Compare the2025 Volkswagen Atlas Cross SportVS 2025 Jeep Wrangler

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Model Availability

Safety

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With its standard Front Assist, the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Jeep Wrangler, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

	Atlas Cross Sport	Wrangler
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	POOR
	Crossing Child - DAY
12 MPH	AVOIDED	No Slowing
25 MPH	-10 MPH	No Slowing
	Crossing Adult - NIGHT
12 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	No Slowing
12 MPH Low beams	-10 MPH	No Slowing
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	No Slowing
25 MPH Low beams	-23 MPH	No Slowing
	Parallel Adult - NIGHT
25 MPH Brights	-21 MPH	No Slowing
25 MPH Low beams	-23 MPH	No Slowing
37 MPH Brights	-28 MPH	No Slowing
Warning Issued-Brights	2 sec	No Warning
37 MPH Low beams	-2 MPH	No Slowing
Warning Issued-Low beams	.6 sec	No Warning

The Atlas Cross Sport has a standard Automatic Post-Collision Braking System, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Wrangler doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Atlas Cross Sport offers optional Maneuver Braking that use rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. The Wrangler doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Atlas Cross Sport’s lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. The Wrangler doesn’t offer a lane departure warning system.

The Atlas Cross Sport SEL Premium R-Line has a standard Area View to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Wrangler only offers a rear monitor and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or sides.

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 Wrangler’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. Jeep charges extra for Rear Cross Path Detection on the Wrangler and the Wrangler’s Rear Cross Path Detection does not include automatic braking.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Atlas Cross Sport uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The Wrangler uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Atlas Cross Sport and the Wrangler have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, rearview cameras and available all wheel drive.

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 Jeep Wrangler:

	Atlas Cross Sport	Wrangler
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	30%	34.1%
Neck Compression	59 lbs.	80 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	67/229 lbs.	417/461 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	277	281
Neck Stress	129 lbs.	217 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	297/97 lbs.	270/540 lbs.

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

A significantly tougher test than their original offset frontal crash test, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH small overlap frontal offset crash tests. In this test, where only 25% of the total width of the vehicle is struck, results indicate that the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport is safer than the Wrangler 4-door:

	Atlas Cross Sport	Wrangler
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
Restraints	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Head Neck Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Peak Head Forces	0 G’s	0 G’s
Steering Column Movement Rearward	0 cm	3 cm
Chest Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Max Chest Compression	23 cm	30 cm
Hip & Thigh Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Femur Force R/L	3.1/0 kN	3.3/.6 kN
Hip & Thigh Injury Risk R/L	1%/0%	1%/0%
Lower Leg Evaluation	GOOD	POOR
Tibia index R/L	.46/.5	.92/.33
Tibia forces R/L	2.1/.7 kN	10.4/.9 kN

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport is safer than the Wrangler 4-door:

	Atlas Cross Sport	Wrangler
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Structure	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Torso Deflection Rate	4 MPH	6 MPH
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	163	189
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	848 lbs.	915 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Atlas Cross Sport, with its four-star roll-over rating, is 9.8% to 11.6% less likely to roll over than the Wrangler, which received a three-star rating.

Warranty

The Atlas Cross Sport comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck. The Wrangler’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The Atlas Cross Sport’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Wrangler’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Reliability

The Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport’s engine uses a cast iron block for durability, while the Wrangler’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder, 3.6 DOHC V6 and 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid engine uses an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

For smoother operation, better efficiency and fewer moving parts, the Atlas Cross Sport has an overhead cam design, rather than the old pushrod design of the 6.4 V8 in the Wrangler.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Volkswagen vehicles are more reliable than Jeep vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Volkswagen 1 place higher in reliability than Jeep.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Atlas Cross Sport gets better mileage than the Wrangler 4-door running its gasoline engine:

			MPG
Atlas Cross Sport
FWD	Auto	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/26 hwy
AWD	Auto	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	19 city/26 hwy
Wrangler 4-door
AWD	Manual	3.6 DOHC V6	16 city/22 hwy
AWD	Auto	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/22 hwy
		6.4 OHV V8	13 city/16 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	20 city/20 hwy

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Wrangler Rubicon 392 Final Edition requires premium, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Atlas Cross Sport has 1.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Wrangler 4Xe’s standard fuel tank (18.6 vs. 17.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Transmission

The Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport comes standard with an automatic transmission, for driver comfort, especially in the city. Automatic costs extra on the Wrangler.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Atlas Cross Sport	Wrangler
Front Rotors	13.2 inches	12.9 inches

The Atlas Cross Sport’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs standard on the Wrangler Sport are solid, not vented.

The Atlas Cross Sport stops much shorter than the Wrangler:

	Atlas Cross Sport	Wrangler
60 to 0 MPH	121 feet	149 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

The Atlas Cross Sport SE’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Wrangler Sport’s standard 75 series tires. The Atlas Cross Sport SEL Premium R-Line’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Wrangler Sahara 4Xe’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Atlas Cross Sport SE has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Wrangler Sport. The Atlas Cross Sport SEL Premium R-Line’s 21-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels on the Wrangler 4Xe.

Suspension and Handling

The Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport’s independent front suspension is much lighter than the Jeep Wrangler’s solid front axle, which allows the Atlas Cross Sport’s wheels to react more quickly and accurately to the road’s surface, improving both ride and handling.

