Land Rover Defender vs Volkswagen Atlas: Specs Compared

Running cost over five years: at the EPA's 15,000-mile-a-year assumption the Volkswagen Atlas burns about $2,450 of fuel annually against $3,800 for the Land Rover Defender. That $1,350 yearly gap compounds to roughly $6,750 over five years and $10,800 over eight — often more than the price difference between two trims of the same vehicle, and the single largest running-cost line item separating these two.

City and highway economy: the Volkswagen Atlas leads in both cycles — 22 mpg city and 29 mpg highway against 18 and 23 mpg — so its fuel-efficiency advantage holds whether you commute in traffic or cover long highway miles.

Powertrain choice: the Land Rover Defender is recorded with 2 distinct engine configurations (SIDI; Mild Hybrid, SIDI), the Volkswagen Atlas with 1 (SIDI). Across 54 recorded Land Rover Defender configurations and 57 for the Volkswagen Atlas, the wider the engine spread the more the real-world fuel efficiency depends on which version you actually buy, so check the specific model year and drivetrain rather than the headline number.

Drivetrain and class: the Land Rover Defender is offered with 4-Wheel Drive, the Volkswagen Atlas with All-Wheel Drive, Front-Wheel Drive. All-wheel drive typically costs one to two mpg combined against the same vehicle in front- or rear-wheel drive, which is worth remembering when the gap between these two is small. The EPA classes them as Standard Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD and Small Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD respectively — the class drives the interior volume, cargo space and passenger space each one is measured against.

Tailpipe emissions: at their cleanest configurations the Volkswagen Atlas emits 364 g/mile of CO2 versus 444 g/mile for the Land Rover Defender. Emissions track fuel consumption almost exactly, so the cleaner vehicle here is also the cheaper one to fuel.