Nissan Murano vs Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport: which is more reliable?
The Nissan Murano is clearly ahead of the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport on the federal record: 79/100 against 63/100 across every model year we score.
The record, side by side
Nissan Murano
- 15 model years scored
- 1,074 owner complaints on record
- about 8 complaints per year on the road
- 24 recall campaigns, 18 safety-critical
- best year 2021 (94/100) · worst 2015 (37/100)
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: Murano 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
Nissan Murano
- Unknown Or Other — 214 complaints
- Power Train — 201 complaints
- Service Brakes — 124 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 Murano's complaints concentrate in Unknown Or Other, 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
Nissan Murano — avoid: 2015.
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 Nissan Murano prices at about $40,800 and a Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport at about $44,100 — the Nissan Murano is roughly $3,300 less, and they return 23.0 against 23.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Nissan Murano or the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Nissan Murano scores 79/100 against the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport's 63/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The Nissan Murano carries about 8 complaints per year on the road against 23 for the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport.
Which Nissan Murano and Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport years should I avoid?
Nissan Murano: 2015. 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 Nissan Murano and the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport?
The largest complaint group on the Nissan Murano is Unknown Or Other (214 complaints); on the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport it is Electrical System (151).
Is the Nissan Murano or the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport cheaper to own?
A recent used Nissan Murano prices at about $40,800 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.