Compare the2024 Volkswagen Atlas Cross SportVS 2023 Audi Q8

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 Q8 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

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 Q8 doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

Both the Atlas Cross Sport and the Q8 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height adjustable front shoulder belts, 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 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 Cross Sport is safer than the Audi Q8:

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

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Atlas Cross Sport its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 50 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Q8 has not been fully tested, yet.

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. Audi only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Q8.

There are over 2 times as many Volkswagen dealers as there are Audi 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 Q8’s engine uses an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

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 Audi With 15 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Volkswagen higher than Audi.

On the EPA test cycle the Atlas Cross Sport gets better mileage than the Q8:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Q8 requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Atlas Cross Sport stops much shorter than the Q8:

For better maneuverability, the Atlas Cross Sport’s turning circle is 3.5 feet tighter than the Q8’s (40 feet vs. 43.5 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Atlas Cross Sport has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Q8 (6.3 vs. 5.8 inches), allowing the Atlas Cross Sport to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 650 to 850 pounds less than the Audi Q8.

The Atlas Cross Sport has 2.3 inches more front headroom, .1 inches more front legroom, 2 inches more front shoulder room, .2 inches more rear legroom and 1.9 inches more rear shoulder room than the Q8.

The Atlas Cross Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Q8 with its rear seat up (40.3 vs. 30.5 cubic feet). The Atlas Cross Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Q8 with its rear seat folded (77.6 vs. 60.7 cubic feet).

Standard trailer stability control on the Atlas Cross Sport uses the Electronic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Q8 doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are standard on the Atlas Cross Sport SEL to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Q8 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 Cross Sport’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Q8’s headlights are rated “Acceptable.”

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Atlas Cross Sport offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Q8 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.

The Atlas Cross Sport 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 costs extra on the Q8.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Wireless charging costs extra on the Q8.

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 Q8 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 Q8 doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

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

The Volkswagen Atlas outsold the Audi Q8/SQ8/RS Q8 by almost 9 to one during 2022.