Compare the2024 Toyota HighlanderVS 2024 Volkswagen Atlas

For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Highlander 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.

The Toyota Highlander 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 doesn’t offer knee airbags.

With its standard Pre-Collision System with Pedestrian Detection, the Toyota Highlander is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Volkswagen Atlas, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

	Highlander	Atlas
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Crossing Child - DAY
12 MPH	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH	-22 MPH	-10 MPH
	Crossing Adult - NIGHT
12 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
12 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-10 MPH
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-23 MPH
	Parallel Adult - NIGHT
25 MPH Brights	AVOIDED	-21 MPH
25 MPH Low beams	AVOIDED	-23 MPH
37 MPH Low beams	-25 MPH	-2 MPH
Warning Issued-Low beams	2 sec	.6 sec

The Highlander’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 Highlander and the Atlas have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, 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 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Toyota Highlander is safer than the Volkswagen Atlas:

	Highlander	Atlas
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	292	307
Neck Stress	347 lbs.	412 lbs.
Neck Compression	55 lbs.	59 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.6 inches	.7 inches
Neck Injury Risk	28.4%	39%
Neck Compression	90 lbs.	117 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

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 Toyota Highlander is safer than the Volkswagen Atlas:

	Highlander	Atlas
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	55	57
Chest Movement	.3 inches	.5 inches
Hip Force	300 lbs.	345 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	114	144
Spine Acceleration	37 G’s	39 G’s
Hip Force	152 lbs.	527 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	41 G’s	51 G’s
Hip Force	664 lbs.	800 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Toyota’s powertrain warranty covers the Highlander 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Volkswagen covers the Atlas. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Atlas ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The Highlander’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Atlas’ (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

There are almost 2 times as many Toyota dealers as there are Volkswagen dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Highlander’s warranty.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Highlander’s reliability 37 points higher than the Atlas.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. With 55 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Toyota higher than Volkswagen.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in long-term dependability. With 34 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Volkswagen is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in overall reliability. Volkswagen is ranked 27th.

The Highlander’s 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder produces 37 lbs.-ft. more torque (310 vs. 273) than the Atlas’ 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

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

			MPG
Highlander
	FWD	2.4 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/29 hwy
	AWD	2.4 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/28 hwy
Atlas
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	20 city/27 hwy
	AWD	SE 2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	19 city/26 hwy
		SEL 2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	19 city/25 hwy
		Peak Edition 2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	18 city/24 hwy

For better maneuverability, the Highlander’s turning circle is 3.1 feet tighter than the Atlas’ (37.4 feet vs. 40.5 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Highlander has a 1.7 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Atlas (8 vs. 6.3 inches), allowing the Highlander to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Highlander is 5.8 inches shorter than the Atlas, making the Highlander easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Highlander offers optional seating for 8 passengers; the Atlas can only carry 7.

The Highlander has .3 inches more front legroom, 1.1 inches more rear legroom, .5 inches more third row hip room and .1 inches more third row shoulder room than the Atlas.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Highlander’s middle and third row seats recline. The Atlas’ third row seats don’t recline.

The Highlander’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Atlas’ (5000 vs. 2000 pounds).

The Highlander has a much higher standard payload capacity than the Atlas (1330 vs. 1091 lbs.).

The Highlander has a much higher maximum payload capacity than the Atlas (1390 vs. 1135 lbs.).

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Highlander 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.

The Highlander will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Highlander will retain 54.44% to 56.71% of its original price after five years, while the Atlas only retains 50.34% to 51.84%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Toyota Highlander will be $2288 to $5232 less than for the Volkswagen Atlas.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Toyota Highlander, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Toyota Highlander outsold the Volkswagen Atlas by 77% during 2023.