Compare the2025 Land Rover DiscoveryVS 2025 Volkswagen Atlas

For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Land Rover Discovery 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 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

Both the Discovery and Atlas have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Discovery has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Atlas’ child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

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

The Discovery’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 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Discovery and the Atlas have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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 and rear cross-path warning.

The Discovery’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Atlas’ (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 Land Rover vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. With 27 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Land Rover higher than Volkswagen.

The Discovery’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 27 more horsepower (296 vs. 269) and 22 lbs.-ft. more torque (295 vs. 273) than the Atlas’ 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The Discovery P360’s optional 3.0 turbo/supercharged 6-cylinder hybrid produces 86 more horsepower (355 vs. 269) and 96 lbs.-ft. more torque (369 vs. 273) than the Atlas’ 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Discovery P360 3.0 turbo/supercharged 6-cylinder hybrid is faster than the Volkswagen Atlas:

The Discovery has 5.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Atlas (23.8 vs. 18.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Land Rover Discovery higher (6 out of 10) than the Volkswagen Atlas (4). This means the Discovery produces up to 12.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Atlas every 15,000 miles.

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

The Discovery stops much shorter than the Atlas:

For better traction, the Discovery has larger standard tires than the Atlas (255/55R20 vs. 245/60R18). The Discovery’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Atlas (285/40R22 vs. 265/45R21).

The Discovery’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Atlas SE/Peak Edition’s standard 60 series tires. The Discovery’s optional tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Atlas SEL Premium R-Line’s 45 series tires.

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

The Discovery offers an optional full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Atlas; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

The Discovery has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Atlas’ suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The front and rear suspension of the Discovery uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the Atlas, which uses coil springs. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

The Discovery has a standard driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Atlas’ suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The Discovery has a standard automatic front and rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Discovery’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 doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For greater off-road capability the Discovery has a 4.9 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Atlas (11.2 vs. 6.3 inches), allowing the Discovery to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Discovery is 5.6 inches shorter than the Atlas, making the Discovery easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The front grille of the Discovery uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Atlas doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Flexibility is maximized at the game, campground or a drive-in theatre in the Discovery when its optional tailgating rear seats are deployed, allowing people to sit facing out of the liftgate. (Do not use while vehicle is in motion.) The Atlas doesn’t offer tailgating seats.

Pressing a button automatically lowers or raises the Discovery’s second and third row seats, to make changing between cargo and passengers easier. The Atlas doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Discovery’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Atlas’ (5952 vs. 5000 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Volkswagen Atlas is only 5000 pounds. The Discovery offers up to a 8200 lbs. towing capacity.

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

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Atlas SEL, the Discovery SE has a passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat, steering wheel position and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

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

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Discovery has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Atlas only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The Discovery offers available headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Atlas doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The Discovery’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 has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Land Rover Discovery 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 SEL Premium.

The Discovery has standard heated front and optional heated second and third row seats, which keep the driver and passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Volkswagen doesn’t offer heated seats in the third row of the Atlas.

Optional air conditioned front and second row seats keep the Discovery’s passengers comfortable and take the sting out of hot leather in summer. The Atlas doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

The Land Rover Discovery 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.