Compare the2024 Infiniti QX60VS 2024 Volkswagen Atlas

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Infiniti QX60 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 QX60 Sensory/Autograph’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Atlas doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

For enhanced safety, the front and middle seat shoulder belts of the Infiniti QX60 are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Volkswagen Atlas doesn’t offer height-adjustable middle seat belts.

The Infiniti QX60 has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help 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 QX60 Autograph has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Atlas doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

With its standard Automatic Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Detection, the Infiniti QX60 is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Volkswagen Atlas, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

	QX60	Atlas
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Crossing Child - DAY
25 MPH	AVOIDED	-10 MPH
	Crossing Adult - NIGHT
12 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
12 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-10 MPH
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-23 MPH
	Parallel Adult - NIGHT
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-21 MPH
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-23 MPH
37 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-28 MPH
37 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-2 MPH
Warning Issued-Low beams	1.5 sec	.6 sec

The QX60 Luxe/Sensory/Autograph’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 QX60 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, 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, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive 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 Infiniti QX60 is safer than the Volkswagen Atlas:

	QX60	Atlas
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	150	307
Neck Stress	348 lbs.	412 lbs.
Neck Compression	53 lbs.	59 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	156/136 lbs.	67/229 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.7 inches
Neck Compression	93 lbs.	117 lbs.

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 Infiniti QX60 is safer than the Volkswagen Atlas:

	QX60	Atlas
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	244 lbs.	345 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	88	144
Spine Acceleration	33 G’s	39 G’s
Hip Force	461 lbs.	527 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	234	279
Spine Acceleration	37 G’s	51 G’s
Hip Force	466 lbs.	800 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

The QX60 comes with a full 4-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Atlas’ 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 10,000 miles sooner.

Infiniti’s powertrain warranty covers the QX60 2 years and 20,000 miles longer than Volkswagen covers the Atlas. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the Atlas ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The QX60’s 7 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Atlas runs out after 100,000 miles.

Infiniti pays for scheduled maintenance on the QX60 for 1 year and 16000 miles longer than Volkswagen pays for maintenance for the Atlas (3/36,000 vs. 2/20,000).

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Infiniti vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. With 37 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Infiniti higher than Volkswagen.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Infiniti vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Infiniti 14 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

Engine

The QX60’s 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 26 more horsepower (295 vs. 269) than the Atlas’ 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Infiniti QX60 is faster than the Volkswagen Atlas:

	QX60	Atlas
Zero to 60 MPH	6.2 sec	7.3 sec
Quarter Mile	14.9 sec	15.4 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	93 MPH	92 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the QX60 gets better mileage than the Atlas:

			MPG
QX60
	AWD	3.5 DOHC V6	20 city/25 hwy
Atlas
	AWD	SEL 2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	19 city/25 hwy
		Peak Edition 2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	18 city/24 hwy

The QX60 has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Atlas doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Infiniti QX60 higher (5 out of 10) than the Volkswagen Atlas (3). This means the QX60 produces up to 16.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Atlas every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Infiniti QX60, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Atlas.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the QX60’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Atlas:

	QX60	Atlas
Front Rotors	13.8 inches	13.2 inches
Rear Rotors	13 inches	12.2 inches

The QX60 stops much shorter than the Atlas:

	QX60	Atlas
70 to 0 MPH	171 feet	174 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	128 feet	139 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the QX60 has larger tires than the Atlas (255/50R20 vs. 245/60R18).

The QX60 has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Atlas doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

The QX60 Autograph AWD handles at .85 G’s, while the Atlas 4Motion pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the QX60’s turning circle is 1.8 feet tighter than the Atlas’ (38.7 feet vs. 40.5 feet).

For greater off-road capability the QX60 has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Atlas (6.7 vs. 6.3 inches), allowing the QX60 to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

To almost totally eliminate engine vibration in the passenger area, the QX60 has an electronically controlled liquid-filled main engine mount. A computer-controlled electric current in the liquid changes its viscosity, allowing the mount to dampen the engine completely at all RPMs. The Atlas uses conventional solid rubber engine mounts.

Passenger Space

The QX60 has .4 inches more front legroom, .4 inches more front hip room, .1 inches more rear legroom, .1 inches more third row hip room and .7 inches more third row shoulder room than the Atlas.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the QX60’s middle and third row seats recline. The Atlas’ third row seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

Pressing a button automatically raises the QX60 Sensory/Autograph’s third row seats, to make changing between cargo and passengers easier. The Atlas doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

Towing

The QX60’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Atlas’ (3500 vs. 2000 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Volkswagen Atlas is only 5000 pounds. The QX60 offers up to a 6000 lbs. towing capacity.

Servicing Ease

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Infiniti service is better than Volkswagen. J.D. Power ranks Infiniti 9th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 29% lower rating, Volkswagen is ranked 28th.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Atlas SEL, the QX60 Sensory/Autograph has a passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position (with optional power wheel adjuster), outside mirror angle, climate settings and radio stations and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The QX60’s standard Entry/Exit Assist raises the steering wheel and glides the driver’s seat back, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Atlas doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the QX60 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 QX60’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 has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The QX60 Sensory/Autograph has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Atlas.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Infiniti QX60, based on reliability, safety and performance.

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