Compare the2025 Volkswagen Atlas Cross SportVS 2024 Nissan Murano

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

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 Murano 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.

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

Both the Atlas Cross Sport and Murano have rear cross-traffic warning, but the Atlas Cross Sport has Rear Traffic Alert (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Murano’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the Atlas Cross Sport and the Murano have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, 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 Nissan Murano:

	Atlas Cross Sport	Murano
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	48	101
Chest Movement	.5 inches	.9 inches
Abdominal Force	64 lbs.	102 lbs.
Hip Force	215 lbs.	392 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	17 inches
HIC	309	439
Spine Acceleration	41 G’s	41 G’s

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 Murano:

	Atlas Cross Sport	Murano
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
Structure	GOOD	POOR
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	42	286
Neck Tension	156 lbs.	402 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.83 in	1.65 in
Shoulder Force	245 lbs.	290 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.1 in	1.69 in
Torso Deflection Rate	4 MPH	9 MPH
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	163	182
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Shoulder Deflection	.43 in	.63 in
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

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

Warranty

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

Reliability

The Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport’s engine uses a cast iron block for durability, while the Murano’s engine uses 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 9 more horsepower (269 vs. 260) and 33 lbs.-ft. more torque (273 vs. 240) than the Murano’s 3.5 DOHC V6.

Fuel Economy and Range

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Atlas Cross Sport’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Murano doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Atlas Cross Sport	Murano
Front Rotors	13.2 inches	12.6 inches
Rear Rotors	12.2 inches	12.1 inches

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Atlas Cross Sport has larger standard tires than the Murano (245/60R18 vs. 235/65R18). The Atlas Cross Sport SEL Premium R-Line’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Murano (265/45R21 vs. 235/65R18).

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 Murano SV’s standard 65 series tires. The Atlas Cross Sport SEL Premium R-Line’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Murano Midnight/SL/Platinum’s 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Atlas Cross Sport SEL Premium R-Line has standard 21-inch wheels. The Murano’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 6.1 inches longer than on the Murano (117.3 inches vs. 111.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Atlas Cross Sport is 2.4 inches wider in the front and 3 inches wider in the rear than on the Murano.

The Atlas Cross Sport’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (56% to 44%) than the Murano’s (58.8% to 41.2%). This gives the Atlas Cross Sport more stable handling and braking.

The Atlas Cross Sport SEL 4Motion executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Murano Platinum AWD (27.4 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 27.8 seconds @ .64 average G’s).

Passenger Space

The Atlas Cross Sport has 3.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Murano (111.9 vs. 108.1).

The Atlas Cross Sport has 1.2 inches more front legroom, 3 inches more front hip room, 2 inches more front shoulder room, 1.7 inches more rear legroom, 3.5 inches more rear hip room and 1.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Murano.

Cargo Capacity

The Atlas Cross Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Murano with its rear seat up (40.3 vs. 32.1 cubic feet). The Atlas Cross Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Murano with its rear seat folded (77.6 vs. 67 cubic feet).

Towing

The Atlas Cross Sport’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Murano’s (5000 vs. 1500 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 Murano doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Ergonomics

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 Murano 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 Murano’s parking brake has to be released manually.

The power windows standard on both the Atlas Cross Sport and the Murano 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 Murano prevents the driver from operating the other 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 Murano’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

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. Intelligent Key standard on the Murano doesn’t offer a sensor on the rear doors, so you’ll have to reach a front handle to unlock the rear door.

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 Murano’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 Murano doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

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 Murano 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 Murano doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Atlas Cross Sport’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Nissan only offers heated mirrors on the Murano SV/Midnight/SL/Platinum.

Both the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport and Nissan Murano 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 Murano’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 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 is only available on the Murano SL/Platinum.

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 Murano.

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 Murano.

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 Murano 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 Murano doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Economic Advantages

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 Murano only retains 48.45% to 49.9%.

Recommendations

The Volkswagen Atlas outsold the Nissan Murano by over three to one during 2023.