Compare the2022 Jeep CherokeeVS 2022 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Towing
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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The Jeep Cherokee has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Atlas Cross Sport doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Cherokee has standard Active Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Atlas Cross Sport doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Both the Cherokee and the Atlas Cross Sport 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, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive and front parking sensors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Jeep Cherokee is safer than the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport:

	Cherokee	Atlas Cross Sport
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	204	307
Neck Stress	408 lbs.	412 lbs.
Neck Compression	41 lbs.	59 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	166	277
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.7 inches
Neck Injury Risk	37%	39%
Neck Compression	26 lbs.	117 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 post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Jeep Cherokee is safer than the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport:

	Cherokee	Atlas Cross Sport
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	203	309
Hip Force	490 lbs.	594 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-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, rear impact and roof-crush tests, with its optional front crash prevention system, its “Good” rating in the new passenger-side small overlap crash test, and its available headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Cherokee the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2019, a rating granted to only 162 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Atlas Cross Sport has not been tested, yet.

Warranty

Jeep’s powertrain warranty covers the Cherokee 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Volkswagen covers the Atlas Cross Sport. 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 Cross Sport ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

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

Jeep pays for scheduled maintenance (up to 3 oil changes) on the Cherokee for 1 year and -20,000 miles longer than Volkswagen pays for maintenance for the Atlas Cross Sport (3/unlimited vs. 2/20,000).

There are almost 4 times as many Jeep dealers as there are Volkswagen dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Cherokee’s warranty.

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Cherokee has a standard 700-amp battery. The Atlas Cross Sport’s 680-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Cherokee third among compact suvs in their 2021 Initial Quality Study. The Atlas Cross Sport isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Jeep vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Jeep 8th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 64 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 30th, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Jeep vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Jeep 19th in reliability. With 16 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 21st.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Jeep vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Jeep 5 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

Engine

The Cherokee’s optional 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 35 more horsepower (270 vs. 235) and 37 lbs.-ft. more torque (295 vs. 258) than the Atlas Cross Sport’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The Cherokee’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 29 lbs.-ft. more torque (295 vs. 266) than the Atlas Cross Sport’s optional 3.6 DOHC V6.

As tested in Motor Trend the Jeep Cherokee turbo 4 cyl. is faster than the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport:

	Cherokee	Atlas Cross Sport turbo 4 cyl.	Atlas Cross Sport V6
Zero to 60 MPH	6.6 sec	8.1 sec	7.9 sec
Quarter Mile	15.2 sec	16.3 sec	16 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	90.3 MPH	84.5 MPH	87.4 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Cherokee gets better mileage than the Atlas Cross Sport:

			MPG
Cherokee
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/31 hwy
		3.2 DOHC V6	20 city/29 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/29 hwy
		Trailhawk 2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/27 hwy
		3.2 DOHC V6	19 city/27 hwy
		Active Drive II 3.2 DOHC V6	18 city/26 hwy
Atlas Cross Sport
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/25 hwy
		3.6 DOHC V6	18 city/24 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/24 hwy
		3.6 DOHC V6	18 city/24 hwy

The Cherokee 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 Atlas Cross Sport doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Jeep Cherokee higher (5 to 6 out of 10) than the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport (3 to 5). This means the Cherokee produces up to 23.4 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Atlas Cross Sport every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Jeep Cherokee, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Atlas Cross Sport.

Brakes and Stopping

The Cherokee stops shorter than the Atlas Cross Sport:

	Cherokee	Atlas Cross Sport
60 to 0 MPH	121 feet	126 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

The Cherokee has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Atlas Cross Sport doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Cherokee X/Trailhawk has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Atlas Cross Sport; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

Suspension and Handling

The Cherokee’s 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 Atlas Cross Sport doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

The Cherokee Latitude LUX 4x4 handles at .80 G’s, while the Atlas Cross Sport 4Motion pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Cherokee Latitude LUX 4x4 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Atlas Cross Sport 4Motion (27.1 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 27.8 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Cherokee’s turning circle is 2.9 feet tighter than the Atlas Cross Sport’s (37.6 feet vs. 40.5 feet). The Cherokee 4x4 Trailhawk’s turning circle is 2.4 feet tighter than the Atlas Cross Sport’s (38.1 feet vs. 40.5 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Cherokee has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Atlas Cross Sport 2.0T (7.9 vs. 7.1 inches), allowing the Cherokee to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Cherokee Trailhawk’s minimum ground clearance is 1.2 inches higher than on the Atlas Cross Sport V6 (8.7 vs. 7.5 inches).

Chassis

The Jeep Cherokee may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 200 to 400 pounds less than the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport.

The Cherokee is 1 foot shorter than the Atlas Cross Sport, making the Cherokee easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The design of the Jeep Cherokee amounts to more than styling. The Cherokee has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .339 Cd. That is lower than the Atlas Cross Sport (.34 to .35) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Cherokee get better fuel mileage.

The front grille of the Cherokee (except Trailhawk) uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Atlas Cross Sport doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Towing

The Cherokee 4WD with optional equipment can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Cherokee can be unhitched and driven around locally. The Atlas Cross Sport can’t be towed flat on the ground.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Cherokee uses the Electronic Stability 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 Cross Sport doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Ergonomics

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

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Cherokee owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Cherokee will cost $225 to $3300 less than the Atlas Cross Sport over a five-year period.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Jeep Cherokee will be $3795 to $10961 less than for the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport.

Recommendations

The Jeep Cherokee outsold the Volkswagen Atlas by 56% during 2020.

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