Compare the2026 Kia SorentoVS 2026 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport

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

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Kia Sorento 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.

Both the Sorento and Atlas Cross Sport have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Sorento has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Atlas Cross Sport’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The Kia Sorento has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps 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.

With its standard Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, the Kia Sorento is better at preventing collisions with pedestrians than the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:

	Sorento	Atlas Cross Sport
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
	Crossing Child - DAY
12 MPH	AVOIDED	AVOIDED
25 MPH	AVOIDED	-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
37 MPH Low beams	-33 MPH	-2 MPH
Warning Issued-Low beams	1.1 sec	.6 sec

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Kia Sorento achieved a “Good” rating - the highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport has not been tested.

The Sorento’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 Sorento and the Atlas Cross Sport have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, 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, 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 Kia Sorento is safer than the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport:

	Sorento	Atlas Cross Sport
	Driver
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	23%	30%
Neck Stress	208 lbs.	412 lbs.
Neck Compression	58 lbs.	59 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.7 inches
Neck Compression	52 lbs.	117 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	118/119 lbs.	297/97 lbs.

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

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 Kia Sorento is safer than the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport:

	Sorento	Atlas Cross Sport
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	25	48
Hip Force	196 lbs.	215 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	73	208
Spine Acceleration	29 G’s	35 G’s
Hip Force	196 lbs.	529 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	228	309
Spine Acceleration	32 G’s	41 G’s
Hip Force	552 lbs.	594 lbs.

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

Warranty

The Sorento comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Atlas Cross Sport’s 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 10,000 miles sooner.

Kia’s powertrain warranty covers the Sorento 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than Volkswagen covers the Atlas Cross Sport. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Atlas Cross Sport ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 25 percent more Kia dealers than there are Volkswagen dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Sorento’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 Sorento’s reliability 20 points higher than the Atlas Cross Sport.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Kia vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in initial quality. With 44 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Kia above average in long-term dependability. With 6 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Volkswagen is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Kia vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Kia 9 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

Engine

The Sorento EX/SX’s standard 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 12 more horsepower (281 vs. 269) and 38 lbs.-ft. more torque (311 vs. 273) than the Atlas Cross Sport’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Sorento EX/SX 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport:

	Sorento	Atlas Cross Sport
Zero to 60 MPH	6.3 sec	7.7 sec
Quarter Mile	14.8 sec	15.9 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	97 MPH	90 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Sorento
	FWD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	23 city/31 hwy
		2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/29 hwy
	AWD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	23 city/28 hwy
		2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/27 hwy
Atlas Cross Sport
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/27 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/26 hwy

Environmental Friendliness

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

Transmission

The Sorento offers an available sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Atlas Cross Sport doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

Brakes and Stopping

The Sorento stops much shorter than the Atlas Cross Sport:

	Sorento	Atlas Cross Sport
60 to 0 MPH	115 feet	126 feet	Motor Trend

Suspension and Handling

The Sorento X-Line SX Prestige handles at .85 G’s, while the Atlas Cross Sport 4Motion pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Sorento X-Line SX Prestige executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.3 seconds quicker than the Atlas Cross Sport 4Motion (26.5 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 27.8 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Sorento’s turning circle is 2.1 feet tighter than the Atlas Cross Sport’s (37.9 feet vs. 40 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Sorento has a 1.9 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Atlas Cross Sport (8.2 vs. 6.3 inches), allowing the Sorento to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The Kia Sorento may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 150 to 350 pounds less than the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport.

The Sorento LX/S/EX/SX is 6 inches shorter than the Atlas Cross Sport, making the Sorento easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The Sorento has standard seating for 7 passengers; the Atlas Cross Sport can only carry 5.

The Sorento has .9 inches more front headroom, 1.3 inches more rear headroom and 1.3 inches more rear legroom than the Atlas Cross Sport.

Cargo Capacity

The Sorento’s cargo area provides more volume than the Atlas Cross Sport.

	Sorento	Atlas Cross Sport
Third Seat Removed	45 cubic feet	40.3 cubic feet

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

Payload

The Sorento has a higher standard payload capacity than the Atlas Cross Sport (1255 vs. 1102 lbs.).

The Sorento has a much higher maximum payload capacity than the Atlas Cross Sport (1543 vs. 1102 lbs.).

Ergonomics

The Sorento Prestige’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 Cross Sport doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Sorento 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.

Recommendations

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

The Kia Sorento outsold the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport by over two to one during 2024.

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