2024 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport Enhances Its Image

Three-row SUVs could not have fairly the identical parental stigma as minivans in our society, however they’re getting shut. If you do not have youngsters to cart round, you may all the time purchase a three-row model and simply maintain the seats folded. However many people are extra image-conscious than that, in order that’s the place two-row SUVs just like the 2024 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport are available.

Tweaks exterior

Though it is just about the identical car beneath, the Cross Sport undoubtedly appears to be like cooler than the big-sibling Atlas—much more so for 2024 due to styling updates to the entrance and rear ends that emphasize its swoopier form. We have in contrast the Cross Sport’s aggressive stance to that of the Audi Q8 and even the Lamborghini Urus’s earlier than; whereas its general look is extra Large Heaps than Balenciaga, it is undoubtedly distinctive, particularly within the placing new Kingfisher Blue paint pictured right here.

There’s not a lot to set the Cross Sport aside from the Atlas from behind the wheel, nevertheless. Though the Cross Sport is barely smaller and weighs a tad much less, it nonetheless drives massive. It is much less sporty than opponents such because the Chevy Blazer and the Honda Passport, but it surely does have a snug experience and a quiet cabin.

Revised inside

Enhancing that cabin was an enormous focus for the 2024 refresh, and it appears to be like and feels loads nicer than the outgoing Atlas’s plasticky inside. The dashboard options extra soft-touch supplies, the higher trim ranges can be found with quilted leather-based seats, and there are steel and faux-carbon-fiber trim items that add visible curiosity to the middle console and door panels. The rear seat stays big and, regardless of the sloping roofline, there’s 40 cubic toes of area within the cargo space even with the seats up.

The draw back to those upgraded inside environs is that VW has additionally built-in its annoying new infotainment system and touch-sensitive controls. We do not like having to enter varied display menus to regulate issues just like the local weather management and the driver-assistance programs, and we most popular the previous setup with extra bodily knobs and buttons.

Only one engine alternative

The Atlas Cross Sport was beforehand accessible with both a V-6 or a turbocharged four-cylinder, however a turbo 2.0-liter 4 is now the one choice. VW has revised this engine compared to the previous 235-hp 2.0T; the 2024 Atlas now has 269 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque, barely much less energy however extra torque than the earlier 3.6-liter V-6. VW nonetheless claims a towing capability of 5000 kilos, and the turbo 4 strikes the large Atlas Cross Sport greater than adequately. The transmission downshifts promptly and the throttle response is sweet, so whereas the Cross Sport may not be the quickest SUV within the section, it will get an acceptable quantity of energy for this sort of car. Plus, the brand new four-cylinder has higher gasoline economic system. It is EPA-rated at 23 mpg mixed with front-wheel drive and 22 mpg with the non-obligatory all-wheel-drive system.

If you happen to like what the Atlas presents and don’t need the third row, you may as effectively save a bit of cash and go for the Cross Sport, which begins at $38,065. Its character is much like its massive sibling, but it surely has its personal vibe and nonetheless presents numerous area for rear-seat passengers and cargo. Whereas its new touch-sensitive interfaces aren’t an enchancment from earlier than, the upgraded powertrain is, and the 2024 model appears to be like higher in and out. We would not name it our favourite mid-size two-row SUV, however no less than there isn’t any hazard of it being mistaken for a minivan.

Senior Editor

Regardless of being raised on a gradual food plan of base-model Hondas and Toyotas—or maybe due to it—Joey Capparella nonetheless cultivated an obsession for the automotive trade all through his childhood in Nashville, Tennessee. He discovered a strategy to write about vehicles for the college newspaper throughout his faculty years at Rice College, which ultimately led him to maneuver to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for his first skilled auto-writing gig at Vehicle Journal. He has been a part of the Automobile and Driver group since 2016 and now lives in New York Metropolis.