In the last decade, Volkswagen has metamorphosed into a different brand in America. Ten years ago, it was a quirky German brand. Cars like the Golf, Beetle and Passat accounted for 91 percent of its sales. But by 2022, that percentage has basically flipped; now, 83 percent of sales are SUVs. Essential to that change of tack has been the Atlas.
The Atlas is VW tailored to American tastes. The three-row midsize crossover is designed for, built by and sold to Americans. And it turns out Americans like that. The Atlas has become Volkswagen's most profitable vehicle. And it outsells what remains of the VW car lineup combined.
Volkswagen refreshed the Atlas substantially for the 2024 model year. And the brand brought me to the bucolic (and quite humid) Catskills in July to test the top-tier SEL Premium R-Line trim for a day.
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The 2024 Volkswagen Atlas: What We Think
Tyler Duffy
If you tasked a focus group of American families with designing a crossover, you would end up with a vehicle that looks much like the Atlas. It's spacious. It's reasonably fancy. It drives well enough and does little to annoy you.
That formula works for VW. And not surprisingly, the brand did not make any radical changes. But sensible upgrades like a new four-cylinder engine and modernized interior for 2024 help it at least better match competitors like the Kia Telluride.
The Atlas’s new four-cylinder engine is an upgrade
Tyler Duffy
VW consolidated from two Atlas engines down to one. The V6 is gone. In its place, VW offers a new turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder — a retuned version of the EA888 unit in the Golf R — as the sole option.
The new powertrain puts out 269 horsepower (slightly less than the outgoing V6) and 276 lb-ft of torque (substantially more). VW says the Atlas can now accelerate from 0-60 mph in 7.5 seconds — 0.8 seconds faster than the previous model. It can tow up to 5,000 lbs. And it can deliver (very marginally) better fuel economy.
I tested the new engine on some curvy, 55 mph mountain roads. It sounds a little grainy. And I wouldn't describe it as a game-changer. But I did prefer it to the outgoing V6. The new four-pot dispenses its power smoothly and linearly with a hint of predictable turbo lag. A spirited helmsperson might prefer more power. But the new engine has more than enough oomph for school runs.
No one would mistake the Atlas for being sporty. It's hard to discern what its Sport Mode does besides providing angrier red graphics and holding gears longer. But the Atlas is a competent driver. Steering is reasonably direct and responsive. The ride is composed and comfortable. The Atlas is fit for purpose.
VW upgraded the Atlas interior ... for better and worse
Tyler Duffy
The Atlas interior's main draw — at least in the first two rows — has been its spaciousness. The driver's cockpit is so expansive my arm doesn't hit the door armrest. And the second row can (like in the last generation) fit car seats three rows across. The third row is a bit tight for adults but not abnormally so for this segment.
In response to Hyundai and Kia, VW kicked things up a notch with the 2024 model. The new interior features a myriad of material and tech improvements. VW bumped leather seats down a trim level, adding features like quilting on the top trim. Faux wood trim? The Atlas has it along with some fingerprint-attracting Piano black.
Unfortunately, that also means the Atlas gets its version of VW's oft-maligned digital cockpit, which has some usability issues. Core functions like the stereo volume and temperature operate by wonky haptic touch sliders rather than knobs or buttons. They are hard to see and modulate while driving.
Other functions are handled through VW's infotainment system, which can be hard to navigate. My drive partner and I had to stop to ask for help to adjust the fan, which required an unintuitive journey through multiple menus (also hard to do while driving).
Mercifully, VW has learned from adventures with inadvertently activated steering wheel heaters in its other vehicles, and the Atlas has physical buttons there.
The Atlas picked up some new lighting
Tyler Duffy
The Atlas made little effort to get more fuel-efficient. But VW did give the car a more futuristic exterior lighting signature to track with EVs like the ID.4 and the ID. Buzz. A connected LED light bar extends across the vehicle's front and rear. The VW logo also illuminates. I didn't get to experience it at night. But it looked cool when I was heading to dinner.
The grill and front fascia are a bit different. But other than that, the new Atlas looks very much like the old model, from the creases in the door frame to the fake exhaust tips.
I'm not sure the Atlas has a standout feature that screams out "by the Volkswagen" in that crowded room. But with a starting MSRP below $40,000 and a fully-loaded model coming in just slightly above the average new car price, it does offer some value.
