2022 Volkswagen Atlas vs 2022 Honda Odyssey

The 2022 Honda Odyssey was a minivan that offered practicality and style, appealing to families who valued convenience. Its design featured kinked sliding doors and dramatic character lines, giving it a unique look. The Touring trim level, with its dark grey 19-inch aluminum alloy wheels, added a touch of sophistication. Inside, the Odyssey provided a spacious and open-concept design, with quality leather upholstery and a well-organized centre stack. The expansive windshield and small front quarter windows enhanced visibility, making it a comfortable and functional choice for families.

In contrast, the 2022 Volkswagen Atlas was a midsize SUV that emphasized a roomy interior and bold styling. The Execline trim, with its R-Line design elements and 21-inch alloy wheels, gave the Atlas an upscale appearance. The interior was simple yet premium, though some materials felt low-cost. Despite this, the Atlas excelled in providing ample space for passengers and cargo, making it a practical choice for families. The SUV's design allowed for easy entry and exit, and its large size was complemented by features like rear side-window sunshades, enhancing comfort for all occupants.

The 2022 Honda Odyssey was equipped with a 3.5-litre V6 engine, delivering 280 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque. It featured a front-wheel-drive system and a 10-speed automatic transmission. While it lacked all-wheel drive and hybrid options, the Odyssey offered a Natural Resources Canada fuel consumption estimate of 10.6 litres per 100 kilometres in combined driving. During testing, it averaged 10.4 L/100 km. The Odyssey was praised for its driving character, offering quick acceleration and responsive handling. However, its brakes were prone to heating up on downhill grades, leading to pedal vibration and audible grumbling.

The 2022 Volkswagen Atlas offered two engine options: a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine with 235 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, and a 3.6-litre V6 engine producing 276 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque. Both engines were paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission and standard all-wheel drive. The V6 engine, while capable of towing up to 2,268 kilograms, was criticized for its lack of power and refinement. The Atlas had a fuel consumption estimate of 12.2 L/100 km in combined driving, with a test result of 12.0 L/100 km. The SUV offered various driving modes and an Active Control system for different conditions, but its ride quality was affected by the 21-inch wheels and low-profile tires.

The 2022 Honda Odyssey provided easy access with wide-opening doors and a low step-in height. Inside, it featured quality leather upholstery, supportive front seats, and a tri-zone automatic climate control system. The Odyssey excelled in storage space, with numerous compartments and a centre console tray. The second-row seats offered comfort and flexibility, with the Magic Slide feature allowing for easy configuration. The third-row seat was spacious and comfortable for adults, and the Odyssey boasted 929 litres of cargo space behind it. Folding the third-row seat increased cargo capacity to 2,452 litres, and removing the second-row seats provided a maximum volume of 3,984 litres.

The 2022 Volkswagen Atlas impressed with its roomy interior and comfortable seats, accommodating seven passengers with ease. The SUV's low step-in height facilitated entry and exit, and rear side-window sunshades added to passenger comfort. The Atlas offered ample storage space, though some areas were unlined, leading to unwanted noise. Cargo space was exceptional, with 583 litres behind the third-row seat, 1,572 litres with the third-row seats folded, and 2,741 litres with the second-row seats down. These figures surpassed those of many competitors, making the Atlas a practical choice for families.

The 2022 Honda Odyssey Touring was equipped with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment display, satellite radio, Bluetooth, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. It featured CabinWatch and CabinTalk technology, allowing the driver to monitor and communicate with rear passengers. The Touring trim also included a rear entertainment system with a 10.2-inch display, an 11-speaker premium audio system, and a wireless charging pad. However, the Odyssey's infotainment system was considered outdated, with a small screen and limited voice command functionality. A major upgrade was deemed necessary for future models.

The 2022 Volkswagen Atlas came standard with the Volkswagen Digital Cockpit instrument cluster, featuring an 8-inch display that expanded to 10.25 inches in higher trims. The Atlas offered the MIB3 infotainment system with an 8-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and Car-Net connected services. The Execline trim included a 12-speaker Fender premium audio system. Despite these features, the user experience was hindered by slow loading times and a cumbersome tuning process. Voice recognition was also problematic, leading to recommendations to use Apple CarPlay or Android Auto for navigation.

The 2022 Honda Odyssey was equipped with Honda Sensing, a suite of safety features including adaptive cruise control, forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and lane-keeping assist. It also had automatic high-beam headlights and a rear-seat reminder system. However, Honda Sensing lacked refinement, with occasional false warnings and abrupt responses. The Odyssey earned a five-star overall rating from the NHTSA and a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the IIHS.

The 2022 Volkswagen Atlas offered a comprehensive list of safety features, including automatic post-collision braking, Front Assist, Side Assist, and Rear Traffic Alert. Higher trims added adaptive cruise control, parking sensors, and a surround-view camera system. However, the Atlas's Lane Assist technology was prone to misinterpreting road markings, and disabling it required navigating through the digital instrumentation. The Atlas received four-star frontal-impact ratings from the NHTSA and did not earn a Top Safety Pick rating from the IIHS.