Compare the2026 Volkswagen AtlasVS 2025 Hyundai Palisade

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

Safety

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The Atlas 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 Palisade 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.

Both the Atlas and the Palisade 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 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 is much safer than the Palisade:

	Atlas	Palisade
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	POOR
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	GOOD
Chest Rating	GOOD	MARGINAL
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 is safer than the Hyundai Palisade:

	Atlas	Palisade
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.5 inches	.7 inches
Abdominal Force	48 lbs.	113 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	144	189
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	14 inches	14 inches

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 is safer than the Palisade:

	Atlas	Palisade
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	42	68
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Torso Max Deflection	1.1 in	1.18 in
Torso Deflection Rate	4 MPH	6 MPH
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.43 in	.55 in
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

The Volkswagen Atlas 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 Palisade is not even a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2025.

Reliability

The Volkswagen Atlas’ engine uses a cast iron block for durability, while the Palisade’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’ 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 11 lbs.-ft. more torque (273 vs. 262) than the Palisade’s 3.8 DOHC V6.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Atlas gets better mileage than the Palisade:

			MPG
Atlas
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	20 city/27 hwy
	AWD	SE 2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	20 city/26 hwy
		SEL 2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	19 city/25 hwy
		Peak Edition 2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	19 city/25 hwy
Palisade
	FWD	3.8 DOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy
	AWD	3.8 DOHC V6	19 city/24 hwy

Brakes and Stopping

The Atlas’ standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Palisade are solid, not vented.

The Atlas stops shorter than the Palisade:

	Atlas	Palisade
70 to 0 MPH	174 feet	182 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	121 feet	129 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	134 feet	137 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Atlas SEL Premium R-Line’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Palisade (265/45R21 vs. 245/60R18).

The Atlas SEL Premium R-Line’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Palisade’s optional 50 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Atlas SEL Premium R-Line has standard 21-inch wheels. The Palisade’s largest wheels are only 20-inches.

Suspension and Handling

The Atlas 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 Palisade doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Atlas’ 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 Palisade doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Atlas’ wheelbase is 3.1 inches longer than on the Palisade (117.3 inches vs. 114.2 inches).

The Atlas 4Motion handles at .84 G’s, while the Palisade SEL HTRAC pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Atlas SEL 4Motion executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.2 seconds quicker than the Palisade Limited HTRAC (27.1 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .63 average G’s).

Passenger Space

The Atlas has .6 inches more front headroom, .3 inches more front hip room, .3 inches more front shoulder room, .3 inches more rear headroom, .9 inches more rear hip room, .5 inches more third row headroom, 2.3 inches more third row legroom and 1.4 inches more third row hip room than the Palisade.

The rear step up height for the Atlas is 1.5 inches lower than the Palisade (18” vs. 19.5”).

Cargo Capacity

The Atlas’ cargo area provides more volume than the Palisade.

	Atlas	Palisade
Behind Third Seat	20.6 cubic feet	18 cubic feet
Third Seat Folded	55.5 cubic feet	45.8 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	96.6 cubic feet	86.4 cubic feet

The Atlas’ cargo area is larger than the Palisade’s in every dimension:

	Atlas	Palisade
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	23.8”/53”/85”	20.8”/49”/82.5”
Max Width	61.6”	53.7”
Min Width	45”	43.4”
Height	37.5”	30.5”

The Atlas has a standard third row seat which folds flat into the floor. This completely clears a very large cargo area quickly. The Palisade doesn’t offer seats that fold into the floor.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Atlas. The Palisade doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Ergonomics

The Atlas’ 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 Palisade’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 the driver can close all of them 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 Palisade can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Atlas’ 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. Proximity Key standard on the Palisade 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’ 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 Palisade SE/SEL/XRT’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Atlas SEL to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Palisade doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Atlas has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Palisade doesn’t offer cornering lights. The Atlas also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

Both the Volkswagen Atlas and Hyundai Palisade offer exterior mirrors that can be folded to provide convenience. The Atlas 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 Palisade’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 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 Palisade SEL Premium/Limited/Calligraphy/Night.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Volkswagen Atlas has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Palisade SEL/XRT/Limited/Calligraphy/Night offers wireless charging.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Atlas is less expensive to operate than the Palisade because it costs $163 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost less on the Atlas than the Palisade, including $22 less for front brake pads, $122 less for a fuel pump and $47 less for a power steering pump.

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