Compare the2023 Volkswagen AtlasVS 2022 Land Rover Discovery

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Volkswagen Atlas 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 Discovery doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

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 Discovery 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 Discovery doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

Both the Atlas and the Discovery 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive, lane departure warning systems and around view monitors.

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 Discovery has not been tested, yet.

The Atlas’ corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Discovery’s (7 vs. 6 years).

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. Land Rover only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Discovery.

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’ warranty.

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

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 Atlas’ reliability 16 points higher than the Discovery.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Volkswagen vehicles are more reliable than Land Rover With 67 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Volkswagen higher than Land Rover.

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

Both the Atlas and the Discovery have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. All Atlas’s have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily. The Discovery P360 doesn’t offer a way to disable start/stop.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Volkswagen Atlas uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended with the 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder engine for maximum performance). The Discovery requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Atlas stops shorter than the Discovery:

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 Discovery doesn’t offer drift compensation steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Atlas’ wheelbase is 2.2 inches longer than on the Discovery (117.3 inches vs. 115.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Atlas is .4 inches wider in the front and 1.2 inches wider in the rear than on the Discovery.

The Atlas SEL R-Line Black 4Motion handles at .84 G’s, while the Discovery R-Dynamic S pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Atlas SEL 4Motion executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1 seconds quicker than the Discovery R-Dynamic S (27.1 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

The Volkswagen Atlas may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 550 to 600 pounds less than the Land Rover Discovery.

The design of the Volkswagen Atlas amounts to more than styling. The Atlas has an aerodynamic coefficient of drag of .34 Cd. That is lower than the Discovery (.36). A more efficient exterior helps keep the interior quieter and helps the Atlas get better fuel mileage.

The Atlas has 1.9 inches more front headroom, 2.6 inches more front legroom, .4 inches more front hip room, 1.1 inches more front shoulder room, 1.4 inches more rear headroom, .2 inches more rear legroom, 2.3 inches more rear hip room, 1.3 inches more rear shoulder room, .4 inches more third row headroom, .2 inches more third row legroom, 3.1 inches more third row hip room and 7.7 inches more third row shoulder room than the Discovery.

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

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

The Atlas offers a remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Discovery doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Atlas 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 Discovery.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Atlas offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Discovery 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.

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

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

The Atlas 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 Discovery doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

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

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

The Volkswagen Atlas outsold the Land Rover Discovery by almost 34 to one during the 2021 model year.