The Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport is a coupe-inspired variant on the brand’s Atlas midsize SUV. The Atlas Cross Sport competes with vehicles like the Toyota Highlander, Honda Passport, and Hyundai Santa Fe.
2025 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport Pricing, Specs, and Release Date
- What’s New for the 2025 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport
- Design
- Powertrain
- Interior
- Technology
- Safety
- Pricing and Release Date
- Further Research
What’s New for the 2025 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport
Volkswagen redesigned the Atlas Cross Sport for the 2024 model year, so for 2025, it carries over mostly unchanged. The exception is the addition of the SEL R-Line Black trim, which builds on the mid-tier SEL model with styling accents and a leather steering wheel. This midsize crossover seats five, so if you’re looking for an available third row, consider the related VW Atlas.
Design
The VW Atlas Cross Sport has an upscale look, thanks largely to cues borrowed from the ID.4, VW’s fully electric crossover. Lighting in particular stands out thanks to illuminated VW logos on the grille and on the tailgate, a front LED light bar, and a rear light bar that helps the Atlas Cross Sport look more sporty than it actually is. The Atlas Cross Sport comes standard with 18-inch alloy wheels and is available with various 20- and 21-inch wheels, depending on trim level.
Powertrain
Don’t let the “Sport” in the name fool you. This VW will get you where you’re going, but not with any sort of urgency. The Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport both use a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine and an eight-speed automatic transmission. Front-wheel drive (FWD) comes standard on base trims, while Volkswagen's 4Motion all-wheel drive (AWD) system comes standard on higher trims and is optional on base trims. The Atlas Cross Sport is rated for 269 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque. Fuel-economy ratings are about average, at 20 mpg city and 26 mpg highway with FWD, or 19 city and 26 highway with AWD.
Interior
The Atlas Cross Sport seats five passengers across its two rows. It’s similar to the larger Atlas in design and equipment, with standard synthetic leather upholstery on the base trim and genuine leather across the rest of the lineup. The top SEL Premium R-Line version gets premium diamond-quilted leather, though that mostly calls attention to the fact that other interior materials aren’t up to that standard. While there are plenty of textures that play just fine in lower versions, most surfaces are plastic. The Atlas Cross Sport offers up 40.3 cubic feet of cargo capacity behind its third row, which opens up to 77.6 cubic feet with the seats folded.
Technology
Inside the Atlas Cross Sport, you’ll find a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster and a 12-inch touchscreen display. The system is generally user-friendly and the menus are intuitive, though some shoppers might find the haptic controls a bit distracting to use while driving. Other features include a wireless charging pad, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and USB-C ports. It’s available with a head-up display and a premium Harman Kardon stereo.
