Compare the2024 Toyota Grand HighlanderVS 2024 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, lane departure warning systems, 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 2024 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in overall reliability. Volkswagen is ranked 27th.

The Grand Highlander’s standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder produces 37 lbs.-ft. more torque (310 vs. 273) than the Atlas’ 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The Grand Highlander Hybrid Max’s standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 93 more horsepower (362 vs. 269) and 127 lbs.-ft. more torque (400 vs. 273) than the Atlas’ 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Grand Highlander Hybrid Max 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid is faster than the Volkswagen 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.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Toyota Grand Highlander higher (7 out of 10) than the Volkswagen Atlas (3). This means the Grand Highlander produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Atlas every 15,000 miles.

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:

The Grand Highlander stops much shorter than the Atlas:

For better traction, the Grand Highlander has larger tires than the Atlas (255/65R18 vs. 245/60R18).

The Grand Highlander’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (52% to 48%) than the Atlas’ (55% to 45%). This gives the Grand Highlander more stable handling and braking.

The Grand Highlander Platinum AWD handles at .80 G’s, while the Atlas SEL 4Motion pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Grand Highlander Limited AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Atlas SEL 4Motion (27.4 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 27.9 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Grand Highlander’s turning circle is 2.4 feet tighter than the Atlas’ (38.1 feet vs. 40.5 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Grand Highlander has a 1.7 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Atlas (8 vs. 6.3 inches), allowing the Grand Highlander to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

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).

The Grand Highlander has a much higher standard payload capacity than the Atlas (1575 vs. 1091 lbs.).

The Grand Highlander has a much higher maximum payload capacity than the Atlas (1710 vs. 1135 lbs.).

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.