Compare the2023 Audi Q5VS 2023 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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The Q5’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Atlas Cross Sport doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the Q5 and Atlas Cross Sport have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Q5 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Atlas Cross Sport’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Q5. But it costs extra on the Atlas Cross Sport.

Both the Q5 and the Atlas Cross Sport 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, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Audi Q5 is safer than the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport:

	Q5	Atlas Cross Sport
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	284	307
Neck Injury Risk	22%	30%
Neck Stress	215 lbs.	412 lbs.
Neck Compression	44 lbs.	59 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	80/49 lbs.	67/229 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	187	277
Chest Compression	.7 inches	.7 inches
Neck Injury Risk	34%	39%
Neck Compression	30 lbs.	117 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	90/55 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 Audi Q5 is safer than the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport:

	Q5	Atlas Cross Sport
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	185	208
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	219	309
Spine Acceleration	35 G’s	41 G’s

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 Q5 its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 92 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Atlas Cross Sport has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

The Q5’s corrosion warranty is 5 years and unlimited miles longer than the Atlas Cross Sport’s (12/unlimited vs. 7/100,000).

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Q5’s reliability 23 points higher than the Atlas Cross Sport.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 10 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

Engine

The Q5 has more powerful engines than the Atlas Cross Sport:

	Horsepower	Torque
Q5 45 TFSI 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid	261 HP	273 lbs.-ft.
Q5 55 TFSI e 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid	362 HP	369 lbs.-ft.
Atlas Cross Sport 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder	235 HP	258 lbs.-ft.
Atlas Cross Sport 3.6 DOHC V6	276 HP	266 lbs.-ft.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Q5 running on electricity gets better mileage than the Atlas Cross Sport:

			MPGe
Q5
	AWD	55 TFSI e Electric Motor	60 city/61 hwy
Atlas Cross Sport
			MPG
	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

On the EPA test cycle the Q5 running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the Atlas Cross Sport:

			MPG
Q5
	AWD	55 TFSI e 2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	25 city/27 hwy
		40 TFSI 2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	23 city/29 hwy
		45 TFSI 2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	22 city/29 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 Q5 55 TFSI e can travel with zero emissions for 22 miles. The Atlas Cross Sport can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

Regenerative brakes improve the Q5’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Atlas Cross Sport doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Audi Q5 higher (5 to 7 out of 10) than the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport (3 to 5). This means the Q5 produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Atlas Cross Sport every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

The Q5 offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Atlas Cross Sport doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The Q5’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The Atlas Cross Sport doesn’t offer launch control.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Q5 55 TFSI e’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Atlas Cross Sport:

	Q5 45 TFSI	Q5 55 TFSI e	Atlas Cross Sport
Front Rotors	13.3 inches	13.8 inches	13.2 inches
Rear Rotors	13 inches	13 inches	12.2 inches

The Q5 stops shorter than the Atlas Cross Sport:

	Q5	Atlas Cross Sport
60 to 0 MPH	130 feet	131 feet	Consumer Reports

Suspension and Handling

The Q5 offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Atlas Cross Sport’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The Q5 55 TFSI e has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Q5’s height leveling suspension allows the driver to raise ride height for better off-road clearance and then lower it again for easier entering and exiting and better on-road handling. The Atlas Cross Sport doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

The Q5 45 TFSI Prestige handles at .79 G’s, while the Atlas Cross Sport 4Motion pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Q5 45 TFSI Prestige executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Atlas Cross Sport 4Motion (27.2 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 27.8 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Q5 40/45 TFSI’s turning circle is 1.8 feet tighter than the Atlas Cross Sport’s (38.7 feet vs. 40.5 feet). The Q5 55 TFSI e’s turning circle is 1.1 feet tighter than the Atlas Cross Sport’s (39.4 feet vs. 40.5 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Q5 55 TFSI e has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Atlas Cross Sport 2.0T (8 vs. 7.1 inches), allowing the Q5 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Q5 45 TFSI’s minimum ground clearance is .7 inch higher than on the Atlas Cross Sport V6 (8.2 vs. 7.5 inches).

Chassis

The Q5 is 11.2 inches shorter than the Atlas Cross Sport, making the Q5 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The Q5 has .2 inches more front headroom and 1.5 inches more rear headroom than the Atlas Cross Sport.

Cargo Capacity

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the Q5’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Atlas Cross Sport doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Towing

The Q5’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Atlas Cross Sport’s (4400 vs. 2000 pounds).

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Q5 is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Atlas Cross Sport. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because there are no rear spark plugs and the accessory belts are in front.

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Audi service is better than Volkswagen. J.D. Power ranks Audi 8th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 32% lower rating, Volkswagen is ranked 28th.

Ergonomics

The Q5’s optional easy entry system raises the steering wheel when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Atlas Cross Sport doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Q5 Prestige has a standard heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Atlas Cross Sport doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The Q5 Prestige has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Atlas Cross Sport doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The Q5’s standard rear view mirror and optional 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 Cross Sport has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Q5 has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning costs extra on the Atlas Cross Sport.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Audi Q5 and the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport, based on reliability, safety and performance.