Compare the2023 Honda OdysseyVS 2022 Volkswagen Atlas

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

Safety

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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 Odyssey 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 Honda Odyssey 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 doesn’t offer knee airbags.

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

The Odyssey has a standard Whiplash Mitigation Front Seat Design, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash Mitigation Front Seat Design system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Atlas doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Both the Odyssey and the Atlas 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 and available rear parking sensors.

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

	Odyssey	Atlas
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	176	307
Neck Injury Risk	27%	30%
Neck Stress	184 lbs.	412 lbs.
Neck Compression	18 lbs.	59 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	95/82 lbs.	67/229 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	247	277
Chest Compression	.7 inches	.7 inches
Neck Injury Risk	32%	39%
Neck Stress	101 lbs.	129 lbs.
Neck Compression	63 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 flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Honda Odyssey is safer than the Volkswagen Atlas:

	Odyssey	Atlas
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.5 inches	.5 inches
Hip Force	321 lbs.	345 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	125	144
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	14 inches
Spine Acceleration	41 G’s	51 G’s
Hip Force	472 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 “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Odyssey its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 80 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Atlas was last a “Top Safety Pick Plus” in 2019 but no longer qualifies.

Warranty

Honda’s powertrain warranty covers the Odyssey 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 Odyssey’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Atlas’ (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

There are over 67 percent more Honda dealers than there are Volkswagen dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Odyssey’s warranty.

Reliability

The engine in the Odyssey has a single overhead cam for simplicity. The engines in the Atlas have dual overhead cams, which add to the number of moving parts and the complexity of the cylinder heads.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Odyssey second among minivans in their 2021 Initial Quality Study. The Atlas 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 Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. With 49 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Honda higher than Volkswagen.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 19 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

Engine

The Odyssey’s 3.5 SOHC V6 produces 45 more horsepower (280 vs. 235) and 4 lbs.-ft. more torque (262 vs. 258) than the Atlas’ standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The Odyssey’s 3.5 SOHC V6 produces 4 more horsepower (280 vs. 276) than the Atlas’ optional 3.6 DOHC V6.

As tested in Car and Driver the Honda Odyssey is faster than the Volkswagen Atlas V6:

	Odyssey	Atlas
Zero to 30 MPH	2.6 sec	2.9 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	6.6 sec	7.9 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	17 sec	20.2 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	6.6 sec	8.2 sec
Passing 30 to 50 MPH	3.5 sec	3.9 sec
Passing 50 to 70 MPH	4.1 sec	5.2 sec
Quarter Mile	15.2 sec	16 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	95 MPH	89 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Odyssey
	FWD	3.5 SOHC V6	19 city/28 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

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

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Honda Odyssey 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.

The Odyssey has almost a gallon more fuel capacity than the Atlas (19.5 vs. 18.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Odyssey 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 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 Odyssey higher (5 out of 10) than the Volkswagen Atlas (3 to 5). This means the Odyssey produces up to 16.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Atlas every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

A 10-speed automatic is standard on the Honda Odyssey, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Atlas.

Brakes and Stopping

The Odyssey stops much shorter than the Atlas:

	Odyssey	Atlas
60 to 0 MPH	123 feet	139 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

The Odyssey 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 doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

The Odyssey has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Atlas’ suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

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

For better maneuverability, the Odyssey’s turning circle is .9 feet tighter than the Atlas’ (39.6 feet vs. 40.5 feet).

Chassis

To almost totally eliminate engine vibration in the passenger area, the Odyssey has an electronically controlled liquid-filled main engine mount. A computer-controlled electric current in the liquid changes its viscosity, allowing the mount to dampen the engine completely at all RPMs. The Atlas uses conventional solid rubber engine mounts.

The front grille of the Odyssey 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 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

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

Passenger Space

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

The Odyssey has 9.9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Atlas (163.6 vs. 153.7).

The Odyssey has .4 inches more front hip room, 1.6 inches more front shoulder room, 3.3 inches more rear legroom, 6.8 inches more rear hip room, .8 inches more rear shoulder room, 4.4 inches more third row legroom, 3.3 inches more third row hip room and 5.1 inches more third row shoulder room than the Atlas.

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

Cargo Capacity

The Odyssey’s cargo area provides more volume than the Atlas.

	Odyssey	Atlas
Behind Third Seat	38.6 cubic feet	20.6 cubic feet
Third Seat Folded	92.3 cubic feet	55.5 cubic feet
Max Cargo Volume	158 cubic feet	96.8 cubic feet

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Odyssey easier. The Odyssey’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 22.5 inches, while the Atlas’ liftover is 29.7 inches.

The Odyssey’s cargo area is larger than the Atlas’ in almost every dimension:

	Odyssey	Atlas
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	25”/56”/91”	23.8”/53”/85”
Max Width	50”	61.6”
Min Width	48”	45”
Height	54”	37.5”

The Odyssey has a standard One-Motion Magic Seat third row seat, which folds flat into the floor. This completely clears a very large cargo area quickly. The Atlas doesn’t offer seats that fold into the floor.

Towing

The Odyssey’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Atlas’ (3500 vs. 2000 pounds).

Ergonomics

The Odyssey EX-L/Sport/Touring/Elite’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Atlas doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Odyssey has a standard rear fixed 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 Odyssey EX-L/Sport/Touring/Elite’s standard 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

Insurance will cost less for the Odyssey owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Odyssey will cost $765 less than the Atlas over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Odyssey is less expensive to operate than the Atlas because it costs $546 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Odyssey than the Atlas, including $296 less for a water pump, $279 less for a muffler, $74 less for front brake pads, $184 less for a starter, $330 less for fuel injection, $338 less for front struts, $1061 less for a timing belt/chain and $624 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Honda Odyssey will be $31 to $5804 less than for the Volkswagen Atlas.

Recommendations

The Honda Odyssey has won recognition from these important consumer publications:

	Odyssey	Atlas
Consumer Reports® Recommends	TRUE	TRUE
Car Book “Best Bet”	TRUE	FALSE

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