Compare the2025 Honda PilotVS 2025 Volkswagen Atlas

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Honda Pilot have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision. The Volkswagen Atlas doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

The Honda Pilot has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags help prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help 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.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Pilot deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Pilot’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Atlas’ side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

With its standard Collision Mitigation Braking System, the Honda Pilot is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Volkswagen Atlas, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

	Pilot	Atlas
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Crossing Child - DAY
12 MPH	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH	-20 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 Brights	-34 MPH	-28 MPH
Warning Issued-Brights	2.4 sec	2 sec
37 MPH Low beams	-28 MPH	-2 MPH
Warning Issued-Low beams	1.6 sec	.6 sec

The Pilot’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 Pilot 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, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, 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 Honda Pilot is safer than the Volkswagen Atlas:

	Pilot	Atlas
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	28.9%	30%
Neck Stress	350 lbs.	412 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.7 inches
Neck Injury Risk	33.6%	39%
Neck Compression	98 lbs.	117 lbs.

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

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH moderate front offset crash tests on new cars. In this updated test, results indicate that the Pilot is safer than the Atlas:

	Pilot	Atlas
Overall Evaluation	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Structure	GOOD	GOOD
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Chest Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Thigh/hip Rating	GOOD	GOOD
Leg/foot Rating	GOOD	MARGINAL
Restraints	GOOD	GOOD
	Rear Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck Rating	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Chest Rating	GOOD	MARGINAL
Thigh Rating	GOOD	GOOD

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 Honda Pilot is safer than the Volkswagen Atlas:

	Pilot	Atlas
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	53	57
Hip Force	276 lbs.	345 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	100	144
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	10 inches	14 inches
Spine Acceleration	34 G’s	51 G’s
Hip Force	444 lbs.	800 lbs.

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

The Honda Pilot achieved a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2025 model year. This recognition was based on its impressive performance in the small overlap frontal crash test, updated moderate overlap front crash test, updated side impact crash test, headlight evaluations, and pedestrian crash prevention testing. The Atlas is not a “Top Safety Pick” for 2025.

Warranty

Honda’s powertrain warranty covers the Pilot 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 Pilot’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Atlas’ (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

There are over 69 percent more Honda dealers than there are Volkswagen dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Pilot’s warranty.

Reliability

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 Pilot’s reliability 35 points higher than the Atlas.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Honda above average in initial quality. With 60 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen With 61 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Honda higher than Volkswagen.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda fourth in overall reliability. Volkswagen is ranked 18th.

Engine

The Pilot’s 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 16 more horsepower (285 vs. 269) than the Atlas’ 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Honda Pilot is faster than the Volkswagen Atlas:

	Pilot	Atlas
Zero to 60 MPH	6.9 sec	7.5 sec
Quarter Mile	15.3 sec	15.7 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	91.6 MPH	91.3 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Pilot
	AWD	3.5 DOHC V6	19 city/25 hwy
Atlas
	AWD	SEL 2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	18 city/25 hwy
		Peak Edition 2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	18 city/25 hwy

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Pilot’s fuel efficiency. The Atlas doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

The Pilot has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Atlas doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Honda Pilot higher (6 out of 10) than the Volkswagen Atlas (4). This means the Pilot produces up to 12.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Atlas every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

A 10-speed automatic is standard on the Honda Pilot, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Atlas.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Pilot’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Atlas:

	Pilot	Atlas
Front Rotors	13.8 inches	13.2 inches
Rear Rotors	13 inches	12.2 inches

The Pilot stops much shorter than the Atlas:

	Pilot	Atlas
60 to 0 MPH	126 feet	139 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Pilot has larger standard tires than the Atlas (255/50R20 vs. 245/60R18).

The Pilot has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Atlas doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Pilot TrailSport has a standard full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Atlas; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

Suspension and Handling

The Pilot TrailSport handles at .85 G’s, while the Atlas 4Motion pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Pilot TrailSport’s turning circle is 2.8 feet tighter than the Atlas’ (37.7 feet vs. 40.5 feet). The Pilot’s turning circle is 2.7 feet tighter than the Atlas’ (37.8 feet vs. 40.5 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Pilot has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Atlas (7.3 vs. 6.3 inches), allowing the Pilot to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Pilot TrailSport’s minimum ground clearance is 2 inches higher than on the Atlas (8.3 vs. 6.3 inches).

Chassis

To almost totally eliminate engine vibration in the passenger area, the Pilot has an electronically controlled liquid-filled main engine mount. A computer-controlled electric current in the liquid changes its viscosity, allowing the mount to dampen the engine completely at all RPMs. The Atlas uses conventional solid rubber engine mounts.

The front grille of the Pilot uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Atlas doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Pilot uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Atlas doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

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

The Pilot has 4.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Atlas (158.4 vs. 154).

The Pilot has .4 inches more front shoulder room, 3.2 inches more rear legroom, 1.2 inches more rear shoulder room, 1 inch more third row headroom and 4.6 inches more third row shoulder room than the Atlas.

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

Cargo Capacity

The Pilot’s cargo area provides more volume than the Atlas.

	Pilot	Atlas
Behind Third Seat	21.8 cubic feet	20.6 cubic feet
Third Seat Folded	59.5 cubic feet	55.5 cubic feet
Max Cargo Volume	111.8 cubic feet	96.6 cubic feet

Servicing Ease

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Honda service is better than Volkswagen. J.D. Power ranks Honda 7th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 52% lower rating, Volkswagen is ranked 31st.

Ergonomics

The Pilot EX-L/TrailSport/Touring/Elite’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Atlas doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Pilot 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 Pilot EX-L/TrailSport/Touring/Elite/Black Edition’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Atlas has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Honda Pilot, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Volkswagen Atlas isn't recommended.

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its January 2024 issue and they ranked the Honda Pilot Elite higher than the Volkswagen Atlas SEL Premium R-Line 4Motion.

The Honda Pilot outsold the Volkswagen Atlas by 86% during 2024.

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