Compare the2023 Volkswagen AtlasVS 2023 GMC Acadia

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

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 Acadia 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 offers optional Maneuver Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Acadia doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

Both the Atlas and the Acadia 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive, lane departure warning systems 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 Volkswagen Atlas is safer than the GMC Acadia:

	Atlas	Acadia
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	277	319
Neck Injury Risk	39%	43%
Neck Stress	129 lbs.	203 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 Volkswagen Atlas is safer than the GMC Acadia:

	Atlas	Acadia
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	57	125
Chest Movement	.5 inches	.9 inches
Abdominal Force	48 lbs.	156 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	144	276
Spine Acceleration	39 G’s	51 G’s
Hip Force	527 lbs.	799 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	14 inches	14 inches
HIC	279	381

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

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Atlas is 1.3% to 1.5% less likely to roll over than the Acadia.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, with its optional front crash prevention system, and its headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Atlas its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2019, a rating granted to only 122 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Acadia was last qualified as only a standard “Top Safety Pick” in 2017.

Warranty

The Atlas comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck. The Acadia’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The Atlas’ corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Acadia’s (7/100,000 vs. 6/100,000).

Volkswagen pays for scheduled maintenance on the Atlas for 2 years and 20,000 miles. Volkswagen will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. GMC only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Acadia.

Reliability

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

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Atlas has a standard 680-amp battery. The Acadia’s 660-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

Engine

The Atlas’ standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 7 more horsepower (235 vs. 228) than the Acadia’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Atlas’ front brake rotors are larger than those on the Acadia:

	Atlas	Acadia
Front Rotors	13.2 inches	12.6 inches

The Atlas stops shorter than the Acadia:

	Atlas	Acadia
60 to 0 MPH	121 feet	126 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Atlas has larger standard tires than the Acadia (245/60R18 vs. 235/65R18). The Atlas SEL Premium R-Line’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Acadia (265/45R21 vs. 255/65R17).

The Atlas’ standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Acadia SLE/SLT’s standard 65 series tires. The Atlas SEL Premium R-Line’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Acadia’s optional 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Atlas has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Acadia AT4. The Atlas SEL Premium R-Line’s 21-inch wheels are larger than the 20-inch wheels optional on the Acadia.

Suspension and Handling

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 Acadia doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Atlas’ wheelbase is 4.8 inches longer than on the Acadia (117.3 inches vs. 112.5 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Atlas is 2.5 inches wider in the front and 3.1 inches wider in the rear than on the Acadia.

The Atlas’ front to rear weight distribution is more even (55.1% to 44.9%) than the Acadia’s (56.5% to 43.5%). This gives the Atlas more stable handling and braking.

The Atlas SEL 4Motion handles at .84 G’s, while the Acadia SLT AWD pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For greater off-road capability the Atlas V6 has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Acadia (7.5 vs. 7.2 inches), allowing the Atlas to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Passenger Space

The Atlas has 9.9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Acadia (153.7 vs. 143.8).

The Atlas has 1.3 inches more front headroom, .7 inches more front legroom, 2.5 inches more front hip room, 2.1 inches more front shoulder room, .8 inches more rear headroom, 4.7 inches more rear hip room, 2.1 inches more rear shoulder room, 1.1 inches more third row headroom, 4 inches more third row legroom, 2.2 inches more third row hip room and .6 inches more third row shoulder room than the Acadia.

Cargo Capacity

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

	Atlas	Acadia
Behind Third Seat	20.6 cubic feet	12.8 cubic feet
Third Seat Folded	55.5 cubic feet	41.7 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	96.8 cubic feet	79 cubic feet

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Atlas easier. The Atlas’ cargo hatch lift-over height is 29.7 inches, while the Acadia’s liftover is 32 inches.

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

	Atlas	Acadia
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	23.8”/53”/85”	18.5”/48”/83”
Max Width	61.6”	50”
Min Width	45”	42.5”
Height	37.5”	33”

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

Towing

The Atlas’ standard towing capacity is much higher than the Acadia’s (2000 vs. 1000 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the GMC Acadia is only 4000 pounds. The Atlas offers up to a 5000 lbs. towing capacity.

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 Acadia’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open them fully. Only its driver’s window closes automatically.

If the windows are left open on the Atlas the driver can close them all 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 Acadia can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Atlas has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Acadia doesn’t offer a locking fuel 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 Acadia’s intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

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 Acadia doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Atlas’ available headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Acadia’s headlights are rated “Marginal.”

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

The Atlas SEL Premium’s Park Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, with the driver only controlling speed with the brake pedal. The Acadia doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Atlas owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Atlas with a number “5” insurance rate while the Acadia is rated higher at a number “10” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Atlas is less expensive to operate than the Acadia because it costs $127 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost less on the Atlas than the Acadia, including $51 less for front brake pads and $49 less for a fuel pump.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Volkswagen Atlas and the GMC Acadia, based on reliability, safety and performance.

Car and Driver performed a comparison test in its August 2017 issue and they ranked the Volkswagen Atlas SEL R-Line Black 4Motion higher than the GMC Acadia Denali AWD.

The Volkswagen Atlas outsold the GMC Acadia by 61% during the 2021 model year.

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