Compare the2023 GMC TerrainVS 2023 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport

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 Terrain are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Atlas Cross Sport doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Both the Terrain 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, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

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

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 GMC Terrain is safer than the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport:

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

For its top level performance in all IIHS frontal, side, rear impact and roof-crush tests, and its standard front crash prevention system, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Terrain the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2017, a rating granted to only 221 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Atlas Cross Sport has not been fully tested, yet.

GMC’s powertrain warranty covers the Terrain 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.

There are almost 3 times as many GMC dealers as there are Volkswagen dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Terrain’s warranty.

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

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 Terrain’s reliability 17 points higher than the Atlas Cross Sport.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Terrain third among compact suvs in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Atlas Cross Sport isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that GMC vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks GMC above average in initial quality. With 68 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is rated below 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 GMC vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen With 25 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks GMC higher than Volkswagen.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that GMC vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks GMC 8 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

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

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the GMC Terrain uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Atlas Cross Sport with the 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder engine requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Terrain 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.

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

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

The Terrain 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 Terrain Denali AWD 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.

For better maneuverability, the Terrain w/17” wheels’ turning circle is 3.1 feet tighter than the Atlas Cross Sport’s (37.4 feet vs. 40.5 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Terrain SLT/AT4/Denali has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Atlas Cross Sport V6 (7.9 vs. 7.5 inches), allowing the Terrain to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The GMC Terrain may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 700 to 750 pounds less than the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport.

The Terrain is 1 foot, 1.2 inches shorter than the Atlas Cross Sport, making the Terrain easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Terrain is 5.9 inches narrower than the Atlas Cross Sport, making the Terrain easier to handle and maneuver in traffic.

The front grille of the Terrain offers available 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.

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

The Terrain has .6 inches more front headroom and .7 inches more rear headroom than the Atlas Cross Sport.

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

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Terrain uses the StabiliTrak® 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.

The Terrain SLT/AT4/Denali’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 Cross Sport doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Terrain’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Atlas Cross Sport does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The Terrain (except SLE) offers an available heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer 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.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Terrain 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.

The Terrain’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 Cross Sport has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.