Compare the2026 Hyundai PalisadeVS 2025 Volkswagen Atlas

For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Hyundai Palisade 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 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front and middle seat shoulder belts of the Hyundai Palisade are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Volkswagen Atlas doesn’t offer height-adjustable middle seat belts.

Both the Palisade and Atlas have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The Palisade 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’ 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 Hyundai Palisade 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 doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Palisade has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Atlas doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

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

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Palisade 6 years and 50,000 miles longer than Volkswagen covers the Atlas. 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 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

The Palisade’s 7 year corrosion warranty has no mileage limitations, but the corrosion warranty on the Atlas runs out after 100,000 miles.

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Palisade for 1 year and 16000 miles longer than Volkswagen pays for maintenance for the Atlas (3/36,000 vs. 2/20,000).

There are over 34 percent more Hyundai dealers than there are Volkswagen dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Palisade’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are better in initial quality than Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 52 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is ranked 26th, below the industry 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 Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen With 63 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Hyundai higher than Volkswagen.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Hyundai 8 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

The Palisade’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6 produces 18 more horsepower (287 vs. 269) than the Atlas’ 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder. The Palisade’s optional 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 60 more horsepower (329 vs. 269) and 66 lbs.-ft. more torque (339 vs. 273) than the Atlas’ 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

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

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

The Palisade has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Atlas’ suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The Palisade has a standard automatic rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Atlas doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

For better maneuverability, the Palisade XRT PRO’s turning circle is 1.5 feet tighter than the Atlas’ (39 feet vs. 40.5 feet). The Palisade’s turning circle is 1.3 feet tighter than the Atlas’ (39.2 feet vs. 40.5 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Palisade has a 1.1 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Atlas (7.4 vs. 6.3 inches), allowing the Palisade to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Palisade XRT PRO’s minimum ground clearance is 2.1 inches higher than on the Atlas (8.4 vs. 6.3 inches).

The front grille of the Palisade 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 Palisade offers optional seating for 8 passengers; the Atlas can only carry 7.

The Palisade has 7.9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Atlas (161.9 vs. 154).

The Palisade has .2 inches more front headroom, 2.5 inches more front legroom, .4 inches more front hip room, .3 inches more rear headroom, 5.4 inches more rear legroom, .5 inches more rear shoulder room, .2 inches more third row hip room and .7 inches more third row shoulder room than the Atlas.

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

Pressing a button automatically lowers the Palisade’s second row seats and pressing a button automatically lowers or raises the Palisade Limited/Calligraphy’s third row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Atlas doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Palisade SEL Premium/Limited/Calligraphy/Hybrid’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 Palisade 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 Palisade SEL/XRT/Limited/Calligraphy/Hybrid’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.

The Palisade SEL/XRT/Limited/Calligraphy/Hybrid has standard heated front seats and second and third row heated seats also avaiable, which keep the driver and passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Volkswagen doesn’t offer heated seats in the third row of the Atlas.

The Palisade SEL Premium/XRT/Limited/Calligraphy/Hybrid has standard front air conditioned seats and the Palisade SEL Premium/Limited/Calligraphy/Hybrid also has them in the second row. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The Atlas doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

The Palisade Calligraphy’s Remote Smart Parking Assist can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. Remote Smart Parking Assist will park and retrieve your car remotely: press a button and watch it park itself. This is ideal for tight locations. The Atlas SEL Premium R-Line’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park and it doesn’t offer remote control parking.

The Hyundai Palisade outsold the Volkswagen Atlas by 48% during 2024.