Compare the2023 Volkswagen Atlas Cross SportVS 2023 Subaru Outback

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Recommendations

Safety

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The Atlas Cross Sport has standard Automatic Post-Collision Braking System, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Outback 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.

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

The Atlas Cross Sport has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Outback’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Atlas Cross Sport has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Rear cross-path warning costs extra on the Outback and isn't available on the not available.

Compared to metal, the Atlas Cross Sport’s plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Subaru Outback has a metal gas tank.

Both the Atlas Cross Sport and the Outback have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front 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, rearview cameras, 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 Cross Sport is safer than the Subaru Outback:

	Atlas Cross Sport	Outback
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	39%	43%
Neck Stress	129 lbs.	147 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 Cross Sport is safer than the Subaru Outback:

	Atlas Cross Sport	Outback
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.5 inches	.5 inches
Abdominal Force	64 lbs.	101 lbs.
Hip Force	215 lbs.	247 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	35 G’s	51 G’s
Hip Force	529 lbs.	635 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	14 inches
Spine Acceleration	41 G’s	43 G’s
Hip Force	594 lbs.	674 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 Cross Sport is safer than the Outback:

	Atlas Cross Sport	Outback
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Structure	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	42	69
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.83 in	.94 in
Torso Max Deflection	1.1 in	1.54 in
Torso Deflection Rate	4 MPH	9 MPH
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	163	387
Neck Compression	134 lbs.	201 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.43 in	1.81 in
Shoulder Force	178 lbs.	469 lbs.
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 Cross Sport is 1.6% to 3.4% less likely to roll over than the Outback.

Warranty

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

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

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

Reliability

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

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Atlas Cross Sport has a standard 680-amp battery. The Outback’s 620-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

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 Subaru With 9 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Volkswagen higher than Subaru.

Engine

The Atlas Cross Sport’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 53 more horsepower (235 vs. 182) and 82 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 176) than the Outback 2.5i’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Atlas Cross Sport’s optional 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 16 more horsepower (276 vs. 260) than the Outback XT/Wilderness’ standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport turbo 4 cyl. is faster than the Outback 2.5i 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder:

	Atlas Cross Sport	Outback
Zero to 60 MPH	8.1 sec	8.7 sec
Quarter Mile	16.3 sec	16.6 sec

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Atlas Cross Sport’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Outback:

	Atlas Cross Sport	Outback
Front Rotors	13.2 inches	12.4 inches
Rear Rotors	12.2 inches	11.8 inches

The Atlas Cross Sport stops shorter than the Outback:

	Atlas Cross Sport	Outback
60 to 0 MPH	125 feet	132 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Atlas Cross Sport has larger standard tires than the Outback (245/60R18 vs. 225/65R17). The Atlas Cross Sport SEL Premium R-Line’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Outback (265/45R21 vs. 225/65R17).

The Atlas Cross Sport SE’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Outback’s standard 65 series tires. The Atlas Cross Sport SEL Premium R-Line’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Outback Onyx/Limited/Touring’s 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Atlas Cross Sport SE has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Outback. The Atlas Cross Sport SEL Premium R-Line’s 21-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels on the Outback Onyx/Limited/Touring.

Suspension and Handling

The Atlas Cross Sport has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Outback doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Atlas Cross Sport’s wheelbase is 9.2 inches longer than on the Outback (117.3 inches vs. 108.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Atlas Cross Sport is 5.1 inches wider in the front and 4.7 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Outback.

The Atlas Cross Sport SEL 4Motion handles at .81 G’s, while the Outback Limited XT pulls only .75 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Atlas Cross Sport SEL 4Motion executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1 seconds quicker than the Outback Limited (27.4 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 28.4 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

Passenger Space

The Atlas Cross Sport has 3.1 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Outback (112.1 vs. 109).

The Atlas Cross Sport has 2.7 inches more front hip room, 3.4 inches more front shoulder room, .9 inches more rear legroom, 3.2 inches more rear hip room and 3.2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Outback.

Cargo Capacity

The Atlas Cross Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Outback with its rear seat up (40.3 vs. 32.6 cubic feet). The Atlas Cross Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Outback with its rear seat folded (77.8 vs. 75.6 cubic feet).

Towing

Maximum trailer towing in the Subaru Outback is limited to 3500 pounds. The Atlas Cross Sport offers up to a 5000 lbs. towing capacity.

Servicing Ease

The Atlas Cross Sport uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Outback 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 Cross Sport offers a remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Outback doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

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

The Atlas Cross Sport’s 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 Outback’s standard rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

If the windows are left open on the Atlas Cross Sport the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Outback can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Atlas Cross Sport’s 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 Outback’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

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

The Atlas Cross Sport’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Subaru only offers heated mirrors on the Outback Premium/Limited/Wilderness/Touring/Onyx.

Both the Atlas Cross Sport and the Outback offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Atlas Cross Sport has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Outback doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

The Atlas Cross Sport offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Outback doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Atlas Cross Sport SEL Premium R-Line’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 Outback doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Model Availability

The Atlas Cross Sport is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Outback doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport and the Subaru Outback, based on reliability, safety and performance.