Compare the2026 Honda PassportVS 2025 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Honda Passport have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Honda Passport has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps 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 Cross Sport doesn’t offer knee airbags.

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

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, All-Wheel Drive is standard on the Passport. But it costs extra on the Atlas Cross Sport.

The Passport’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 Cross Sport doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Passport and the Atlas Cross Sport have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and available around view monitors.

Honda’s powertrain warranty covers the Passport 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Volkswagen covers the Atlas Cross Sport. 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 Cross Sport ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The Passport’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Atlas Cross Sport’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

There are over 65 percent more Honda dealers than there are Volkswagen dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Passport’s warranty.

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 Passport’s reliability 31 points higher than the Atlas Cross Sport.

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.

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

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

The Passport 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 Cross Sport doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Honda Passport higher (7 out of 10) than the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport (4). This means the Passport produces up to 13.2 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Atlas Cross Sport every 15,000 miles.

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

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

For better traction, the Passport has larger standard tires than the Atlas Cross Sport (265/60R18 vs. 245/60R18). The Passport TrailSport’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Atlas Cross Sport (275/60R18 vs. 265/45R21).

The Passport 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 Cross Sport doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Passport offers an optional full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Atlas Cross Sport; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

For better maneuverability, the Passport’s turning circle is 1 foot tighter than the Atlas Cross Sport’s (39 feet vs. 40 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Passport has a 2 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Atlas Cross Sport (8.3 vs. 6.3 inches), allowing the Passport to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Passport is 4.1 inches shorter than the Atlas Cross Sport, making the Passport easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

To almost totally eliminate engine vibration in the passenger area, the Passport 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 Cross Sport uses conventional solid rubber engine mounts.

The front grille of the Passport 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 Cross Sport doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Passport has 7.2 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Atlas Cross Sport (119.1 vs. 111.9).

The Passport has 1.1 inches more front headroom, .4 inches more front shoulder room, 2.9 inches more rear headroom, .5 inches more rear legroom and 1.3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Atlas Cross Sport.

The Passport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Atlas Cross Sport with its rear seat up (44 vs. 40.3 cubic feet). The Passport has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Atlas Cross Sport with its rear seat folded (83.8 vs. 77.6 cubic feet).

Pressing a button automatically lowers the Passport’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Atlas Cross Sport doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Passport’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Atlas Cross Sport doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Passport has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Atlas Cross Sport only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The Passport’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 Cross Sport has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Honda Passport has a standard Homelink wireless remote control system for garage door operation and device management, conveniently located on the rear view mirror. Homelink® eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries. Volkswagen charges extra for Homelink® on the Atlas Cross Sport.

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