Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport (US) review

All Atlas Cross Sports (couldn’t they have just called it the Atlas Cross, or the Atlas Sport?) come with a four-year/50,000 mile warranty. Prices start from $36,985 for the entry-level SE trim, and as you might have gathered by now that does get you a fair amount of kit as standard.

A few standard bits we haven’t already noted in this review include 18-inch alloy wheels, adaptive front LED lights, heated mirrors, dual-zone climate control, adaptive cruise control and Volkswagen’s Travel Assist system.

Step up a level to ‘SE with Technology’ trim and you’ll be paying $41,090, but you’ll get that increased towing capacity of 5,000lb and a trailer hitch. You also get 20-inch wheels, parking sensors the front lightbar and illuminated VW badges. You’ve then got SEL trim at $47,870 and the sportier looking SEL R-Line costing $49,320.

The top-spec SEL Premium R-Line comes with 21-inch wheels, leather seats, the Harman Kardon audio system, an overhead view parking camera and heated seats in the front and rear. Sounds great, but it isn’t cheap at $51,880.

Oh, and if you want all-wheel drive then count on paying around $2,000 extra on top of your chosen trim level.

All Atlas Cross Sports get a decent amount of safety tech as standard, including something VW calls ‘IQ.DRIVE’. That essentially uses a front and rear radar, a front camera and several ultrasound sensors to collect data from the surrounding area to allow you to use features like Travel Assist and the myriad of active safety systems that we’ve all come to expect these days.

Rivals? VW reckons the Atlas Cross Sport goes up against cars like the Chevrolet Blazer, the Ford Edge, the Honda Passport, the Jeep Grand Cherokee, the Nissan Murano and the Toyota 4Runner.