Compare the2023 Mercedes GLEVS 2023 Volkswagen Atlas

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Mercedes GLE 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 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

The GLE’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Atlas doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The Mercedes GLE has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Atlas doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The GLE’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 GLE and the Atlas have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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 lane departure warning systems and around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Mercedes GLE is safer than the Volkswagen Atlas:

	GLE	Atlas
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	84	307
Neck Injury Risk	24%	30%
Neck Stress	208 lbs.	412 lbs.
Neck Compression	17 lbs.	59 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	209	277
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.7 inches
Neck Injury Risk	31%	39%
Neck Stress	125 lbs.	129 lbs.
Neck Compression	31 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 and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Mercedes GLE is safer than the Volkswagen Atlas:

	GLE	Atlas
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	40	57
Hip Force	287 lbs.	345 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	103	144
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	14 inches
HIC	264	279
Spine Acceleration	35 G’s	51 G’s
Hip Force	615 lbs.	800 lbs.

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

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, with its optional vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, with its optional vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the GLE its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 114 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Atlas was last a “Top Safety Pick Plus” in 2019 but no longer qualifies.

Warranty

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

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Mercedes vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. With 41 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Mercedes higher than Volkswagen.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Mercedes vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen With 22 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Mercedes higher than Volkswagen.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Mercedes vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Mercedes 4 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

Engine

The GLE has more powerful engines than the Atlas:

	Horsepower	Torque
GLE 350 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder	255 HP	273 lbs.-ft.
GLE 450 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid	362 HP	369 lbs.-ft.
GLE 580 4.0 turbo V8 hybrid	483 HP	516 lbs.-ft.
Atlas 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder	235 HP	258 lbs.-ft.
Atlas 3.6 DOHC V6	276 HP	266 lbs.-ft.

As tested in Motor Trend the Mercedes GLE is faster than the Volkswagen Atlas V6:

	GLE 350	GLE 450	Atlas
Zero to 60 MPH	7.6 sec	5.6 sec	7.9 sec
Quarter Mile	15.8 sec	14.2 sec	16 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	87.5 MPH	97.4 MPH	81.6 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the GLE gets better mileage than the Atlas:

			MPG
GLE
	RWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/25 hwy
	AWD	3.0 turbo 6-cyl. Hybrid	20 city/25 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/24 hwy
Atlas
	FWD	3.6 DOHC V6	18 city/24 hwy
	AWD	3.6 DOHC V6	18 city/23 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/24 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the GLE 450/580’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Atlas doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The GLE has 3.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the Atlas (22.5 vs. 18.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Mercedes GLE higher (5 to 6 out of 10) than the Volkswagen Atlas (3 to 5). This means the GLE produces up to 23.4 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Atlas every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Mercedes GLE, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Atlas.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the GLE 450/580’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Atlas:

	GLE 450/580	Atlas
Front Rotors	14.8 inches	13.2 inches
Rear Rotors	13.6 inches	12.2 inches

The GLE stops much shorter than the Atlas:

	GLE	Atlas
60 to 0 MPH	115 feet	139 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the GLE has larger standard tires than the Atlas (255/50R19 vs. 245/60R18). The GLE’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Atlas (F:275/45R21 & R:315/40R21 vs. 265/45R21).

The GLE’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Atlas’ standard 60 series tires. The GLE 450’s optional tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Atlas SEL Premium R-Line’s 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the GLE has standard 19-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Atlas. The GLE 450’s optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 21-inch wheels on the Atlas SEL Premium R-Line.

Suspension and Handling

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

The GLE 450 offers an available adjustable active suspension system, which counteracts cornering forces actively, limiting body roll and improving handling and stability. Volkswagen doesn’t offer an active suspension on the Atlas.

The GLE offers an available 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’ suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The GLE has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The GLE’s height leveling suspension allows the driver to raise ride height for better off-road clearance and then lower it again for easier entering and exiting and better on-road handling. The Atlas doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

The GLE’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (53.5% to 46.5%) than the Atlas’ (55.1% to 44.9%). This gives the GLE more stable handling and braking.

The GLE 450 handles at .83 G’s, while the Atlas SEL 4Motion pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The GLE 450 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Atlas SEL 4Motion (27 seconds @ .69 average G’s vs. 27.9 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the GLE’s turning circle is 1.1 feet tighter than the Atlas’ (39.4 feet vs. 40.5 feet).

For greater off-road capability the GLE has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Atlas 2.0T (7.9 vs. 7.1 inches), allowing the GLE to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The GLE Airmatic’s minimum ground clearance is 1.7 inches higher than on the Atlas V6 (9.2 vs. 7.5 inches).

Chassis

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

The design of the Mercedes GLE amounts to more than styling. The GLE has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .29 Cd. That is significantly lower than the Atlas (.34) and many sports cars. A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the GLE get better fuel mileage.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the GLE 450 is quieter than the Atlas SEL R-Line Black 4Motion:

	GLE	Atlas
At idle	38 dB	41 dB
Full-Throttle	70 dB	76 dB
70 MPH Cruising	63 dB	68 dB

Cargo Capacity

The GLE has a much larger cargo volume than the Atlas with its rear seat up (33.3 vs. 20.6 cubic feet).

A control in the cargo area automatically lowers the GLE’s second row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Atlas doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Towing

The GLE’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Atlas’ (5950 vs. 2000 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Volkswagen Atlas is only 5000 pounds. The GLE offers up to a 7700 lbs. towing capacity.

Optional Trailer Stability Assist on the GLE uses the Electronic Stability Program 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.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the GLE 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.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Atlas SEL, the GLE offers an optional passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

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

The GLE’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.

The GLE offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer, certain gauge, warning 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 doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

To better shield the driver and front passenger’s vision, the GLE has standard dual-element sun visors that can block glare from two directions simultaneously. The Atlas doesn’t offer secondary sun visors.

The GLE’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.

The GLE offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Atlas.

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

The GLE’s Active Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Atlas SEL Premium’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the GLE is less expensive to operate than the Atlas because it costs $27 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the GLE than the Atlas, including $52 less for a muffler, $53 less for a starter, $15 less for front struts and $1042 less for a timing belt/chain.