiniti Q70 won four awards in Kiplinger’s 2015 car issue.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the S-Class first among large premium cars in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Q70 isn’t in the top three in its category.

The S-Class was chosen as one of Automobile Magazine’s “All Stars” for 3 of the last 16 years. The Q70 has never been an “All Star.”

The Mercedes S-Class outsold the Infiniti Q70 by over five to one during 2014.