2024 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport First Drive Review: Party of Five

You get the point. When we jumped into the 2024 Cross Sport, which was outfitted in the same SEL Premium R-Line trim as the Atlas we had just exited, the differences were slim. An interior adornment piece here and there, that’s about it. The only other thing we noticed was the roof felt lower. Indeed, it’s all about the dimensions when it comes to what the Atlas Cross Sport offers (or doesn’t) versus the Atlas. Roughly 2 inches less headroom, about 5 inches less overall length, and one fewer row of seats.

It’s also in some ways about style, as you could argue thanks to its sloping rear roofline that the Cross Sport strikes a sleeker, more attractive pose than its more traditional-looking counterpart. There are also a few exterior details that help set it off from the regular Atlas. And given it’s a two-row five-seater, the Cross Sport is more of an empty-nest adventure machine as opposed to a full-house people mover. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t capable of hauling the goods. Behind the rear seats is a substantial 40.3 cubic feet of cargo space, and that number jumps to 77.6 cubes with the second-row seats folded flat (and when we say flat, we mean flat). Like the Atlas, it’s also capable of towing up to 5,000 pounds.

Powering the Atlas Cross Sport is the same new powertrain that propels the Atlas, a heavily revised version of VW’s tried and true 2.0-liter turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine with 269 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque. It teams with an eight-speed automatic transmission. (You can get any Cross Sport with VW’s 4Motion all-wheel drive.) As with the Atlas, we found the powertrain, which replaces the outgoing model’s inline-four turbo and V-6 engine options, to be fairly well matched to the Cross Sport, and the slightly smaller and lighter SUV may be a tick or two quicker in acceleration metrics.

Not that we noticed any real difference during our quick jaunt in the Atlas Cross Sport in New York’s Catskill Mountains. Nor did we feel anything different otherwise. Bottom line, it’s a big SUV that drives decently for its size. You won’t play with it like you would a VW GTI, but it handles, stops, and manages road imperfections relatively well and in line with the stated competition that includes the Chevy Blazer, Honda Passport, and Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Pricing for the 2024 Atlas Cross Sport ranges from a base SE front drive model at $38,065 to $53,190 for the fully loaded SEL Premium R-Line we drove with the fancy 21-inch wheels and kitchen sink’s worth of features. (There are also SE with Tech, SEL, and SEL R-Line trim levels in between those two.) Pick your twin wisely.