Compare the2026 Volkswagen Atlas Cross SportVS 2025 Audi Q5

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

Safety

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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 Q5 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

With its standard Front Assist, the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Audi Q5, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

	Atlas Cross Sport	Q5
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
	Crossing Child - DAY
12 MPH	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
	Crossing Adult - NIGHT
12 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-8 MPH
12 MPH Low beams	-10 MPH	-1 MPH
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-13 MPH
25 MPH Low beams	-23 MPH	-2 MPH
	Parallel Adult - NIGHT
25 MPH Brights	-21 MPH	-2 MPH
25 MPH Low beams	-23 MPH	No Slowing
37 MPH Brights	-28 MPH	No Slowing
Warning Issued-Brights	2 sec	No Warning
37 MPH Low beams	-2 MPH	No Slowing
Warning Issued-Low beams	.6 sec	No Warning

Both the Atlas Cross Sport and the Q5 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, post-collision automatic braking systems, 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 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH moderate front offset crash tests on new cars. In this updated test, results indicate that the Atlas Cross Sport is much safer than the Q5:

	Atlas Cross Sport	Q5
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Chest Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Thigh/hip Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Leg/foot Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Restraints	GOOD	GOOD
	Rear Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck Rating	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Chest Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Thigh Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Restraints	ACCEPTABLE	POOR

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 Audi Q5:

	Atlas Cross Sport	Q5
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	48	60
Chest Movement	.5 inches	.6 inches
Abdominal Force	64 lbs.	98 lbs.
Hip Force	215 lbs.	279 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	35 G’s	53 G’s
Hip Force	529 lbs.	817 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	13 inches	15 inches
Hip Force	594 lbs.	600 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 Q5:

	Atlas Cross Sport	Q5
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	42	96
Neck Tension	156 lbs.	245 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Torso Deflection Rate	4 MPH	5 MPH
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	163	346
Neck Tension	178 lbs.	223 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.43 in	1.73 in
Shoulder Force	178 lbs.	402 lbs.
Torso Deflection Rate	10 MPH	11 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	MARGINAL
Pelvis Force	848 lbs.	1249 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

The Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport has achieved the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) highest rating of “Top Safety Pick Plus” for the 2025 model year. This distinction is based on its exceptional performance in IIHS’ rigorous battery of safety tests. Specifically, it earned a “Good” rating in the latest, more stringent moderate overlap front crash test, a “Good” result in the updated side impact test, and an “Acceptable” score in the revised pedestrian crash prevention test. The Q5 is not even a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2025.

Warranty

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. Audi only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Q5.

There are over 2 times as many Volkswagen dealers as there are Audi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Atlas Cross Sport’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Volkswagen vehicles are better in initial quality than Audi vehicles. With 44 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Volkswagen higher than Audi.

Engine

The Atlas Cross Sport’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 68 more horsepower (269 vs. 201) and 37 lbs.-ft. more torque (273 vs. 236) than the Q5 40 TFSI’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid. The Atlas Cross Sport’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 8 more horsepower (269 vs. 261) than the Q5 45 TFSI’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

Fuel Economy and Range

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Q5 requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The Atlas Cross Sport has 4.3 gallons more fuel capacity than the Q5 Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (18.6 vs. 14.3 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Transmission

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a seven-speed automatic is available for the Q5.

Brakes and Stopping

The Atlas Cross Sport stops much shorter than the Q5:

	Atlas Cross Sport	Q5
60 to 0 MPH	121 feet	136 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	134 feet	144 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Atlas Cross Sport has larger standard tires than the Q5 (245/60R18 vs. 235/60R18). The Atlas Cross Sport SEL Premium R-Line’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Q5 (265/45R21 vs. 255/45R20).

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Atlas Cross Sport’s wheelbase is 6.3 inches longer than on the Q5 (117.3 inches vs. 111 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Atlas Cross Sport is 3.4 inches wider in the front and 4.3 inches wider in the rear than on the Q5.

The Atlas Cross Sport SEL 4Motion handles at .81 G’s, while the Q5 45 TFSI Prestige pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

Passenger Space

The Atlas Cross Sport has .8 inches more front legroom, 3.8 inches more front shoulder room, 2.4 inches more rear legroom and 3.9 inches more rear shoulder room than the Q5.

Cargo Capacity

The Atlas Cross Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Q5 with its rear seat up (40.3 vs. 25.9 cubic feet). The Atlas Cross Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Q5 with its rear seat folded (77.6 vs. 54.1 cubic feet).

Towing

The Atlas Cross Sport’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Q5’s (5000 vs. 2750 pounds).

While the Q5 55 TFSI e can only tow 2000, any Atlas Cross Sport can tow a minimum of 5000 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 Q5 doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Ergonomics

Consumer Reports rated the Atlas Cross Sport’s headlight performance “Good,” a higher rating than the Q5’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

The Q5’s cornering lamps activate a lamp on the front corner when the turn signal is activated. The Atlas Cross Sport’s standard adaptive cornering lights turn the actual headlight unit up to several degrees, depending on steering wheel angle and vehicle speed. This lights a significant distance into corners at any speed.

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 Q5.

Compared to traditional radio, the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport’s standard SiriusXM satellite radio provides an unmatched listening experience. Its extensive coverage guarantees consistent, crystal-clear reception across the continental U.S., and access to over 100 channels dedicated to a multitude of genres, including music, news, sports, talk shows, and comedy, many with only limited commercial breaks. Satellite radio costs extra on the Q5.

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 Q5.

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 Q5 doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Model Availability

The Atlas Cross Sport is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Q5 doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

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