Compare the2023 Volkswagen Atlas Cross SportVS 2023 GMC Terrain

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

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The GMC Terrain doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

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 Terrain 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.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Atlas Cross Sport offers optional Maneuver Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Terrain doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

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 Terrain’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 Terrain.

Both the Atlas Cross Sport and the Terrain 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, lane departure warning systems and around view monitors.

The Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport weighs 419 to 1030 pounds more than the GMC Terrain. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

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 GMC Terrain:

	Atlas Cross Sport	Terrain
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	48	109
Chest Movement	.5 inches	1.1 inches
Abdominal Force	64 lbs.	195 lbs.
Hip Force	215 lbs.	357 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	208	288
Spine Acceleration	35 G’s	55 G’s
Hip Force	529 lbs.	630 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	13 inches
HIC	309	377
Hip Force	594 lbs.	730 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 much safer than the Terrain:

	Atlas Cross Sport	Terrain
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	42	131
Neck Tension	156 lbs.	290 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	MARGINAL
Shoulder Deflection	.83 in	1.73 in
Shoulder Force	245 lbs.	312 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.1 in	1.69 in
Torso Deflection Rate	4 MPH	8 MPH
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Head Injury Criterion	163	733
Head Peak Forces	no contact	101 G’s
Neck Compression	134 lbs.	491 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.43 in	1.65 in
Shoulder Force	178 lbs.	402 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.54 in	1.57 in
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Head Protection	GOOD	MARGINAL

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Atlas Cross Sport is 1.3% to 1.6% less likely to roll over than the Terrain.

Warranty

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

The Atlas Cross Sport’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Terrain’s (7/100,000 vs. 6/100,000).

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. GMC only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Terrain.

Reliability

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

Engine

The Atlas Cross Sport’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 60 more horsepower (235 vs. 175) and 55 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 203) than the Terrain’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder. The Atlas Cross Sport’s optional 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 101 more horsepower (276 vs. 175) and 63 lbs.-ft. more torque (266 vs. 203) than the Terrain’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

The Atlas Cross Sport has 3.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the Terrain FWD’s standard fuel tank (18.6 vs. 14.9 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Atlas Cross Sport has 3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Terrain AWD’s standard fuel tank (18.6 vs. 15.6 gallons).

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Atlas Cross Sport	Terrain
Front Rotors	13.2 inches	11.8 inches
Rear Rotors	12.2 inches	11.3 inches

The Atlas Cross Sport’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Terrain are solid, not vented.

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Atlas Cross Sport has larger standard tires than the Terrain (245/60R18 vs. 225/65R17). The Atlas Cross Sport SEL Premium R-Line’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Terrain (265/45R21 vs. 235/50R19).

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 Terrain SLE/AT4’s standard 65 series tires. The Atlas Cross Sport SEL Premium R-Line’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Terrain’s optional 50 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 Terrain SLE/AT4. The Atlas Cross Sport SEL Premium R-Line’s 21-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels optional on the Terrain.

Suspension and Handling

The Atlas Cross Sport has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Atlas Cross Sport flat and controlled during cornering. The Terrain’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Atlas Cross Sport’s wheelbase is 10 inches longer than on the Terrain (117.3 inches vs. 107.3 inches).

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

The Atlas Cross Sport SEL 4Motion handles at .81 G’s, while the Terrain Denali AWD pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For greater off-road capability the Atlas Cross Sport 2.0T has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Terrain SLE (7.1 vs. 6.9 inches), allowing the Atlas Cross Sport to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Passenger Space

The Atlas Cross Sport has 8.9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Terrain (112.1 vs. 103.2).

The Atlas Cross Sport has .8 inches more front legroom, 3.8 inches more front hip room, 4.3 inches more front shoulder room, .7 inches more rear legroom, 6.2 inches more rear hip room and 5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Terrain.

Cargo Capacity

The Atlas Cross Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Terrain with its rear seat up (40.3 vs. 29.6 cubic feet). The Atlas Cross Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Terrain with its rear seat folded (77.8 vs. 63.3 cubic feet).

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Atlas Cross Sport. The Terrain doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Towing

The Atlas Cross Sport’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Terrain’s (2000 vs. 1500 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the GMC Terrain is only 1500 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 Terrain 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’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Terrain’s passenger windows don’t close automatically.

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 Terrain can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Atlas Cross Sport has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Terrain doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

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 Terrain’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 Terrain doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Atlas Cross Sport’s available headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Terrain’s headlights are rated “Poor.”

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Atlas Cross Sport offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Terrain doesn’t offer cornering lights. The Atlas Cross Sport SEL Premium R-Line also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Atlas Cross Sport to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Terrain doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport, based on reliability, safety and performance. The GMC Terrain isn't recommended.

The Volkswagen Atlas outsold the GMC Terrain by 28% during the 2022 model year.