Dodge Avenger vs Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport: which is more reliable?
The Dodge Avenger is clearly ahead of the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport on the federal record: 74/100 against 63/100 across every model year we score.
The record, side by side
Dodge Avenger
- 4 model years scored
- 1,515 owner complaints on record
- about 30 complaints per year on the road
- 12 recall campaigns, 9 safety-critical
- best year 2014 (89/100) · worst 2013 (60/100)
Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport
- 6 model years scored
- 471 owner complaints on record
- about 23 complaints per year on the road
- 49 recall campaigns, 21 safety-critical
- best year 2023 (79/100) · worst 2024 (40/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Avenger against Atlas Cross Sport
The comparison that decides the purchase. A nameplate is not one car — a redesign can move the record sixty points inside two years, and the two nameplates rarely move together.
What owners actually complain about
Dodge Avenger
- Air Bags — 367 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 341 complaints
- Engine — 286 complaints
Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport
- Electrical System — 151 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 94 complaints
- Engine — 86 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Avenger's complaints concentrate in Air Bags, the Atlas Cross Sport's in Electrical System. That difference matters more to a buyer than the score gap, because it says which repair bill you are taking on.
Years to avoid on each
Dodge Avenger: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2011, 2014.
Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport — avoid: 2021, 2024.
A year scores below 45 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. Every car’s years to avoid.
What each costs today
A recent used Dodge Avenger prices at about $15,400 and a Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport at about $44,100 — the Dodge Avenger is roughly $28,700 less, and they return 24.0 against 23.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Dodge Avenger or the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Dodge Avenger scores 74/100 against the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport's 63/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The Dodge Avenger carries about 30 complaints per year on the road against 23 for the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport.
Which Dodge Avenger and Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport years should I avoid?
Dodge Avenger: no year scores below 45. Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport: 2021, 2024. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Dodge Avenger and the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport?
The largest complaint group on the Dodge Avenger is Air Bags (367 complaints); on the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport it is Electrical System (151).
Is the Dodge Avenger or the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport cheaper to own?
A recent used Dodge Avenger prices at about $15,400 and a Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport at about $44,100, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.