Compare the2023 Volkswagen Atlas Cross SportVS 2023 Nissan Murano

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

Safety

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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 Murano 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.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Atlas Cross Sport 4Motion’s standard Hill Descent Assist allows you to creep down safely. The Murano doesn’t offer Hill Descent Assist.

Both the Atlas Cross Sport and the Murano have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, 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, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive, lane departure warning systems and around view monitors.

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 Nissan Murano:

	Atlas Cross Sport	Murano
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	48	101
Chest Movement	.5 inches	.9 inches
Abdominal Force	64 lbs.	102 lbs.
Hip Force	215 lbs.	392 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	17 inches
HIC	309	439
Spine Acceleration	41 G’s	41 G’s

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 Murano:

	Atlas Cross Sport	Murano
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
Structure	GOOD	POOR
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	42	286
Neck Tension	156 lbs.	402 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.83 in	1.65 in
Shoulder Force	245 lbs.	290 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.1 in	1.69 in
Torso Deflection Rate	4 MPH	9 MPH
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	163	182
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Shoulder Deflection	.43 in	.63 in
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

Warranty

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

The Atlas Cross Sport’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Murano’s (7 vs. 5 years).

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. Nissan doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Murano.

Reliability

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

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Atlas Cross Sport has a standard 680-amp battery. The Murano’s 550-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

Engine

The Atlas Cross Sport’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 18 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 240) than the Murano’s 3.5 DOHC V6. The Atlas Cross Sport’s optional 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 16 more horsepower (276 vs. 260) and 26 lbs.-ft. more torque (266 vs. 240) than the Murano’s 3.5 DOHC V6.

Fuel Economy and Range

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Atlas Cross Sport’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Murano doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Atlas Cross Sport	Murano
Front Rotors	13.2 inches	12.6 inches
Rear Rotors	12.2 inches	12.1 inches

Tires and Wheels

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

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 Murano S/SV’s standard 65 series tires. The Atlas Cross Sport SEL Premium R-Line’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Murano Midnight/SL/Platinum’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Atlas Cross Sport SEL Premium R-Line has standard 21-inch wheels. The Murano’s largest wheels are only 20-inches.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Atlas Cross Sport’s wheelbase is 6.1 inches longer than on the Murano (117.3 inches vs. 111.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Atlas Cross Sport is 2.4 inches wider in the front and 3 inches wider in the rear than on the Murano.

The Atlas Cross Sport’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (57% to 43%) than the Murano’s (58.8% to 41.2%). This gives the Atlas Cross Sport more stable handling and braking.

The Atlas Cross Sport SEL 4Motion executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Murano Platinum AWD (27.4 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 27.8 seconds @ .64 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Atlas Cross Sport 2.0T has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Murano (7.1 vs. 6.9 inches), allowing the Atlas Cross Sport to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Atlas Cross Sport V6’s minimum ground clearance is .6 inch higher than on the Murano (7.5 vs. 6.9 inches).

Passenger Space

The Atlas Cross Sport has 4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Murano (112.1 vs. 108.1).

The Atlas Cross Sport has 1.2 inches more front legroom, 2.8 inches more front hip room, 2 inches more front shoulder room, 1.7 inches more rear legroom, 2.8 inches more rear hip room and 1.7 inches more rear shoulder room than the Murano.

Cargo Capacity

The Atlas Cross Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Murano with its rear seat up (40.3 vs. 32.1 cubic feet). The Atlas Cross Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Murano with its rear seat folded (77.8 vs. 67 cubic feet).

Towing

The Atlas Cross Sport’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Murano’s (2000 vs. 1500 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Nissan Murano is only 1500 pounds. The Atlas Cross Sport offers up to a 5000 lbs. towing capacity.

Ergonomics

The Atlas Cross Sport’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Murano’s parking brake has to be released manually.

The power windows standard on both the Atlas Cross Sport and the Murano have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Atlas Cross Sport is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Murano prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Atlas Cross Sport’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Murano’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

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 Murano’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted. The Murano SV/Midnight/SL/Platinum’s intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

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 Murano doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

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 Murano 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 Murano doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Atlas Cross Sport’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Nissan only offers heated mirrors on the Murano SV/Midnight/SL/Platinum.

The Atlas Cross Sport offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Murano doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Atlas Cross Sport SEL Premium R-Line’s Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Murano doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Recommendations

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

The Volkswagen Atlas outsold the Nissan Murano by over three to one during the 2022 model year.