The Atlas Cross Sport is a wonderfully delightful two-row SUV with sporty athletic apparel. It comes from a three-row, perfectly pleasant Volkswagen Atlas SUV and a stunning fastback top. That much is obvious.
The third row of seats in the standard Atlas is skipped in favor of a more streamlined, sloping roofline in the Cross Sport. The two models are essentially the same save for variations in appearance and seating arrangements.
Both vehicles are available with front- or all-wheel drive and share the same turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine and eight-speed automatic transmission.
The Cross Sport’s chiseled haunches and assertive posture give off the impression that it will have an athletic driving attitude, but in practice, this large SUV is much happier cruising than spearing down two-lane roads.
Cross Sport is a two-row SUV with style, comfort, and ease. The Cross Sport is a two-row SUV that is attractive, comfortable, and easygoing, but it simply lacks the appeal of rivals like the Kia Telluride, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Honda Passport.
Interior
The 2024 Atlas Cross Sport offers passengers a more upmarket interior atmosphere with upgraded cabin materials.
Heated and ventilated front seats, a heated steering wheel, tri-zone climate control, a leatherette-trimmed dash with soft-touch material, and programmable ambient lighting are some new items that have become standard.
Higher trims have heated back seats available, while the top-of-the-line versions include quilted leather seats with diamond stitching. It should still be just as roomy as before, with a capacity for 40 cubic feet of freight and 112 cubic feet of passengers.
Each Atlas Cross Sport comes with a 10.3-inch digital display that may be customized. A 12.0-inch infotainment display is also included. However, VW’s unpleasant touch-sensitive controls are more difficult to operate than a conventional knob or button.
Other common gadgets include six USB-C ports with rapid charging capabilities, wireless charging, wireless Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto. Moreover, an alternate eight-port configuration is also available if six USB ports are insufficient for you. In addition, a 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot enables users to stay online while traveling.
Performance
For 2024, the Atlas Cross Sport receives a new 2.0-liter turbocharged engine that produces 7 more pound-feet of torque and 34 more horsepower than the previous VR6 six-cylinder engine, for a combined output of 269 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque.
For 2024, it will be the only engine available. Until we put the updated Atlas Cross Sport through our instrumented testing process, we won’t know whether the revisions lead to speedier acceleration times and livelier around-town performance.
Although the Atlas Cross Sport didn’t feel as energetic during our drive as the Honda Passport, it offered a nice ride and an admirably quiet cabin.
We anticipate the Cross Sport’s driving characteristics to remain competent and mild but far from exciting, with no significant changes to the chassis. Notably, the crossover’s towing capacity is still 5000 pounds, which is reasonable for a vehicle with a unibody and a weight under 4500 pounds.
According to the EPA, front-wheel drive Atlases should achieve 20 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway. Choosing all-wheel drive reduces those figures for most vehicles to 19 mpg city and 26 mpg highway.
We’ll have to test the 2024 Atlas Cross Sport’s real-world fuel economy on our 75-mph highway loop because it has a new engine. Visit the EPA website for additional details about the fuel efficiency of the Atlas Cross Sport.
Features for Safety and Driver Aid
VW is giving its suite of Intelligence to all Atlas Cross Sports. Operate a vehicle with driver assistance technology, such as lane-keeping assistance and forward collision warning.
Additional safety features include automated emergency braking and blind-spot monitoring. Still, you’ll need to choose one of the pricier trim levels if you want more sophisticated driver-assistance technologies like adaptive cruise control or a head-up display.
Visit the websites of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for more details regarding the Atlas’s crash test results. Important safety elements include:
- Standard automated emergency braking with forward-collision warning
- Standard lane-centering and blind-spot monitoring
- Available adaptive cruise control