Compare the2023 Jaguar E-PaceVS 2023 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Jaguar E-Pace have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

Both the E-Pace and Atlas Cross Sport have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The E-Pace 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.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the E-Pace deploy with different levels of force to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The E-Pace’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 E-Pace. But it costs extra on the Atlas Cross Sport.

The E-Pace’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Atlas Cross Sport doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the E-Pace and the Atlas Cross Sport have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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 and available around view monitors.

The E-Pace comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Atlas Cross Sport’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

The E-Pace’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Atlas Cross Sport’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

Jaguar pays for scheduled maintenance on the E-Pace for 3 years and 40,000 miles longer than Volkswagen pays for maintenance for the Atlas Cross Sport (5/60,000 vs. 2/20,000).

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Jaguar vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. With 20 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Jaguar higher than Volkswagen.

The E-Pace’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 11 more horsepower (246 vs. 235) and 11 lbs.-ft. more torque (269 vs. 258) than the Atlas Cross Sport’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The E-Pace’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 3 lbs.-ft. more torque (269 vs. 266) than the Atlas Cross Sport’s optional 3.6 DOHC V6.

As tested in Motor Trend the Jaguar E-Pace is faster than the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport:

On the EPA test cycle the E-Pace gets better mileage than the Atlas Cross Sport:

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

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Jaguar E-Pace higher (7 out of 10) than the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport (3 to 5). This means the E-Pace 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 Jaguar E-Pace, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Atlas Cross Sport.

For better stopping power the E-Pace’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Atlas Cross Sport:

The E-Pace stops shorter than the Atlas Cross Sport:

The E-Pace’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Atlas Cross Sport SE’s standard 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the E-Pace has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Atlas Cross Sport SE.

The E-Pace offers an optional 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 E-Pace SE handles at .80 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 E-Pace’s turning circle is 2.4 feet tighter than the Atlas Cross Sport’s (38.1 feet vs. 40.5 feet).

For greater off-road capability the E-Pace has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Atlas Cross Sport 2.0T (8 vs. 7.1 inches), allowing the E-Pace to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The E-Pace’s minimum ground clearance is .5 inch higher than on the Atlas Cross Sport V6 (8 vs. 7.5 inches).

The E-Pace is 1 foot, 10.5 inches shorter than the Atlas Cross Sport, making the E-Pace easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The design of the Jaguar E-Pace amounts to more than styling. The E-Pace has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .33 Cd. That is lower than the Atlas Cross Sport (.34 to .36) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the E-Pace get better fuel mileage.

The E-Pace’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Atlas Cross Sport’s (3968 vs. 2000 pounds).

Standard Trailer Stability Assist on the E-Pace uses the Dynamic Stability Control 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 E-Pace’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.

The E-Pace offers an optional 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.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the E-Pace 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 E-Pace’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 E-Pace 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 Jaguar E-Pace has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the Atlas Cross Sport.