Compare the2025 Volkswagen Atlas Cross SportVS 2025 Lincoln Corsair

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 Corsair doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Atlas Cross Sport 4Motion’s standard Hill Descent Assist allows you to creep down safely. The Corsair doesn’t offer Hill Descent Assist.

Both the Atlas Cross Sport and the Corsair 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 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 Lincoln Corsair:

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

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 much safer than the Corsair:

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 Corsair is not a “Top Safety Pick” for 2024.

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

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. Lincoln doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Corsair. (Lincoln offers free mainteance on some Corsair models.)

There are over 21 percent more Volkswagen dealers than there are Lincoln dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Atlas Cross Sport’s warranty.

The Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport’s engine uses a cast iron block for durability, while the Corsair’s engines use an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

The Atlas Cross Sport’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 19 more horsepower (269 vs. 250) than the Corsair’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The Atlas Cross Sport’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 3 more horsepower (269 vs. 266) than the Corsair Grand Touring’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Corsair with the 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder engine requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Atlas Cross Sport has 7.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the Corsair Grand Touring’s standard fuel tank (18.6 vs. 11.1 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Atlas Cross Sport has 2.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Corsair’s standard fuel tank (18.6 vs. 16.2 gallons).

The Atlas Cross Sport has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Corsair. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

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

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 on the Corsair are solid, not vented.

The Atlas Cross Sport stops shorter than the Corsair:

For better traction, the Atlas Cross Sport has larger standard tires than the Corsair (245/60R18 vs. 225/60R18). The Atlas Cross Sport SEL Premium R-Line’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Corsair (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 Corsair’s largest wheels are only 20-inches.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Atlas Cross Sport’s wheelbase is 10.6 inches longer than on the Corsair (117.3 inches vs. 106.7 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Atlas Cross Sport is 4.4 inches wider in the front and 4.2 inches wider in the rear than on the Corsair.

The Atlas Cross Sport SEL 4Motion handles at .81 G’s, while the Corsair Premiere AWD pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Atlas Cross Sport has 9.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Corsair (111.9 vs. 102.5).

The Atlas Cross Sport has 2.8 inches more front hip room, 4.4 inches more front shoulder room, 1.8 inches more rear legroom, 7.9 inches more rear hip room and 4.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Corsair.

The Atlas Cross Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Corsair with its rear seat up (40.3 vs. 27.6 cubic feet). The Atlas Cross Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Corsair with its rear seat folded (77.6 vs. 57.6 cubic feet).

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

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 Corsair’s standard 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 Corsair doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

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 Corsair’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Poor.”

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

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 Corsair’s mirror doesn’t automatically adjust for backing.

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 Corsair.

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 center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the Corsair.

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 Corsair doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

The Volkswagen Atlas outsold the Lincoln Corsair by almost four to one during 2023.