Compare the2024 Volkswagen Atlas Cross SportVS 2024 Volvo XC60

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 Atlas Cross Sport are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The XC60 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Both the Atlas Cross Sport and the XC60 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, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

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, results indicate that the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport is safer than the Volvo XC60:

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 XC60:

The Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The XC60 last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2023.

There are over 2 times as many Volkswagen dealers as there are Volvo dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Atlas Cross Sport’s warranty.

The Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport’s engine uses a cast iron block for durability, while the XC60’s engines use an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Volkswagen vehicles are better in initial quality than Volvo vehicles. With 1 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Volkswagen higher than Volvo.

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 Volvo With 39 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Volkswagen higher than Volvo.

The Atlas Cross Sport’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 22 more horsepower (269 vs. 247) and 15 lbs.-ft. more torque (273 vs. 258) than the XC60 B5’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

Both the Atlas Cross Sport and the XC60 have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. All Atlas Cross Sports have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily. The XC60 T8 doesn’t offer a way to disable start/stop.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport uses regular unleaded gasoline. The XC60 requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Atlas Cross Sport stops much shorter than the XC60:

For better traction, the Atlas Cross Sport has larger standard tires than the XC60 (245/60R18 vs. 235/60R18).

The front and rear suspension of the Atlas Cross Sport uses coil springs for better ride, handling and control than the XC60, which uses transverse leafs springs in the rear. Coil springs compress more progressively and offer more suspension travel for a smoother ride with less bottoming out.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Atlas Cross Sport’s wheelbase is 4.5 inches longer than on the XC60 (117.3 inches vs. 112.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Atlas Cross Sport is 1.9 inches wider in the front and 2.4 inches wider in the rear than on the XC60.

The Atlas Cross Sport SEL 4Motion handles at .81 G’s, while the XC60 Recharge Core pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Atlas Cross Sport has 8.9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the XC60 (111.9 vs. 103).

The Atlas Cross Sport has 1.4 inches more front headroom, .2 inches more front legroom, 2 inches more front hip room, 3.3 inches more front shoulder room, 2.4 inches more rear legroom, 3.3 inches more rear hip room and 4.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the XC60.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Atlas Cross Sport’s rear seats recline. The XC60’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Atlas Cross Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the XC60 with its rear seat up (40.3 vs. 24.4 cubic feet). The Atlas Cross Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the XC60 with its rear seat folded (77.6 vs. 63.3 cubic feet).

Maximum trailer towing in the Volvo XC60 is limited to 3500 pounds. The Atlas Cross Sport offers up to a 5000 lbs. towing capacity.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Atlas Cross Sport to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. Heated windshield washer nozzles cost extra on the XC60.

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 headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the XC60’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Atlas Cross Sport has standard extendable sun visors. The XC60 doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Atlas Cross Sport to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The XC60 doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

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 XC60.

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. Wireless charging costs extra on the XC60.

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 XC60 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 XC60 doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The Atlas Cross Sport is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The XC60 doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Insurance will cost less for the Atlas Cross Sport owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Atlas Cross Sport will cost $1055 less than the XC60 over a five-year period.

The Atlas Cross Sport will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Atlas Cross Sport will retain 50.68% to 52.68% of its original price after five years, while the XC60 only retains 47.41% to 49.36%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport will be $8829 to $14558 less than for the Volvo XC60.

The Volkswagen Atlas outsold the Volvo XC60 by over two to one during 2023.