Compare the2025 Volkswagen Atlas Cross SportVS 2025 Subaru Outback

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

Safety

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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 Outback 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.

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 Outback 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 Outback’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. Subaru charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Outback and its not available on the Base and the Outback’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert does not include automatic braking.

Compared to metal, the Atlas Cross Sport’s plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Subaru Outback has a metal gas tank.

Both the Atlas Cross Sport and the Outback 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, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, 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 Subaru Outback:

	Atlas Cross Sport	Outback
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	39%	43%
Neck Stress	129 lbs.	147 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 Subaru Outback:

	Atlas Cross Sport	Outback
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.5 inches	.5 inches
Abdominal Force	64 lbs.	101 lbs.
Hip Force	215 lbs.	247 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	35 G’s	51 G’s
Hip Force	529 lbs.	635 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	14 inches
Spine Acceleration	41 G’s	43 G’s
Hip Force	594 lbs.	674 lbs.

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 safer than the Outback:

	Atlas Cross Sport	Outback
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Structure	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	42	69
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.83 in	.94 in
Torso Max Deflection	1.1 in	1.54 in
Torso Deflection Rate	4 MPH	9 MPH
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	163	387
Neck Compression	134 lbs.	201 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.43 in	1.81 in
Shoulder Force	178 lbs.	469 lbs.
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
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 is 1.6% to 3.4% less likely to roll over than the Outback.

Warranty

The Atlas Cross Sport comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck. The Outback’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 Outback’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. Subaru doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Outback.

Reliability

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

Engine

The Atlas Cross Sport’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 87 more horsepower (269 vs. 182) and 97 lbs.-ft. more torque (273 vs. 176) than the Outback 2.5i’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Atlas Cross Sport’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 9 more horsepower (269 vs. 260) than the Outback XT/Wilderness’ standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport is faster than the Outback 2.5i 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder:

	Atlas Cross Sport	Outback
Zero to 60 MPH	7.7 sec	8.7 sec
Quarter Mile	15.9 sec	16.6 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	90 MPH	86.1 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Outback XT/Wilderness requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Atlas Cross Sport	Outback
Front Rotors	13.2 inches	12.4 inches
Rear Rotors	12.2 inches	11.8 inches

The Atlas Cross Sport stops much shorter than the Outback:

	Atlas Cross Sport	Outback
60 to 0 MPH	121 feet	132 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Atlas Cross Sport has larger standard tires than the Outback (245/60R18 vs. 225/65R17). The Atlas Cross Sport SEL Premium R-Line’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Outback (265/45R21 vs. 225/65R17).

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 Outback’s standard 65 series tires. The Atlas Cross Sport SEL Premium R-Line’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Outback Onyx/Limited/Touring’s 60 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 Outback. The Atlas Cross Sport SEL Premium R-Line’s 21-inch wheels are larger than the 18-inch wheels on the Outback Onyx/Limited/Touring.

Suspension and Handling

The Atlas Cross Sport has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Outback doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Atlas Cross Sport’s wheelbase is 9.2 inches longer than on the Outback (117.3 inches vs. 108.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Atlas Cross Sport is 5.1 inches wider in the front and 4.7 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Outback.

The Atlas Cross Sport SEL 4Motion handles at .81 G’s, while the Outback Limited XT pulls only .75 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 seconds quicker than the Outback Limited (27.4 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 28.4 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

Passenger Space

The Atlas Cross Sport has 2.9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Outback (111.9 vs. 109).

The Atlas Cross Sport has 2.9 inches more front hip room, 3.4 inches more front shoulder room, .9 inches more rear legroom, 3.9 inches more rear hip room and 3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Outback.

Cargo Capacity

The Atlas Cross Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Outback with its rear seat up (40.3 vs. 32.6 cubic feet). The Atlas Cross Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Outback with its rear seat folded (77.6 vs. 75.6 cubic feet).

Towing

The Atlas Cross Sport’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Outback’s (5000 vs. 2700 pounds).

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 Outback doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Servicing Ease

The Atlas Cross Sport uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Outback 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

The power windows standard on both the Atlas Cross Sport and the Outback have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Atlas Cross Sport is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Outback prevents the driver from operating the rear windows just as it does the other passengers.

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 Outback’s standard rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

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 Outback 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. Keyless Access and Start is an extra cost option on the Outback and doesn’t offer a sensor on the rear doors, so you’ll have to reach a front handle to unlock the rear door. Keyless Access and Start is not available on the Outback Base.

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 Outback’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

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 Outback doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

The Atlas Cross Sport’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Subaru only offers heated mirrors on the Outback Premium/Limited/Wilderness/Touring/Onyx.

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 Outback.

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 Outback.

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 is only available on the Outback Premium/Limited/Wilderness/Touring/Onyx.

Both the Atlas Cross Sport and the Outback 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 Outback doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

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 Outback and isn’t available on the Outback Base.

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

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 Outback 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 Outback doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

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