Compare the2026 Volkswagen Atlas Cross SportVS 2026 Land Rover Range Rover Velar

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Land Rover Range Rover Velar doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

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 Range Rover Velar doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

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 Range Rover Velar 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.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Atlas Cross Sport offers optional Maneuver Braking that use rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. The Range Rover Velar doesn’t offer automatic braking for stationary objects directly to the rear.

Compared to metal, the Atlas Cross Sport’s plastic fuel tank can withstand harder, more intrusive impacts without leaking; this decreases the possibility of fire. The Land Rover Range Rover Velar has a metal gas tank.

Both the Atlas Cross Sport and the Range Rover Velar have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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 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 Range Rover Velar has not yet been evaluated by the IIHS for 2025.

The Atlas Cross Sport’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Range Rover Velar’s (7 vs. 6 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. Land Rover doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Range Rover Velar.

There are over 3 times as many Volkswagen dealers as there are Land Rover dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Atlas Cross Sport’s warranty.

The Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport’s engine uses a cast iron block for durability, while the Range Rover Velar’s engines use an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

The Atlas Cross Sport’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 22 more horsepower (269 vs. 247) and 4 lbs.-ft. more torque (273 vs. 269) than the Range Rover Velar P250’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

On the EPA test cycle the Atlas Cross Sport gets better mileage than the Range Rover Velar:

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

The Atlas Cross Sport has a standard locking fuel door which locks and unlocks with the power locks. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Range Rover Velar. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

The Atlas Cross Sport stops shorter than the Range Rover Velar:

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Atlas Cross Sport’s wheelbase is 4.3 inches longer than on the Range Rover Velar (117.3 inches vs. 113 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Atlas Cross Sport is 2.3 inches wider in the front and 2.3 inches wider in the rear than the average track on the Range Rover Velar.

The Atlas Cross Sport SEL 4Motion handles at .81 G’s, while the Range Rover Velar pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Atlas Cross Sport SEL 4Motion executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.2 seconds quicker than the Range Rover Velar (27.4 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 28.6 seconds @ .57 average G’s).

The Atlas Cross Sport has 1.2 inches more front headroom, 1.4 inches more front legroom, 4.3 inches more front shoulder room, 3.2 inches more rear legroom and 4.8 inches more rear shoulder room than the Range Rover Velar.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Atlas Cross Sport’s rear seats recline. The Range Rover Velar’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Atlas Cross Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Range Rover Velar with its rear seat up (40.3 vs. 30.9 cubic feet). The Atlas Cross Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Range Rover Velar with its rear seat folded (77.6 vs. 62.7 cubic feet).

If the windows are left open on the Atlas Cross Sport 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 Range Rover Velar can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Atlas Cross Sport to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. Heated windshield washer nozzles cost extra on the Range Rover Velar.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Atlas Cross Sport has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Range Rover Velar 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.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Atlas Cross Sport has standard extendable sun visors. The Range Rover Velar doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Atlas Cross Sport to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Range Rover Velar doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

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 Range Rover Velar doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

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

The Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport outsold the Land Rover Range Rover Velar by almost five to one during 2024.