Compare the2023 Honda PassportVS 2023 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
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 Passport 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.

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

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

Both the Passport 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, 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 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 Honda Passport is safer than the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport:

	Passport	Atlas Cross Sport
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	149	307
Neck Injury Risk	28%	30%
Neck Stress	189 lbs.	412 lbs.
Neck Compression	36 lbs.	59 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	46/243 lbs.	67/229 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	216	277
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.7 inches
Neck Injury Risk	35%	39%
Neck Stress	116 lbs.	129 lbs.
Neck Compression	69 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, results indicate that the Honda Passport is safer than the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport:

	Passport	Atlas Cross Sport
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	304 lbs.	529 lbs.

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

Warranty

Honda’s powertrain warranty covers the Passport 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.

The Passport’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Atlas Cross Sport’s (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 Passport’s warranty.

Reliability

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

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 Passport’s reliability 21 points higher than the Atlas Cross Sport.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Passport third among midsize 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 Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. With 47 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Honda higher than Volkswagen.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 18 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

Engine

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

As tested in Motor Trend the Honda Passport is faster than the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport:

	Passport	Atlas Cross Sport turbo 4 cyl.	Atlas Cross Sport V6
Zero to 60 MPH	6.2 sec	8.1 sec	7.9 sec
Quarter Mile	14.7 sec	16.3 sec	16 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	94 MPH	84.5 MPH	87.4 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Passport
	AWD	3.5 SOHC V6	19 city/24 hwy
Atlas Cross Sport
	FWD	3.6 DOHC V6	18 city/24 hwy
	AWD	3.6 DOHC V6	18 city/24 hwy

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

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Honda Passport 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 Passport has almost a gallon more fuel capacity than the Atlas Cross Sport (19.5 vs. 18.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Passport 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.

Transmission

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

Tires and Wheels

The Passport 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.

Suspension and Handling

The Passport Elite 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 Passport AWD’s turning circle is 1.2 feet tighter than the Atlas Cross Sport’s (39.3 feet vs. 40.5 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Passport has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Atlas Cross Sport 2.0T (8.1 vs. 7.1 inches), allowing the Passport to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Passport’s minimum ground clearance is .6 inch higher than on the Atlas Cross Sport V6 (8.1 vs. 7.5 inches).

Chassis

The Passport is 6.4 inches shorter than the Atlas Cross Sport, making the Passport easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

To almost totally eliminate engine vibration in the passenger area, the Passport 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 Cross Sport uses conventional solid rubber engine mounts.

The Passport 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.

Passenger Space

The Passport has 2.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Atlas Cross Sport (114.9 vs. 112.1).

The Passport has .1 inches more front headroom, .9 inches more front hip room, .5 inches more front shoulder room, 2.2 inches more rear headroom and 1.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Atlas Cross Sport.

Cargo Capacity

The Passport has a larger cargo volume than the Atlas Cross Sport with its rear seat up (41.2 vs. 40.3 cubic feet).

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

Towing

The Passport’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Atlas Cross Sport’s (5000 vs. 2000 pounds).

Standard Trailer Stability Assist on the Passport uses the Vehicle Stability Assist 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.

Ergonomics

The Passport’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Atlas Cross Sport doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

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

Consumer Reports rated the Passport’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Atlas Cross Sport’s headlights, which were rated “Good.”

The Passport’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.

The Passport 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.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Honda Passport has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the Atlas Cross Sport.

Recommendations

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

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