Compare the2025 Audi Q3VS 2024 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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The Q3’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Atlas Cross Sport doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the Q3 and Atlas Cross Sport have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Q3 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.

The Audi Q3 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 Cross Sport doesn’t offer knee airbags.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Q3. But it costs extra on the Atlas Cross Sport.

Both the Q3 and the Atlas Cross Sport 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, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available 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 Audi Q3 is safer than the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport:

	Q3	Atlas Cross Sport
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Stress	343 lbs.	412 lbs.
Neck Compression	35 lbs.	59 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.7 inches
Neck Injury Risk	35%	39%
Neck Compression	83 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 Audi Q3 is safer than the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport:

	Q3	Atlas Cross Sport
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	159	208
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	13 inches
Hip Force	485 lbs.	594 lbs.

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

Warranty

The Q3’s corrosion warranty is 5 years and unlimited miles longer than the Atlas Cross Sport’s (12/unlimited vs. 7/100,000).

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Q3’s reliability 25 points higher than the Atlas Cross Sport.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Q3 second among small premium suvs in their 2024 Initial Quality Study. The Atlas Cross Sport isn’t in the top three in its category.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Audi vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Audi 8 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Q3 gets better mileage than the Atlas Cross Sport:

			MPG
Q3
	AWD	40 TFSI 2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/29 hwy
		45 TFSI 2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/28 hwy
Atlas Cross Sport
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/27 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	19 city/26 hwy

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Q3’s front brake rotors are larger than those on the Atlas Cross Sport:

	Q3	Atlas Cross Sport
Front Rotors	13.4 inches	13.2 inches

The Q3 stops shorter than the Atlas Cross Sport:

	Q3	Atlas Cross Sport
60 to 0 MPH	126 feet	131 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

The Q3’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 Q3’s optional tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Atlas Cross Sport SEL Premium R-Line’s 45 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

The Q3 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 Q3 handles at .79 G’s, while the Atlas Cross Sport 4Motion pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Q3’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the Atlas Cross Sport’s (38.7 feet vs. 40 feet).

Chassis

The Audi Q3 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 250 to 450 pounds less than the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport.

The Q3 is 1 foot, 6.9 inches shorter than the Atlas Cross Sport 4Motion, making the Q3 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Q3 is 5.5 inches narrower than the Atlas Cross Sport, making the Q3 easier to handle and maneuver in traffic.

Ergonomics

The Q3’s optional 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.

Economic Advantages

The Q3 will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Q3 will retain 56.3% to 56.96% of its original price after five years, while the Atlas Cross Sport only retains 50.68% to 52.68%.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Audi Q3, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport isn't recommended.

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