Compare the2023 Nissan ArmadaVS 2023 Volkswagen Atlas

For enhanced safety, the front and middle seat shoulder belts of the Nissan Armada 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 Volkswagen Atlas doesn’t offer height-adjustable middle seat belts.

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

The Armada has standard Active Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Atlas doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The Armada’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 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Armada and the Atlas 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, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The Nissan Armada weighs 1039 to 1779 pounds more than the Volkswagen Atlas. 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 Nissan Armada is safer than the Volkswagen Atlas:

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

Nissan’s powertrain warranty covers the Armada 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Volkswagen covers the Atlas. 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 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The Armada’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Atlas’ (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

There are over 68 percent more Nissan dealers than there are Volkswagen dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Armada’s warranty.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Armada has a standard 780-amp battery. The Atlas’ 680-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 63 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 Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen With 12 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Nissan higher than Volkswagen.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Nissan 11 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

The Armada’s 5.6 DOHC V8 produces 165 more horsepower (400 vs. 235) and 155 lbs.-ft. more torque (413 vs. 258) than the Atlas’ standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The Armada’s 5.6 DOHC V8 produces 124 more horsepower (400 vs. 276) and 147 lbs.-ft. more torque (413 vs. 266) than the Atlas’ optional 3.6 DOHC V6.

As tested in Car and Driver the Nissan Armada is faster than the Volkswagen Atlas V6:

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

The Armada has 7.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Atlas (26 vs. 18.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

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

The Armada stops much shorter than the Atlas:

For better traction, the Armada has larger standard tires than the Atlas (265/70R18 vs. 245/60R18). The Armada SL’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Atlas (275/60R20 vs. 265/45R21).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Armada Platinum has standard 22-inch wheels. The Atlas’ largest wheels are only 21-inches.

The Nissan Armada’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Volkswagen Atlas only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Armada 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 doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Armada S/SV has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Atlas; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

The Armada has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Atlas’ suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The rear suspension of the Armada uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the Atlas, which uses coil springs. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

The Armada has a standard automatic rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Atlas doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Armada’s wheelbase is 3.8 inches longer than on the Atlas (121.1 inches vs. 117.3 inches).

The Armada’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (50.5% to 49.5%) than the Atlas’ (55.1% to 44.9%). This gives the Armada more stable handling and braking.

For greater off-road capability the Armada S/SV has a 2 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Atlas 2.0T (9.1 vs. 7.1 inches), allowing the Armada to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Armada SL/Platinum’s minimum ground clearance is 1.7 inches higher than on the Atlas V6 (9.2 vs. 7.5 inches).

The Armada SL/Midnight/Platinum uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Atlas doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Armada has standard seating for 8 passengers; the Atlas can only carry 7.

The Armada has .2 inches more front legroom, 1 inch more front hip room, 2.3 inches more front shoulder room, 3.4 inches more rear legroom, .4 inches more rear hip room, 2.6 inches more rear shoulder room, 3.7 inches more third row hip room and 5.6 inches more third row shoulder room than the Atlas.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Armada’s middle row seats recline, and the Armada Platinum’s third row seats also recline. The Atlas’ third row seats don’t recline.

Pressing a switch automatically lowers or raises the Armada Platinum’s third row seats, to make changing between cargo and passengers easier. The Atlas doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Armada’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Atlas’ (8500 vs. 2000 pounds).

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Armada SV/SL/Platinum uses the Vehicle Dynamic 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 doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The engine in the Armada is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Atlas. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because there are no rear spark plugs and the accessory belts are in front.

The Armada SL/Platinum’s standard easy entry system raises the steering wheel and 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 doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Armada’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 does not have an oil pressure gauge.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Armada has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Atlas only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The Armada SV/SL/Platinum’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 has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Armada is less expensive to operate than the Atlas because typical repairs cost much less on the Armada than the Atlas, including $476 less for a water pump, $302 less for a muffler, $67 less for front brake pads, $239 less for a starter, $223 less for fuel injection, $105 less for front struts, $296 less for a timing belt/chain and $399 less for a power steering pump.