Compare the2024 Volkswagen Atlas Cross SportVS 2023 Mercedes GLC Coupe

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 GLC Coupe doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Atlas Cross Sport 4Motion’s standard Hill Descent Assist allows you to creep down safely. The GLC Coupe doesn’t offer Hill Descent Assist.

The Atlas Cross Sport’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the GLC Coupe.

Both the Atlas Cross Sport and the GLC Coupe 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, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2024 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The GLC Coupe has not yet been evaluated by the IIHS for 2024.

The Atlas Cross Sport’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the GLC Coupe’s (7 vs. 5 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. Mercedes doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the GLC Coupe.

There are over 68 percent more Volkswagen dealers than there are Mercedes 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 GLC Coupe’s engine uses an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Volkswagen vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Volkswagen 2 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

The Atlas Cross Sport’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 14 more horsepower (269 vs. 255) than the GLC Coupe’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

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

The Atlas Cross Sport has 1.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the GLC Coupe (18.6 vs. 17.4 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

The Atlas Cross Sport stops much shorter than the GLC Coupe:

For better traction, the Atlas Cross Sport has larger standard tires than the GLC Coupe (245/60R18 vs. 235/55R19). The Atlas Cross Sport SEL Premium R-Line’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the GLC Coupe (265/45R21 vs. 255/45R20).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Atlas Cross Sport SEL Premium R-Line has standard 21-inch wheels. The GLC Coupe’s largest wheels are only 20-inches.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Atlas Cross Sport’s wheelbase is 4.2 inches longer than on the GLC Coupe (117.3 inches vs. 113.1 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Atlas Cross Sport is 3.1 inches wider in the front and 3.9 inches wider in the rear than on the GLC Coupe.

The Atlas Cross Sport SEL 4Motion handles at .81 G’s, while the GLC 300 Coupe pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Atlas Cross Sport has .5 inches more front headroom, .9 inches more front legroom, 4.2 inches more front shoulder room, 3.2 inches more rear legroom and 3.9 inches more rear shoulder room than the GLC Coupe.

The Atlas Cross Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the GLC Coupe with its rear seat up (40.3 vs. 17.6 cubic feet). The Atlas Cross Sport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the GLC Coupe with its rear seat folded (77.6 vs. 49.4 cubic feet).

Maximum trailer towing in the Mercedes GLC Coupe is limited to 3500 pounds. The Atlas Cross Sport offers up to a 5000 lbs. towing capacity.

trailer stability control is standard on the Atlas Cross Sport, using 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. A trailer sway program costs extra on the GLC Coupe.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Atlas Cross Sport has a standard rear wiper. The GLC Coupe doesn’t offer a rear wiper.

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 GLC Coupe.

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 GLC Coupe.

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

Insurance will cost less for the Atlas Cross Sport owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Atlas Cross Sport will cost $450 to $2350 less than the GLC Coupe over a five-year period.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport will be $2955 to $18720 less than for the Mercedes GLC Coupe.

The Volkswagen Atlas outsold the Mercedes GLC by over two to one during 2023.