SAUGERTIES, N.Y.—In the Catskill Mountains of New York, the weather is hot and sunny. Two-lane roads wind their way here through . Ideal conditions to test the new VW Atlas.
The two-litre, turbo, four-cylinder engine offers snappy acceleration, from rest and at speed, and turns snarly when I mash the throttle. Dialing the drive mode selector to sport, really livens things up; I get a much sharper throttle response and the upshifting from the eight-speed automatic is delayed.
Volkswagen, the German auto giant, car-centric as recently as 2013, is now firmly focused on SUVs. There’s no better example of this sea change than the . A three-row, seven-seater built at Volkswagen’s sprawling plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the Atlas has become the company’s standard-bearer in North America
Since arriving in the summer of 2017, the Atlas and its five-seat Atlas Cross Sport sibling, introduced in 2020, have sold a staggering 564,000 units across North America to date, including 62,000 in Canada.
It is now one of the bestselling three-row SUVs.
Both updated Atlases are built on Volkswagen’s MQB (modular transverse matrix) platform, which underpins all its gas-powered models. While both 2024s are virtually the same size as their predecessors, there’s a significant change in the engine. The VR6 (3.6-litre V6) has been dropped, leaving just the EA888 two-litre, turbocharged, four-cylinder, an updated version of the same engine found in the Golf GTI.
Updated look: A new bumper design, illuminated lightbar and VW logo, and chrome Atlas wordmark are among the changes.
Lee Bailie / Wheels.caAs for output, the two-litre turbo four produces 269 horsepower and 273 lbs.-ft. of torque. (For reference, the VR6 produced slightly more horsepower (276), but less torque (266).) The remainder of the unit delivering power to the wheels is unchanged: eight-speed automatic transmission and standard 4Motion all-wheel drive.
Volkswagen is throwing a lot at the look of the Atlas. Up front, both cars receive new front-end styling, which includes a wide, chrome, four-bar grille, and new LED headlights, with an Adaptive Front-lighting System (AFS). LED daytime running lights wrap around the headlights and connect to an illuminated light bar above an illuminated VW logo. A new front fascia with redesigned air intakes is further differentiated on the Cross Sport, which receives gloss black trim and a black X design element similar to the one on its compact Taos sibling.
At the rear, both cars receive a longer roof spoiler, an illuminated light bar and VW logo, while the Cross Sport has a redesigned diffuser insert. New wheel designs, ranging in size from 18 inches to 20 inches, are on tap. Tweny-one-inch alloys are standard on Execline R-Line trims.
The makeover the cabin gets is even more extensive. The 2024 cars have been designed to address concerns that the Atlas interior, while spacious, is too plain, uses too many cheap trim materials and isn’t an inviting place to be. From the base Comfortline up, the 2024 Atlas is replete with premium materials, soft-touch plastics, and fabrics covering just about every high-touch surface. From the stitching on the console bin cover to softer door panel inserts, to the dashboard, which has been redesigned and backlit with 30 ambient lighting colours, the Atlas takes things up a notch in every conceivable way.
The 2024 models come standard with a 12-inch floating infotainment touchscreen display and a 10.25-inch configurable Volkswagen Digital Cockpit Pro instrument cluster. A head-up display is available, as is a 45-watt smartphone charger, and a dash-cam USB-C port mounted in the A-pillar.
Volkswagen Canada has reordered the lineup for 2024, by dropping the Trendline and adding the Atlas Peak Edition, which comes outfitted with 18-inch black alloy wheels wrapped in all-terrain tires, black and silver body cladding, black trim and two unique exterior colours, Avocado Green and Pure Grey.
The higher torque delivery from lower in the powerband delivers many benefits, including better fuel efficiency, a faster time from 0-97 km/h (60 mph), and the same towing capacity (5,000 pounds) as the previous model.
The roomy Atlas seats up to seven.
Lee Bailie / Wheels.caAtlases are big SUVs, but their crisp handling belies their size and weight. They are responsive and have direct steering. They supply a comfortable ride.
The cabin now looks and feels upmarket. The two grades I drove were U.S.-spec SEL Premium R-Line models (Execline R-Line equivalent), so they were fully loaded, but the most impressive changes, such as big digital screens, higher quality trim materials, ambient lighting, and better seats, filter down to the base trims.
About the only thing the ’24 Atlas gets wrong are the lack of hard buttons and knobs for climate controls, stereo volume and tuning. Fortunately, the GTI I drove, which uses the same multimedia touchscreen, allowed time for adjusting, but I think it could be quite challenging to those unfamiliar with it. The shortcut buttons located below the screen are handy, sort of, but touch-sensitive sliders for warming and cooling and raising and lowering fan speed are distracting and fussy to use.
The updates the ’24 Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport are getting should make them compelling choices for consumers. They have a more spirited driving character, are more handsome on the outside, look better on the inside, and still have loads of space.
It seems like a winning formula.
2024 Volkswagen Atlas
Type: Mid-size SUV; front-engine, all-wheel drive
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Engine: Two-litre, turbocharged, four-cylinder; 269 horsepower (hp), 273 lbs.-ft. of torque (motive force)
Fuel economy (Regular 87): 12.2 litres/100 km in the city; 9.2 l/100 km on the highway; 10.8 l/100 km combined
Cargo: Atlas is 2,735 litres behind first row, 1,572 l behind second row, 583 l behind third row, or 96.6 cubic feet, 55.5 cu. ft., and 20.6 cu. ft., respectively
Towing: 5,000 pounds (2,268 kg)
Price: $49,995, without freight, taxes, fees
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