Compare the2025 Volkswagen Atlas Cross SportVS 2025 Audi A6 Allroad

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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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 A6 Allroad doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Atlas Cross Sport has a standard blind spot warning system that uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them and moves the vehicle back into its lane. A system to reveal vehicles in the A6 Allroad’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Atlas Cross Sport has standard Rear Traffic Alert and automatically engage the brakes. Audi charges extra for Rear Cross-Traffic Assist on the A6 Allroad.

Both the Atlas Cross Sport and the A6 Allroad 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, rearview cameras, 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 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport is safer than the Audi A6 Allroad:

	Atlas Cross Sport	A6 Allroad
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	277	354
Neck Injury Risk	39%	41%
Neck Stress	129 lbs.	228 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	297/97 lbs.	263/331 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 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport is safer than the Audi A6 Allroad:

	Atlas Cross Sport	A6 Allroad
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	48	135
Chest Movement	.5 inches	.9 inches
Abdominal Force	64 lbs.	174 lbs.
Hip Force	215 lbs.	262 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	35 G’s	43 G’s
Hip Force	529 lbs.	716 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	309	395

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

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 A6 Allroad has not yet been fully evaluated by the IIHS for 2024.

Warranty

Volkswagen pays for scheduled maintenance on the Atlas Cross Sport for 2 years and 20,000 miles. Volkswagen will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Audi only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the A6 Allroad.

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

Reliability

The Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport’s engine uses a cast iron block for durability, while the A6 Allroad’s engine uses 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’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Volkswagen vehicles are better in initial quality than Audi vehicles. With 1 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Volkswagen higher than Audi.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Volkswagen vehicles are more reliable than Audi With 8 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Volkswagen higher than Audi.

Fuel Economy and Range

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport uses regular unleaded gasoline. The A6 Allroad requires premium, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

Transmission

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a seven-speed automatic is available for the A6 Allroad.

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Atlas Cross Sport SEL Premium R-Line’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the A6 Allroad (265/45R21 vs. 245/45R20).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Atlas Cross Sport SEL Premium R-Line has standard 21-inch wheels. The A6 Allroad’s largest wheels are only 20-inches.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Atlas Cross Sport’s wheelbase is 2.1 inches longer than on the A6 Allroad (117.3 inches vs. 115.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Atlas Cross Sport is 2.2 inches wider in the front and 4.2 inches wider in the rear than on the A6 Allroad.

For greater off-road capability the Atlas Cross Sport has a greater minimum ground clearance than the A6 Allroad Premium Plus (6.3 vs. 6.1 inches), allowing the Atlas Cross Sport to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 150 to 300 pounds less than the Audi A6 Allroad.

Passenger Space

The Atlas Cross Sport has 10.9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the A6 Allroad (111.9 vs. 101).

The Atlas Cross Sport has 1.1 inches more front headroom, .4 inches more front legroom, 3.7 inches more front shoulder room, 3 inches more rear legroom and 3.9 inches more rear shoulder room than the A6 Allroad.

Cargo Capacity

The Atlas Cross Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the A6 Allroad with its rear seat up (40.3 vs. 30 cubic feet). The Atlas Cross Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the A6 Allroad with its rear seat folded (77.6 vs. 63.8 cubic feet).

Towing

The Atlas Cross Sport has a 5000 lbs. towing capacity. The A6 Allroad has no towing capacity.

Standard trailer stability control on the Atlas Cross Sport uses the Electronic 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 A6 Allroad doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Ergonomics

The Atlas Cross Sport’s power window, power lock, power mirror and cruise control switches are lit from behind, making them plainly visible and easier to operate at night. The A6 Allroad’s cruise control switches are unlit, making them difficult to find at night and operate safely.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Atlas Cross Sport offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The A6 Allroad doesn’t offer cornering lights. The Atlas Cross Sport also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

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 A6 Allroad doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Model Availability

The Atlas Cross Sport is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The A6 Allroad doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Economic Advantages

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 $5855 to $8095 less than the A6 Allroad 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 A6 Allroad only retains 47.84% to 47.89%.

Recommendations

The Volkswagen Atlas outsold the Audi A6/S6/RS 6 by almost 12 to one during 2023.