The Highlander has standard Whiplash Injury Lessening Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash Injury Lessening Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The QX60 doesn't offer a whiplash protection system.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Highlander AWD's standard Downhill Assist Control allows you to creep down safely. The QX60 doesn't offer Downhill Assist Control.

Both the Highlander and the QX60 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Toyota Highlander is safer than the INFINITI QX60:

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 Toyota Highlander is safer than the INFINITI QX60:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Highlander for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. INFINITI doesn't pay scheduled maintenance for the QX60.

There are almost 8 times as many Toyota dealers as there are INFINITI dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Highlander's warranty.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without their vehicle while it's being repaired. Consumer Reports predicts that the Highlander's reliability will be 161% better than the QX60.

J.D. Power and Associates' 2015 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than INFINITI vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota third in reliability, above the industry average. With 33 more problems per 100 vehicles, INFINITI is ranked 17th.

The Highlander's optional 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 5 more horsepower (270 vs. 265) than the QX60 3.5's standard 3.5 DOHC V6.

As tested in Motor Trend the Toyota Highlander V6 is faster than the QX60 3.5:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Toyota Highlander uses regular unleaded gasoline. The QX60 requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

For better stopping power the Highlander's brake rotors are larger than those on the QX60:

The Highlander stops shorter than the QX60:

For better traction, the Highlander has larger tires than the QX60 (245/60R18 vs. 235/65R18).

The Highlander's standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the QX60's standard 65 series tires.

The Highlander's front to rear weight distribution is more even (53% to 47%) than the QX60's (55.2% to 44.8%). This gives the Highlander more stable handling and braking.

The Highlander XLE AWD handles at .81 G's, while the QX60 3.5 AWD pulls only .76 G's of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Highlander XLE AWD executes Motor Trend's “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.5 seconds quicker than the QX60 3.5 AWD (27.8 seconds @ .62 average G's vs. 29.3 seconds @ .56 average G's).

For greater off-road capability the Highlander has a 1.5 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the QX60 (8 vs. 6.5 inches), allowing the Highlander to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Toyota Highlander may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 200 to 250 pounds less than the INFINITI QX60.

The Highlander is 5.3 inches shorter than the QX60, making the Highlander easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Highlander has standard seating for 8 passengers; the QX60 can only carry 7.

The Highlander has 1.9 inches more front legroom, .4 inches more front hip room, 1.6 inches more rear headroom, 1.3 inches more rear hip room and 3.6 inches more third row hip room than the QX60.

The Highlander's cargo area provides more volume than the QX60.

The Highlander's optional rear cargo window opens separately from the rest of the liftgate door to allow quicker loading of small packages. The QX60's rear cargo window doesn't open.

While driving with high beams on, sensitive light sensors available for the Highlander Limited detect other vehicles which could be blinded and automatically switch to low beams. The QX60 doesn't offer automatic dimming high beams.

Standard Entune App Suite for the Highlander XLE/Limited/Platinum allows the driver and passengers access to select programs on their smartphones, including reading text messages aloud, playing internet radio stations, tagging songs to buy them later, 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 QX60 doesn't offer factory integrated smartphone program access.

Insurance will cost less for the Highlander owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Highlander will cost $1645 to $2890 less than the QX60 over a five-year period.

The Highlander will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The Intellichoice estimates that the Highlander will retain 58.27% to 61.09% of its original price after five years, while the QX60 only retains 43.54% to 44.82%.

Intellichoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Toyota Highlander will be $9485 to $17803 less than for the INFINITI QX60.

The Toyota Highlander has won recognition from these important consumer publications:

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Highlander second among midsize SUVs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner's expectations. The QX60 isn't in the top three.