Compare the2022 Subaru AscentVS 2022 Volkswagen Atlas

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

© 1999 - 2024Advanta-STAR Automotive Research, all rights reserved. This vehicle comparison and all of the content in it are provided only by license from Advanta-STAR Automotive Research Corporation of America (“Advanta-STAR”). If you are not a legally licensed user of this vehicle comparison, it is against federal law to access it, copy it, forward it, or use it in any manner whatsoever. Any unauthorized use of this vehicle comparison is a violation of U.S. and international law and is punishable criminally and civilly. Removal of this watermark/notification without prior written license and approval received from Advanta-STAR is an agreement, understanding, and/or stipulation by the person(s), entities, agents, attorneys, and any other persons involved in the removal of this watermark/notification (including but not limited to Search Optics, LLC and any and all parent entities, sister entities, and subsidiary entities of Search Optics, LLC and/or any other entity, agent, attorney, and persons related in any manner to Search Optics, LLC) to: 1) an agreed upon amount of liquidated monetary damages of a minimum of $1,250,000.00 US Dollars in favor of Advanta-STAR; 2) the jurisdiction and enforcement of any legal claims associated with this matter asserted by Advanta-STAR in the United States Federal District Court in Portand, Oregon; and 3) service of process of any legal claims asserted by Advanta-STAR associated with this matter may be accomplished by First-Class Postage by the United States Postal Service or comparable service. XPYNN-M34HG 2a06:98c0:3600::103 2024/05/02

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Ascent are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Atlas doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Subaru Ascent has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Atlas doesn’t offer knee airbags.

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

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Ascent. But it costs extra on the Atlas.

The Ascent’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Atlas.

Both the Ascent and the Atlas have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, rearview cameras, available 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 Subaru Ascent is safer than the Volkswagen Atlas:

	Ascent	Atlas
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	190	307
Neck Injury Risk	21%	30%
Neck Stress	229 lbs.	412 lbs.
Neck Compression	8 lbs.	59 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	210	277
Chest Compression	.7 inches	.7 inches
Neck Injury Risk	33%	39%
Leg Forces (l/r)	35/30 lbs.	297/97 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 Subaru Ascent is safer than the Volkswagen Atlas:

	Ascent	Atlas
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	37	57
Chest Movement	.5 inches	.5 inches
Hip Force	274 lbs.	345 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	81	144
Spine Acceleration	27 G’s	39 G’s
Hip Force	346 lbs.	527 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	149	279
Hip Force	637 lbs.	800 lbs.

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

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Ascent its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2021, a rating granted to only 73 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Atlas last would have qualified as only a standard “Top Pick” in 2017.

Warranty

Subaru’s powertrain warranty covers the Ascent 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Volkswagen covers the Atlas. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Atlas ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The Ascent’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Atlas’ (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Subaru 24th in initial quality. With 31 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 30th.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Subaru 17th in reliability. With 38 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 28th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Subaru vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Subaru 16 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

Engine

The Ascent’s 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder produces 25 more horsepower (260 vs. 235) and 19 lbs.-ft. more torque (277 vs. 258) than the Atlas’ standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The Ascent’s 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder produces 11 lbs.-ft. more torque (277 vs. 266) than the Atlas’ optional 3.6 DOHC V6.

As tested in Car and Driver the Subaru Ascent is faster than the Volkswagen Atlas V6:

	Ascent	Atlas
Zero to 30 MPH	2.7 sec	2.9 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	6.9 sec	7.9 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	19.4 sec	20.2 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	7.8 sec	8.2 sec
Passing 50 to 70 MPH	5.1 sec	5.2 sec
Quarter Mile	15.5 sec	16 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	91 MPH	89 MPH
Top Speed	130 MPH	116 MPH

The flat cylinder configuration of the boxer engine in the Ascent lowers its center of gravity, enhancing handling stability without compromising ground clearance. The Atlas doesn’t offer a boxer engine configuration.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Ascent gets better mileage than the Atlas:

			MPG
Ascent
	AWD	2.4 turbo flat-4	21 city/27 hwy
		Limited/Touring 2.4 turbo flat-4	20 city/26 hwy
Atlas
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/25 hwy
		3.6 DOHC V6	18 city/24 hwy
	AWD	3.6 DOHC V6	17 city/23 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/24 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Subaru Ascent uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Atlas with the 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder engine requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

Transmission

The Ascent has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Atlas doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

The Ascent stops much shorter than the Atlas:

	Ascent	Atlas
60 to 0 MPH	114 feet	139 feet	Motor Trend

Suspension and Handling

The Ascent has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Ascent flat and controlled during cornering. The Atlas’ suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The Ascent Touring handles at .80 G’s, while the Atlas SEL 4Motion pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Ascent Touring executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Atlas SEL 4Motion (27.2 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 27.9 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Ascent’s turning circle is 2.5 feet tighter than the Atlas’ (38 feet vs. 40.5 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Ascent has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Atlas (8.7 vs. 8 inches), allowing the Ascent to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The Ascent is 3.9 inches shorter than the Atlas, making the Ascent easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Ascent Limited is quieter than the Atlas SEL Premium 4Motion:

	Ascent	Atlas
At idle	40 dB	41 dB
Full-Throttle	70 dB	76 dB
70 MPH Cruising	64 dB	68 dB

Passenger Space

The Ascent has standard seating for 8 passengers; the Atlas can only carry 7.

The Ascent has .5 inches more front legroom, 1 inch more rear legroom, .8 inches more third row hip room and 2.3 inches more third row shoulder room than the Atlas.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Ascent’s middle and third row seats recline. The Atlas’ third row seats don’t recline.

Towing

Standard Trailer Stability Assist on the Ascent uses the Vehicle Dynamics Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Atlas doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Ascent is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Atlas. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because there are no rear spark plugs and the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Ascent’s available exterior PIN entry system (not available on Ascent Base). The Atlas doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Car-Net can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Ascent has a standard rear speed-sensitive intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Atlas only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Ascent’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Atlas’ headlights are rated “Marginal” to “Poor.”

The Ascent’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Atlas has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Ascent is less expensive to operate than the Atlas because it costs $18 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Ascent than the Atlas, including $305 less for a water pump, $615 less for a muffler, $52 less for front brake pads, $168 less for a starter, $301 less for fuel injection, $8 less for a fuel pump, $1125 less for a timing belt/chain and $875 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its May 2020 issue and they ranked the Subaru Ascent Touring seven places higher than the Volkswagen Atlas SEL 4Motion.