Compare the2023 Volkswagen AtlasVS 2022 Honda Pilot

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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The Atlas has a standard Automatic Post-Collision Braking System, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Pilot doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Atlas offers optional Maneuver Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Pilot doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Atlas 4Motion’s standard Hill Descent Assist allows you to creep down safely. The Pilot doesn’t offer Hill Descent Assist.

The Atlas SEL Premium has a standard Area View to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Pilot only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

Both the Atlas and the Pilot 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 lane departure warning systems.

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

	Atlas	Pilot
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Compression	117 lbs.	478 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	297/97 lbs.	478/436 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 Volkswagen Atlas is safer than the Honda Pilot:

	Atlas	Pilot
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	57	109
Chest Movement	.5 inches	.6 inches
Abdominal Force	48 lbs.	101 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	144	233
Spine Acceleration	39 G’s	42 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	14 inches	15 inches
HIC	279	406
Hip Force	800 lbs.	838 lbs.

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

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Volkswagen Atlas is much safer than the Pilot:

	Atlas	Pilot
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
Structure	GOOD	MARGINAL
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	42	206
Neck Tension	156 lbs.	335 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Torso Max Deflection	1.1 in	1.22 in
Torso Deflection Rate	4 MPH	5 MPH
Pelvis Force	1205 lbs.	1339 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	163	206
Torso	GOOD	MARGINAL
Shoulder Deflection	.43 in	.94 in
Shoulder Force	178 lbs.	335 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.54 in	2.05 in
Torso Deflection Rate	10 MPH	12 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Atlas is 1.3% to 3.9% less likely to roll over than the Pilot.

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, with its optional front crash prevention system, and its headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Atlas its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2019, a rating granted to only 122 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Pilot is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2019.

Warranty

The Atlas comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck. The Pilot’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The Atlas’ corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Pilot’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Volkswagen pays for scheduled maintenance on the Atlas for 2 years and 20,000 miles. Volkswagen will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Honda doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Pilot.

Reliability

The Volkswagen Atlas’ engines use a cast iron block for durability, while the Pilot’s engine uses an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the Atlas’ engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the Pilot’s camshafts. If the Pilot’s belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Volkswagen vehicles are more reliable than Honda With 13 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Volkswagen higher than Honda.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Atlas’ front brake rotors are larger than those on the Pilot:

	Atlas	Pilot
Front Rotors	13.2 inches	12.6 inches

The Atlas’ standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Pilot are solid, not vented.

The Atlas stops shorter than the Pilot:

	Atlas	Pilot
70 to 0 MPH	174 feet	183 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	121 feet	128 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Atlas SEL Premium R-Line’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Pilot (265/45R21 vs. 245/60R18).

The Atlas SEL Premium R-Line’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Pilot SE/Touring/Elite/Black Edition’s 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Atlas SEL Premium R-Line has standard 21-inch wheels. The Pilot’s largest wheels are only 20-inches.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Atlas’ wheelbase is 6.3 inches longer than on the Pilot (117.3 inches vs. 111 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Atlas is .7 inches wider in the front and 1.3 inches wider in the rear than on the Pilot.

The Atlas SEL R-Line Black 4Motion handles at .84 G’s, while the Pilot Elite 4WD pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Atlas SEL 4Motion executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Pilot Elite 4WD (27.1 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 27.8 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Atlas V6 has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Pilot (7.5 vs. 7.3 inches), allowing the Atlas to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

As tested by Car and Driver while under full throttle, the interior of the Atlas SEL R-Line Black 4Motion is quieter than the Pilot Elite 4WD (76 vs. 78 dB).

Passenger Space

The Atlas has 1.8 inches more front headroom, .8 inches more front legroom, .5 inches more rear headroom, .7 inches more rear hip room, 1.8 inches more third row legroom and .5 inches more third row hip room than the Pilot.

Cargo Capacity

The Atlas’ cargo area provides more volume than the Pilot.

	Atlas	Pilot
Behind Third Seat	20.6 cubic feet	18.5 cubic feet

Servicing Ease

The Atlas uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Pilot uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

Ergonomics

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

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

The Atlas’ front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Pilot’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

The Atlas’ rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Pilot’s standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Atlas SEL to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Pilot doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Atlas offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Pilot doesn’t offer cornering lights. The Atlas SEL also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

The Atlas’ power mirror controls are mounted on the armrest for easy access. The Pilot’s power mirror controls are on the dash where they are possibly hidden by the steering wheel and are awkward to manipulate.

The Atlas SEL Premium’s Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Pilot doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Atlas owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Atlas with a number “5” insurance rate while the Pilot is rated higher at a number “10” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Atlas is less expensive to operate than the Pilot because typical repairs cost less on the Atlas than the Pilot, including $169 less for a fuel pump.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Volkswagen Atlas and the Honda Pilot, based on reliability, safety and performance.

Car and Driver performed a comparison test in its August 2017 issue and they ranked the Volkswagen Atlas SEL R-Line Black 4Motion three places higher than the Honda Pilot Elite 4WD.

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