Compare the2024 Toyota Grand HighlanderVS 2023 Volkswagen Atlas

For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Grand Highlander 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 Toyota Grand Highlander 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 Grand Highlander’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 Grand Highlander and the Atlas have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

Toyota’s powertrain warranty covers the Grand Highlander 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 Grand Highlander’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Atlas’ (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

There are almost 2 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Volkswagen dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Grand Highlander’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. With 55 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Toyota 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 Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in long-term dependability. With 34 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Volkswagen is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota first in overall reliability. Volkswagen is ranked 23rd.

The Grand Highlander has more powerful engines than the Atlas:

On the EPA test cycle the Grand Highlander gets better mileage than the Atlas:

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

The Grand Highlander offers an available continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Atlas doesn’t offer a CVT.

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

For better maneuverability, the Grand Highlander’s turning circle is 2.5 feet tighter than the Atlas’ (38 feet vs. 40.5 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Grand Highlander has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Atlas 2.0T (8 vs. 7.1 inches), allowing the Grand Highlander to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Grand Highlander’s minimum ground clearance is .5 inch higher than on the Atlas V6 (8 vs. 7.5 inches).

The Grand Highlander offers optional seating for 8 passengers; the Atlas can only carry 7.

The Grand Highlander has .2 inches more front headroom, 1.9 inches more rear legroom, .6 inches more third row hip room and 2.6 inches more third row shoulder room than the Atlas.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Grand Highlander’s middle and third row seats recline. The Atlas’ third row seats don’t recline.

The Grand Highlander’s cargo area provides more volume than the Atlas.

The Grand Highlander’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Atlas’ (5000 vs. 2000 pounds).

Standard Trailer Sway Control (TSC) on the Grand Highlander uses the Enhanced Vehicle Stability 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 Grand Highlander has a much higher standard payload capacity than the Atlas (1575 vs. 1113 lbs.).

The Grand Highlander has a much higher maximum payload capacity than the Atlas (1710 vs. 1113 lbs.).

The Grand Highlander Platinum has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer 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 improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Grand Highlander 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 Grand Highlander Limited/Platinum has standard front air conditioned seats and the Grand Highlander Platinum also has them in the second row. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The Atlas doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

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