Compare the2024 Volkswagen Atlas Cross SportVS 2023 Subaru Forester

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

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 Forester 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.

The Atlas Cross Sport SEL Premium R-Line has a standard Area View to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Forester only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

The Atlas Cross Sport has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them and moves the vehicle back into its lane. A system to reveal vehicles in the Forester’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Atlas Cross Sport has standard Rear Traffic Alert and automatically engage the brakes. Subaru charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Forester and its not available on the Base and the Forester’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert does not include automatic braking.

Compared to metal, the Atlas Cross Sport’s plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Subaru Forester has a metal gas tank.

Both the Atlas Cross Sport and the Forester 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, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras and available all wheel drive.

The Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport weighs 553 to 905 pounds more than the Subaru Forester. 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 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport is safer than the Subaru Forester:

	Atlas Cross Sport	Forester
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	48	66
Chest Movement	.5 inches	.6 inches
Abdominal Force	64 lbs.	122 lbs.
Hip Force	215 lbs.	389 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	208	246
Spine Acceleration	35 G’s	56 G’s
Hip Force	529 lbs.	670 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	16 inches
Hip Force	594 lbs.	673 lbs.

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 Forester:

	Atlas Cross Sport	Forester
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Structure	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	42	107
Neck Tension	156 lbs.	223 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.83 in	.91 in
Torso Max Deflection	1.1 in	1.5 in
Torso Deflection Rate	4 MPH	8 MPH
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	163	544
Head Peak Forces	no contact	81 G’s
Neck Compression	134 lbs.	290 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Shoulder Deflection	.43 in	2.2 in
Shoulder Force	178 lbs.	469 lbs.
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Head Protection	GOOD	MARGINAL

Warranty

The Atlas Cross Sport comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck. The Forester’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 Forester’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, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Subaru doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Forester.

Reliability

The Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport’s engine uses a cast iron block for durability, while the Forester’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 Forester’s 620-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Volkswagen vehicles are more reliable than Subaru With 9 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Volkswagen higher than Subaru.

Engine

The Atlas Cross Sport’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 87 more horsepower (269 vs. 182) and 97 lbs.-ft. more torque (273 vs. 176) than the Forester’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

The Atlas Cross Sport has 2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Forester (18.6 vs. 16.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Atlas Cross Sport	Forester Base	Forester
Front Rotors	13.2 inches	11.6 inches	12.4 inches
Rear Rotors	12.2 inches	11.2 inches	11.2 inches

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 Forester are solid, not vented.

The Atlas Cross Sport stops shorter than the Forester:

	Atlas Cross Sport	Forester
60 to 0 MPH	125 feet	129 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	134 feet	138 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Atlas Cross Sport has larger standard tires than the Forester (245/60R18 vs. 225/60R17). The Atlas Cross Sport SEL Premium R-Line’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Forester (265/45R21 vs. 225/60R17).

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 Forester Sport/Limited/Touring’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Atlas Cross Sport SE has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Forester. The Atlas Cross Sport SEL Premium R-Line’s 21-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels on the Forester Sport/Limited/Touring.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Atlas Cross Sport’s wheelbase is 12.2 inches longer than on the Forester (117.3 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Atlas Cross Sport is 5.5 inches wider in the front and 5.9 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Forester.

The Atlas Cross Sport SEL 4Motion handles at .81 G’s, while the Forester Touring pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Atlas Cross Sport SEL 4Motion executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Forester Touring (27.4 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

Passenger Space

The Atlas Cross Sport has 4.3 inches more front hip room, 3.4 inches more front shoulder room, 1 inch more rear legroom, 5.1 inches more rear hip room and 3.2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Forester.

Cargo Capacity

The Atlas Cross Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Forester with its rear seat up (40.3 vs. 28.9 cubic feet). The Atlas Cross Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Forester with its rear seat folded (77.6 vs. 74.2 cubic feet).

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Atlas Cross Sport’s liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Forester doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Towing

The Atlas Cross Sport’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Forester’s (2000 vs. 1500 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Subaru Forester is only 3000 pounds. The Atlas Cross Sport offers up to a 5000 lbs. towing capacity.

Servicing Ease

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

Ergonomics

The power windows standard on both the Atlas Cross Sport and the Forester 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 Forester 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 Forester’s standard passenger windows don’t open or close automatically. With the Forester Premium/Sport/Wilderness/Limited/Touring’s power windows, only the front windows open or close automatically.

If the windows are left open on the Atlas Cross Sport the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Forester can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

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 Forester’s 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 Forester doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Atlas Cross Sport to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Forester 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. Subaru only offers heated mirrors on the Forester Premium/Sport/Wilderness/Limited/Touring.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Atlas Cross Sport keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Forester doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Atlas Cross Sport has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the Forester.

The Atlas Cross Sport has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Forester Wilderness/Limited/Touring.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Forester doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

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 Forester 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 Forester doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Model Availability

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

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