Compare the2023 Volkswagen Atlas Cross SportVS 2023 Toyota Venza

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

Both the Atlas Cross Sport and the Venza have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, 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 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport is safer than the Toyota Venza:

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 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport is safer than the Toyota Venza:

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 safer than the Venza:

The Atlas Cross Sport comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck. The Venza’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 Venza’s (7 vs. 5 years).

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

The Atlas Cross Sport’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 16 more horsepower (235 vs. 219) and 258 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. ) than the Venza’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid. The Atlas Cross Sport’s optional 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 57 more horsepower (276 vs. 219) and 266 lbs.-ft. more torque (266 vs. ) than the Venza’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

Both the Atlas Cross Sport and Venza have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. The Atlas Cross Sport has a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily.

The Atlas Cross Sport has 4.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Venza (18.6 vs. 14.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

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

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 Venza are solid, not vented.

The Atlas Cross Sport stops shorter than the Venza:

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

The Atlas Cross Sport SEL Premium R-Line’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Venza XLE/Nightshade/Limited’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 Venza’s largest wheels are only 19-inches.

The Atlas Cross Sport has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Venza doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Atlas Cross Sport’s wheelbase is 11.4 inches longer than on the Venza (117.3 inches vs. 105.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Atlas Cross Sport is 4 inches wider in the front and 3.8 inches wider in the rear than on the Venza.

The Atlas Cross Sport SEL 4Motion handles at .81 G’s, while the Venza Limited pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Atlas Cross Sport has 13.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Venza (112.1 vs. 98.3).

The Atlas Cross Sport has .8 inches more front headroom, .8 inches more front legroom, 3.8 inches more front hip room, 4.1 inches more front shoulder room, 2.6 inches more rear legroom, 12.8 inches more rear hip room and 3.7 inches more rear shoulder room than the Venza.

The Atlas Cross Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Venza with its rear seat up (40.3 vs. 28.8 cubic feet). The Atlas Cross Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Venza with its rear seat folded (77.8 vs. 55.1 cubic feet).

The Atlas Cross Sport has a 2000 lbs. towing capacity. The Venza has no towing capacity.

The Atlas Cross Sport has a higher standard payload capacity than the Venza (1091 vs. 900 lbs.).

The Atlas Cross Sport uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Venza 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.

The Atlas Cross Sport offers a remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Venza doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

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 Venza’s standard 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 Venza 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 Venza’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

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 Venza 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 Venza doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

When the Atlas Cross Sport SEL is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The Venza’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Atlas Cross Sport has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats are only available on the Venza XLE/Nightshade/Limited. The Atlas Cross Sport SEL Premium R-Line also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Venza.

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 Venza 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 Venza doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The Atlas Cross Sport is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Venza doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

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

The Volkswagen Atlas outsold the Toyota Venza by over two to one during 2022.