Compare the2024 Land Rover DiscoveryVS 2024 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport

For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Land Rover Discovery 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 Cross Sport doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

Both the Discovery and Atlas Cross Sport have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Discovery has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Atlas Cross Sport’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Discovery. But it costs extra on the Atlas Cross Sport.

The Discovery’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 Cross Sport doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Discovery and the Atlas Cross Sport have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras and rear cross-path warning.

The Land Rover Discovery weighs 506 to 972 pounds more than the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

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

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Land Rover vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. With 46 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Land Rover higher than Volkswagen.

The Discovery’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 27 more horsepower (296 vs. 269) and 22 lbs.-ft. more torque (295 vs. 273) than the Atlas Cross Sport’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The Discovery P360’s optional 3.0 turbo/supercharged 6-cylinder hybrid produces 86 more horsepower (355 vs. 269) and 96 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 273) than the Atlas Cross Sport’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

The Discovery has 5.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Atlas Cross Sport (23.8 vs. 18.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

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

For better traction, the Discovery has larger standard tires than the Atlas Cross Sport (255/55R20 vs. 245/60R18). The Discovery’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Atlas Cross Sport (285/40R22 vs. 265/45R21).

The Discovery’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Atlas Cross Sport SE’s standard 60 series tires. The Discovery’s optional tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Atlas Cross Sport SEL Premium R-Line’s 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Discovery has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Atlas Cross Sport SE. The Discovery’s optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 21-inch wheels on the Atlas Cross Sport SEL Premium R-Line.

The Discovery offers an optional full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Atlas Cross Sport; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

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

The front and rear suspension of the Discovery uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the Atlas Cross Sport, which uses coil springs. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

The Discovery has a standard 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 Cross Sport’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The Discovery has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Discovery’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 Cross Sport doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For greater off-road capability the Discovery has a 4.8 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Atlas Cross Sport (11.1 vs. 6.3 inches), allowing the Discovery to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The front grille of the Discovery uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Atlas Cross Sport doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Discovery has standard seating for 7 passengers; the Atlas Cross Sport can only carry 5.

Flexibility is maximized at the game, campground or a drive-in theatre in the Discovery when its optional tailgating rear seats are deployed, allowing people to sit facing out of the liftgate. (Do not use while vehicle is in motion.) The Atlas Cross Sport doesn’t offer tailgating seats.

Pressing a button automatically lowers or raises the Discovery’s second and third row seats, to make changing between cargo and passengers easier. The Atlas Cross Sport doesn’t offer automatic folding second row seats.

The Discovery’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Atlas Cross Sport’s (5925 vs. 2000 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport is only 5000 pounds. The Discovery offers up to a 8200 lbs. towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Stability Assist (TSA) on the Discovery uses the Dynamic 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 Cross Sport doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The engine in the Discovery is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Atlas Cross Sport. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Atlas Cross Sport SEL, the Discovery SE has a 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 Discovery’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Atlas Cross Sport doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Discovery offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed 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 Cross Sport doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Discovery has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Atlas Cross Sport only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The Discovery offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Atlas Cross Sport doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The Discovery’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 Cross Sport has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Optional air conditioned front and second row seats keep the Discovery’s passengers comfortable and take the sting out of hot leather in summer. The Atlas Cross Sport doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats in the rear.

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