Compare the2025 Mercedes GLE CoupeVS 2025 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Mercedes GLE Coupe have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The GLE Coupe’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Atlas Cross Sport doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The Mercedes GLE Coupe has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Atlas Cross Sport doesn’t offer knee airbags.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the GLE Coupe. But it costs extra on the Atlas Cross Sport.

Earlier warning of stopped traffic, traffic signals, dangerous road conditions, weather, or accidents, can keep driver's safer and prevent crashes. The GLE Coupe has Car-to-X Communication, a system that seamlessly communicates important warnings to the driver about impending danger, if they're available. The Atlas Cross Sport doesn’t offer a system that can receive automated systems from other vehicles.

The GLE Coupe’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Atlas Cross Sport doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the GLE Coupe and the Atlas Cross Sport have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available lane departure warning systems.

The Mercedes GLE Coupe weighs 770 to 944 pounds more than the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

The GLE Coupe’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Atlas Cross Sport’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Mercedes vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. With 35 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Mercedes higher than Volkswagen.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Mercedes vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen With 49 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Mercedes higher than Volkswagen.

The GLE Coupe’s 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid produces 106 more horsepower (375 vs. 269) and 96 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 273) than the Atlas Cross Sport’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

Regenerative brakes improve the GLE Coupe’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Atlas Cross Sport doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The GLE Coupe has 3.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the Atlas Cross Sport (22.5 vs. 18.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Mercedes GLE Coupe, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Atlas Cross Sport.

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

For better traction, the GLE Coupe has larger standard tires than the Atlas Cross Sport (275/50R20 vs. 245/60R18). The GLE Coupe’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Atlas Cross Sport (F:285/40R22 & R:325/35R22 vs. 265/45R21).

The GLE Coupe’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Atlas Cross Sport SE’s standard 60 series tires. The GLE Coupe’s optional 285/40R22 front and 325/35R22 rear tires have a lower 40 series front and 35 series rear profile than the Atlas Cross Sport SEL Premium R-Line’s 45 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the GLE Coupe has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the Atlas Cross Sport SE. The GLE Coupe’s optional 22-inch wheels are larger than the 21-inch wheels on the Atlas Cross Sport SEL Premium R-Line.

The GLE Coupe has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Atlas Cross Sport’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The GLE Coupe offers an available or off-road. The Atlas Cross Sport’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The GLE Coupe has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The GLE Coupe’s height leveling suspension allows the driver to raise ride height for better off-road clearance and then lower it again for easier entering and exiting and better on-road handling. The Atlas Cross Sport doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

The GLE Coupe’s drift compensation steering can automatically compensate for road conditions which would cause the vehicle to drift from side to side, helping the driver to keep the vehicle straight more easily. The Atlas Cross Sport doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For better maneuverability, the GLE Coupe’s turning circle is .6 feet tighter than the Atlas Cross Sport’s (39.4 feet vs. 40 feet).

The GLE Coupe has 1.1 inches more front headroom, 2.4 inches more front hip room and 1.3 inches more rear hip room than the Atlas Cross Sport.

Pressing a switch automatically lowers the GLE Coupe’s optional rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Atlas Cross Sport doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The GLE Coupe’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Atlas Cross Sport’s (7700 vs. 5000 pounds).

The engine in the GLE Coupe is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Atlas Cross Sport. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Atlas Cross Sport SEL, the GLE Coupe has standard driver and passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position, outside mirror angle and radio stations and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The GLE Coupe’s standard easy entry and exit feature raises the steering wheel and glides the driver’s seat back, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Atlas Cross Sport doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The GLE Coupe’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Atlas Cross Sport does not have an oil pressure gauge.

Heated windshield washer fluid is optional on the GLE Coupe to defrost the washer nozzles and quickly clear ice and frost from the windshield without scraping. The Atlas Cross Sport doesn’t offer heated windshield washer fluid. Its standard heated washer nozzles will defrost the washer fluid but not the windshield.

To better shield the driver and front passenger’s vision, the GLE Coupe has standard dual-element sun visors that can block glare from two directions simultaneously. The Atlas Cross Sport doesn’t offer secondary sun visors.

The GLE Coupe’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Atlas Cross Sport has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Mercedes GLE Coupe has power folding mirrors that offer unparalleled convenience while maneuvering in tight places or parked. With the mirrors folded it’s easier to walk past and help prevent parking damage. The mirrors can be quickly unfolded when the driver is ready to leave. Power folding mirrors are only offered on the Atlas Cross Sport SEL Premium R-Line.

The Mercedes GLE Coupe has a standard Homelink wireless remote control system for garage door operation and device management, conveniently located on the rear view mirror. Homelink® eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries. Volkswagen charges extra for Homelink® on the Atlas Cross Sport.

The GLE Coupe’s Active Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Atlas Cross Sport SEL Premium R-Line’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park.