The 2024 Volkswagen Atlas Is a German-American Conundrum

• Volkswagen designed the seven-seater Atlas crossover specifically for American consumers, and it continues to refine the model with new technology and amenities.

• From heated and ventilated seats and extra soft-touch surfaces to a new 12-inch infotainment screen, VW brings up the standard of quality on the 2024 Atlas.

• Killing off the former 3.6-liter VR6, VW will only offer the Atlas with an EA888 turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four, making 269 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque.

When Volkswagen brought its first crossover, the Touareg, to the US market, it was a stunning departure for the traditionally car-based brand. Co-developed with Porsche, the Touareg featured strong off-road chops, suave interiors, and engine options ranging from a turbodiesel V10 to a naturally aspirated W12, further cementing the smooth-shaped model as an indication of a new era in Wolfsburg.

Volkswagen has been riding out this Touareg-prompted era coming on 21 years now, as the culmination of a strategic shift toward bigger and cheaper vehicles comes to fruition in 2023. A glance at the model range shows VW's transformation, with five flavors of crossover to choose from against the only truly compact, pedestrian nameplate left—the Jetta. But it's the numbers that show just how rapid this transition was, as VW reported a 91% car sales mix in 2013 and an 83% SUV and crossover sales mix in 2022.

And the 2024 Volkswagen Atlas and two-row Atlas Cross Sport are a pinnacle representation of VW's plans for America. Produced and launched specifically for the American market back in 2017, the Atlas is VW's flagship model and its largest crossover, though its MQB-platformed bones date back to the MK7 Golf.

Even so, the '24 Atlas is thoroughly refreshed, featuring strong exterior changes and subtle-but-refined interior updates. With all these changes, Volkswagen didn't want to lose out on its historically price-conscious customer base either, meaning it standardized a laundry list of amenities. And did I mention it's only powerplant now is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder?

As with many Volkswagen products, pricing depends on who's buying, as the Chattanooga-built Atlas Cross Sport and three-row Atlas start at $38,065/$39,075 and go as high as $52,795/$53,805. These prices include $1350 destination, and those wanting 4Motion AWD will have to pay an additional $1900.

For that money, 2024 Atlas owners receive shapely new LED front and rear lighting, additional soft-touch surfaces, 30-color ambient interior lighting, and standard ventilated seats on all trims. Indeed, the Atlas is an uber-comfortable place to sit, especially nestled in the ventilated, quilted leather seats inside a $50,000 SEL R-Line Atlas Cross Sport.

Better yet, a new 12-inch, higher-mounted infotainment display is now standard on all models, though paging through music, navigation, and climate controls proved convoluted at times. Similarly, the lack of a tactile volume knob made sonic changes unintuitive through its console-mounted, touch-based slider.

Even so, the standard wireless App-Connect and wireless charging features worked flawlessly. Charging for the whole family shouldn't be an issue either, with four to six USB-C ports available depending on seating configuration.