Volkswagen of America, Inc. unveiled the new 2024 Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport at the Chicago Auto Show today. The refreshed seven- and five-seaters offer enhanced technology, upgraded interior designs and materials, and a livelier powertrain.
“The Atlas was the first modern Volkswagen designed, engineered and produced specifically for American buyers, and since its debut, it has become a major player in the U.S. market,” said Pablo Di Si, president and CEO, Volkswagen of America. “The refreshed Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport continue to build on that success, with an elegant new interior and a sophisticated turbocharged engine that improves both performance and the driving experience.”
While the refreshed Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport maintain the same underpinnings of the successful outgoing models, the spacious interior of each vehicle receives a major upgrade for the 2024 model year. Premium materials are adopted throughout, including a leatherette-trimmed soft-touch dash and center console. Front-row door trim and décor flow seamlessly into the dash panel, creating an upscale cockpit; the door treatment is also mirrored in the second row. Available ambient lighting with 30 color choices pairs with innovative backlit dash décor featuring the model name to elevate the new design. Top-of-range models feature quilted leather seats with a diamond pattern.
Comfort features get a boost as well. A heated steering wheel with shift paddles, ventilated front seats and a height-adjustable passenger seat are now standard fare, along with Climatronic® automatic climate control and Voice Control. The center console is redesigned with a storage cubby underneath. Leather seating surfaces and heated rear seats are now available a trim line lower than previous models.
Enhanced technology in the refreshed Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport offers a more connected experience. A 12-inch floating infotainment display is an elegant focal point in the redesigned cockpit, and drivers of every trim level benefit from the 10.25-inch fully configurable Volkswagen Digital Cockpit Pro. Connecting devices is easier than ever with standard wireless App-Connect, wireless charging, and six USB-C ports (eight available) with 45-watt fast charging.
IQ.DRIVE® driver assistance technology, featuring hands-on semi-automatic capability, is now standard as well. On the highway, IQ.DRIVE features lane centering and a capacitive steering wheel to make driving easier. Around town, IQ.DRIVE helps alert you to surprise obstacles in front of you, and keeps an eye around you to help make driving safer. A head-up display and predictive Adaptive Cruise Control are also available.
Outside, model year 2024 brings a new front end design and greater differentiation between Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport. On both cars, a wide chrome four-bar grille is framed by LED headlights with the newly standard Adaptive Front-lighting System (AFS). On all but base trims, the Daytime Running Lights (DRLs) wrap around the headlights and continue into an illuminated lightbar that sits atop of an illuminated VW logo, giving the vehicle an unmistakable premium look. A new front fascia with integrated air intakes completes the front end treatment. Atlas Cross Sport models feature gloss-black grille details and a gloss-black “X” design element stretching across the lower fascia, similar to Taos.
At the rear, both models add a larger spoiler, lengthening the overall roofline of the vehicles and giving them a sleeker side profile. All but base trims mirror the front lighting signature in the rear with an illuminated lightbar and VW logo sitting between the LED taillights. Atlas Cross Sport models add a more aggressive rear diffuser than the previous generation, further differentiating the two models.
All trims get new wheel designs, ranging from 18 to 20 inches with machined alloy and black finishes available. R-line® trims up the ante with a gloss-black grille, 21-inch aluminum-alloy wheels, and signature R-line badging.
For 2024, the Atlas family will be powered solely by a four-cylinder turbocharged and direct-injection TSI® engine with 269 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque. The new engine provides similar power to the outgoing VR6, a bump in torque—which is available over a broader rev range, improving drivability and acceleration—and is anticipated to provide improved fuel economy. Towing capacity remains the same, at 5,000 pounds. An eight-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel drive are standard; Volkswagen’s 4Motion all-wheel-drive system is available across the model lineup.
Further details, specifications, and pricing will be announced ahead of the launch early Q3.