For superior ride and handling, the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Jeep Wrangler has a solid rear axle, with a non-independent rear suspension.

For much better steering response and tighter handling the Atlas Cross Sport has rack and pinion steering, like Formula racecars, instead of the recirculating-ball type steering of the Wrangler.

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Atlas Cross Sport is 2.3 inches wider in the front and 2.9 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Wrangler.

The Atlas Cross Sport SEL 4Motion handles at .81 G’s, while the Wrangler Willys 4-door pulls only .72 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Atlas Cross Sport SEL 4Motion executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.4 seconds quicker than the Wrangler Rubicon X 4-door (27.4 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 28.8 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

Chassis

Unibody construction lowers the Atlas Cross Sport’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The Wrangler doesn’t use unibody construction, but a body-on-frame design.

For excellent aerodynamics, the Atlas Cross Sport has standard flush composite headlights. The Wrangler has recessed headlights that spoil its aerodynamic shape and create extra drag.

Passenger Space

The Atlas Cross Sport has 8.2 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Wrangler (111.9 vs. 103.7).

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Atlas Cross Sport’s rear seats recline. The Wrangler’s rear seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

The Atlas Cross Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Wrangler 4-door with its rear seat up (40.3 vs. 31.7 cubic feet). The Atlas Cross Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Wrangler 4-door with its rear seat folded (77.6 vs. 72.4 cubic feet).

The Atlas Cross Sport’s standard folding rear seats are split to accommodate bulky cargo. The Wrangler 2-door’s standard single piece folding rear seat is not as flexible; long cargo and a passenger can’t share the rear seat.

The Atlas Cross Sport’s liftgate lifts up in one piece, completely out of the way of loading and unloading, while sheltering the cargo loading area. The Wrangler’s swing out door blocks loading from the driver’s side.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Atlas Cross Sport’s power cargo door can be opened or closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Wrangler doesn’t offer a power or hands-free opening cargo door.

Towing

The Atlas Cross Sport’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Wrangler’s (5000 vs. 2000 pounds).

Servicing Ease

The Atlas Cross Sport uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Wrangler uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

Ergonomics

When three different drivers share the Atlas Cross Sport SEL, the memory system makes it convenient for all three. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position, outside mirror angle, climate settings and radio stations. The Wrangler doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Atlas Cross Sport SEL has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, navigation instruction and driver assistance information readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Wrangler doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Atlas Cross Sport’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Wrangler has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

The Atlas Cross Sport’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Wrangler’s power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully. Only its front windows open automatically.

The Atlas Cross Sport’s standard power window controls are mounted on the armrest for easy access. The Wrangler’s available power window controls are down in the center of the dashboard, away from the windows and mixed with controls for unrelated features.

If the windows are left open on the Atlas Cross Sport the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Wrangler can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Atlas Cross Sport’s standard KESSY Keyless Access allow you to unlock the doors from any outside door handle, unlock the cargo door, and start the engine, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Push Button Start standard on the Wrangler only offers hands-free access for the ignition, none to unlock the vehicle.

The Atlas Cross Sport’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Wrangler’s intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Atlas Cross Sport SEL to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Wrangler doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

The Atlas Cross Sport’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the Wrangler’s standard halogen headlights. LED lights also light instantly and last over twenty times longer than halogen.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Atlas Cross Sport’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Wrangler’s headlights are rated “Marginal” to “Poor.”

The Atlas Cross Sport has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. The Wrangler only offers an automatic headlight on/off feature as an extra cost option.

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 Wrangler 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.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Atlas Cross Sport to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Wrangler doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Atlas Cross Sport has standard power remote mirrors. The Wrangler only comes with remote mirrors at extra cost. Without them the driver will have to roll down the windows and reach across the car to adjust the mirrors.

The Atlas Cross Sport’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Jeep charges extra for heated mirrors on the Wrangler.

When the Atlas Cross Sport SEL is put in reverse, the passenger rearview mirror tilts from its original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirror into its original position. The Wrangler’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

Both the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport and Jeep Wrangler offer exterior mirrors that can be folded to provide convenience. The Atlas Cross Sport offers available power folding mirrors, which allow for easy, one-touch folding or unfolding at the driver’s discretion. This provides added convenience when maneuvering or parking, as well as when walking past the parked vehicle. In comparison, the Wrangler’s foldable mirrors are manual, requiring the driver to get out and physically fold them once parked and unfold them before getting in.

The Atlas Cross Sport has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats cost extra on the Wrangler. The Atlas Cross Sport SEL also has standard heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Wrangler.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Atlas Cross Sport keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Wrangler doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Atlas Cross Sport has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the vehicle heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the Wrangler.

The Atlas Cross Sport SEL Premium R Line has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Wrangler.

The Atlas Cross Sport has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning costs extra on the Wrangler.

Both the Atlas Cross Sport and the Wrangler offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Atlas Cross Sport has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Wrangler doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

Compared to traditional radio, the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport’s standard SiriusXM satellite radio provides an unmatched listening experience. Its extensive coverage guarantees consistent, crystal-clear reception across the continental U.S., and access to over 100 channels dedicated to a multitude of genres, including music, news, sports, talk shows, and comedy, many with only limited commercial breaks. Satellite radio costs extra on the Wrangler.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the front center console. The Wrangler doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The Atlas Cross Sport SEL Premium R-Line’s Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Wrangler doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Model Availability

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

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