Compare the2025 Honda PilotVS 2024 Infiniti QX80

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Pilot deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Pilot’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The QX80’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Pilot’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The QX80 doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

The Pilot’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 QX80 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Pilot uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The QX80 uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Pilot and the QX80 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, 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 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Honda Pilot is safer than the Infiniti QX80:

	Pilot	QX80
OVERALL STARS	4 Stars	3 Stars
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	2 Stars
HIC	382	384
Neck Injury Risk	28.9%	36%
Neck Stress	350 lbs.	439 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	178/233 lbs.	983/651 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	3 Stars
Chest Compression	.5 inches	1.2 inches
Neck Injury Risk	33.6%	37%
Leg Forces (l/r)	396/388 lbs.	452/534 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 Honda Pilot is safer than the Infiniti QX80:

	Pilot	QX80
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.6 inches	1 inches
Abdominal Force	59 lbs.	81 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	10 inches	16 inches
HIC	340	437
Spine Acceleration	34 G’s	39 G’s
Hip Force	444 lbs.	684 lbs.

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

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Pilot, with its four-star roll-over rating, is 6.4% to 9.4% less likely to roll over than the QX80, which received a three-star rating.

The Honda Pilot achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2025 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated moderate overlap front crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The QX80 has not yet been evaluated by the IIHS for 2025.

Warranty

There are over 5 times as many Honda dealers as there are Infiniti dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Pilot’s warranty.

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Pilot’s reliability 29 points higher than the QX80.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Infiniti vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Honda above average in initial quality. With 6 more problems per 100 vehicles, Infiniti is rated lower.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Infiniti With 13 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Honda higher than Infiniti.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Pilot gets better mileage than the QX80:

			MPG
Pilot
	FWD	3.5 DOHC V6	19 city/27 hwy
	AWD	3.5 DOHC V6	19 city/25 hwy
		TrailSport 3.5 DOHC V6	18 city/23 hwy
QX80
	RWD	5.6 DOHC V8	14 city/20 hwy
	AWD	5.6 DOHC V8	13 city/19 hwy

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Pilot’s fuel efficiency. The QX80 doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Pilot’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The QX80 doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Honda Pilot uses regular unleaded gasoline. The QX80 requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Pilot has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The QX80 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Honda Pilot higher (6 out of 10) than the Infiniti QX80 (5). This means the Pilot produces up to 6.9 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the QX80 every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

A 10-speed automatic is standard on the Honda Pilot, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a seven-speed automatic is available for the QX80.

Brakes and Stopping

The Pilot stops much shorter than the QX80:

	Pilot	QX80
60 to 0 MPH	129 feet	139 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	140 feet	155 feet	Consumer Reports

Suspension and Handling

The Pilot TrailSport handles at .85 G’s, while the QX80 AWD pulls only .72 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Pilot Elite executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the QX80 AWD (27.7 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 28.6 seconds @ .57 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Pilot TrailSport’s turning circle is 3.6 feet tighter than the QX80’s (37.7 feet vs. 41.3 feet). The Pilot’s turning circle is 3.5 feet tighter than the QX80’s (37.8 feet vs. 41.3 feet).

Chassis

The Honda Pilot may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 1400 pounds less than the Infiniti QX80.

The Pilot is 10.3 inches shorter than the QX80, making the Pilot easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Unibody construction lowers the Pilot’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The QX80 doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

The front grille of the Pilot uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The QX80 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Pilot uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The QX80 doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Pilot has 5.9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the QX80 (158.4 vs. 152.5).

The Pilot has .6 inches more front headroom, 1.4 inches more front legroom, .2 inches more rear headroom, 2.5 inches more third row headroom and 3.7 inches more third row legroom than the QX80.

Cargo Capacity

The Pilot’s cargo area provides more volume than the QX80.

	Pilot	QX80
Behind Third Seat	21.8 cubic feet	16.6 cubic feet
Third Seat Folded	59.5 cubic feet	49.6 cubic feet
Max Cargo Volume	111.8 cubic feet	95.1 cubic feet

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Pilot easier. The Pilot’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 33.2 inches, while the QX80’s liftover is 35.8 inches.

The Pilot’s cargo area is larger than the QX80’s in almost every dimension:

	Pilot	QX80
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	19.4”/51.3”/84.2”	18.4”/48”/81”
Max Width	57.6”	50”
Min Width	44.7”	49.8”
Height	33.9”	36”

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Pilot Elite/Touring/Black Edition’s liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The QX80 doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Ergonomics

The Pilot Elite/Black Edition has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, navigation instruction and driver assistance information readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The QX80 doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Pilot’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The QX80’s parking brake has to be released manually.

The power windows standard on both the Pilot and the QX80 have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Pilot is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The QX80 prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Pilot to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The QX80 doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Honda Pilot, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Infiniti QX80 isn't recommended.

The Honda Pilot outsold the Infiniti QX80 by over 12 to one during 2024.

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