The Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport, introduced in 2020 as a stylish, two-row variant of the popular Atlas SUV, carries forward Volkswagen’s commitment to safety. For prospective buyers in the market for a 2021 model, understanding its safety ratings is crucial. This article delves into the crashworthiness and safety features of the 2021 Atlas Cross Sport, drawing from rigorous testing to provide a comprehensive overview.
The safety evaluations discussed here are based on tests conducted on the Volkswagen Atlas, from which the Cross Sport is derived. These ratings are applicable to the 2021 Atlas Cross Sport, ensuring relevance for those considering this model year. Let’s examine how this SUV fares in critical safety assessments.
Small Overlap Front Crash Test: Driver-Side
The small overlap front test simulates a collision where only a small portion of the vehicle’s front end impacts an object. In the driver-side small overlap test, the Volkswagen Atlas, and by extension the 2021 Atlas Cross Sport, achieved a “Good” rating, the highest possible.
Key findings from the driver-side test include:
- Structure and safety cage: Rated “Good”, indicating that the structural integrity of the vehicle was maintained during the crash.
- Driver injury measures: All injury measures for the head/neck, chest, hip/thigh, and lower leg/foot were rated “Good”, signifying a low risk of significant injuries in these areas.
- Driver restraints and dummy kinematics: Also rated “Good”, demonstrating that the airbags and seatbelts effectively controlled the dummy’s movement during the crash, minimizing potential injuries.
Action shot of the 2021 Atlas Cross Sport driver-side small overlap frontal crash test, showing vehicle deformation.
Post-crash dummy position in the 2021 Atlas Cross Sport driver-side small overlap test, illustrating good survival space maintenance.
Airbag deployment effectiveness in the 2021 Atlas Cross Sport driver-side small overlap test, highlighting head protection.
Driver space integrity in the 2021 Atlas Cross Sport driver-side small overlap test, indicating low leg and feet injury risk.
Technical measurements from the test further support the “Good” rating, with minimal intrusion into the occupant compartment and low injury measures recorded on the crash test dummy.
Small Overlap Front Crash Test: Passenger-Side
The passenger-side small overlap test mirrors the driver-side test but assesses the protection offered to the front passenger. Again, the Volkswagen Atlas and thus the 2021 Atlas Cross Sport secured a “Good” rating overall in this evaluation.
The passenger-side test results mirrored the driver-side performance:
- Overall evaluation: “Good”
- Structure and safety cage: “Good”
- Passenger injury measures: “Good” across all categories (head/neck, chest, hip/thigh, lower leg/foot).
- Passenger restraints and dummy kinematics: “Good”
- Driver injury measures: Interestingly, driver injury measures are also assessed in this passenger-side test and were rated “Good” across the board.
- Driver restraints and dummy kinematics: “Good” for driver as well in passenger-side test.
Action capture of the 2021 Atlas Cross Sport passenger-side small overlap frontal crash test, showing impact dynamics.
Passenger survival space integrity in the 2021 Atlas Cross Sport passenger-side small overlap test, demonstrating good protection.
Airbag system performance in the 2021 Atlas Cross Sport passenger-side small overlap test, ensuring passenger head safety.
Passenger space preservation in the 2021 Atlas Cross Sport passenger-side small overlap test, indicating low injury potential.
The technical data from the passenger-side test reinforced the “Good” rating, with occupant compartment intrusion remaining minimal and injury risk to the dummy passengers being low.
Moderate Overlap Front Crash Test
In the moderate overlap front test, a larger portion of the vehicle’s front end impacts a deformable barrier. The 2021 Atlas Cross Sport, mirroring the Atlas, received a “Good” rating in this test as well.
Key aspects of the moderate overlap front test performance were:
- Overall evaluation: “Good”
- Structure and safety cage: “Good”
- Driver injury measures: “Good” across all categories, including head/neck, chest, and leg/foot (both left and right).
- Driver restraints and dummy kinematics: “Good”
Technical measurements indicated minimal footwell intrusion and well-controlled movement of the steering column and instrument panel, contributing to the high safety rating.
Side Crash Tests: Original and Updated
The side crash test evaluates the protection offered to occupants in side-impact collisions. The Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport have undergone both the original and an updated side crash test.
In the original side crash test, the 2021 Atlas Cross Sport achieved an overall “Good” rating. Both driver and rear passenger injury measures were rated “Good” across all categories (head/neck, torso, pelvis/leg), and head protection was also rated “Good” for both.
However, an updated side crash test, which is more rigorous, was also conducted. In this updated test, the 2021 Atlas Cross Sport maintained an “Overall Good” rating, but with a “Marginal” rating for driver pelvis injury measures. All other driver and rear passenger injury measures remained “Good”, as did head protection.
Vehicle condition post-updated side crash test, demonstrating structural response in the 2021 Atlas Cross Sport.
Side airbag deployment and occupant compartment integrity after the 2021 Atlas Cross Sport updated side crash test.
Driver head protection by side airbags in the 2021 Atlas Cross Sport updated side crash test.
Rear passenger head protection from side airbags in the 2021 Atlas Cross Sport updated side crash test.
While the overall rating remained “Good,” the “Marginal” pelvis rating in the updated test is worth noting for potential buyers, indicating a slightly elevated risk of pelvic injury in a severe side impact on the driver’s side.
Head Restraints & Seats
Evaluations of head restraints and seats are crucial for preventing whiplash injuries in rear-end collisions. The 2021 Atlas Cross Sport with power leatherette seats received an “Overall Good” rating in this category. Both the dynamic rating and seat/head restraint geometry were rated “Good”. This indicates effective protection against neck injuries in rear impacts.
Headlights
Headlight performance is a significant factor in nighttime safety. The 2021 Atlas Cross Sport has two different headlight variations depending on the trim level.
For SEL, SEL R-Line, SEL Premium, and SEL Premium R-Line trims, equipped with LED projector headlights and curve-adaptive and high-beam assist features, the overall headlight rating is “Good”. These headlights provide good visibility on straightaways and curves, with high-beam assist compensating for some low-beam limitations.
However, for S, SE, SE with Technology, and SE with Technology R-Line trims, which also feature LED projector headlights but without curve-adaptive or high-beam assist, the overall rating is “Marginal”. These headlights offer good visibility on the left side of straightaways but are inadequate on the right side and on curves, especially right curves.
Therefore, headlight performance for the 2021 Atlas Cross Sport varies significantly by trim level, with higher trims offering superior nighttime visibility.
Front Crash Prevention: Vehicle-to-Vehicle
The 2021 Atlas Cross Sport comes standard with Front Assist, including Autonomous Emergency Braking and Pedestrian Monitoring. In vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention tests, this system achieved a “Superior” rating. It successfully avoided collisions in both 12 mph and 25 mph tests. However, it’s noted that the system does not fully meet the requirements for forward collision warning.
Front Crash Prevention: Pedestrian (Day)
In pedestrian front crash prevention tests (daytime), the system received a “Basic” rating.
- Crossing child: Nearly avoided collision at 12 mph, but impact speed was reduced by only 5 mph at 25 mph.
- Crossing adult: Avoided collision at 12 mph, impact speed reduced by 16 mph at 25 mph.
- Parallel adult: Failed to slow down in 25 mph and 37 mph tests.
This “Basic” rating indicates that while the system offers some pedestrian detection capabilities, its performance is limited, particularly in scenarios involving parallel adults and higher speeds.
Child Seat Anchors (LATCH)
Child seat anchor ease of use is important for families. The 2021 Atlas Cross Sport received a “Marginal” rating for LATCH ease of use. While it has three rear seating positions with complete LATCH hardware and two additional positions with tether anchors, the lower anchors were found to be too deep in the seat and requiring too much force to attach in certain positions.
Conclusion
The 2021 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport demonstrates strong crashworthiness, achieving “Good” ratings in most IIHS evaluations, including small overlap front, moderate overlap front, and side crash tests (overall). It excels in vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention. Areas for potential improvement include pedestrian front crash prevention and child seat anchor ease of use. Notably, headlight performance varies significantly by trim level.
For buyers prioritizing safety, the 2021 Atlas Cross Sport offers robust protection in many critical crash scenarios. However, considering the “Marginal” rating in the updated side crash test for driver pelvis protection and the “Basic” rating for pedestrian front crash prevention, along with headlight variations across trims, is advisable when making a purchase decision. Always prioritize understanding the specific safety features and ratings relevant to your needs and driving environment.
