2022 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport

At first blush, the biggest question about the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport is, “Why?” Did the world need a slightly smaller, two-row version of the Volkswagen Atlas? Yes or no, it’s here, and there are a few surprises in the package. Volkswagen’s stylists chose to emphasize the “sport” part of the name with a re-worked rear roofline that gives the vehicle a considerably more aggressive appearance. Think of it as the same approach BMW took with its X6—the “crossover coupe”—just at a (significantly) lower price point and with less pretentiousness.

One year into a mid-cycle refresh, the 2022 Atlas Cross Sport has only minor changes, expanding standard equipment like the VW Digital Cockpit and larger wheels to more trim levels. Underneath it shares almost everything with the regular Atlas, but the Cross Sport is 5 inches shorter overall and 2 inches lower. Both vehicles ride on a 117.3-inch wheelbase. The Atlas Cross Sport seats five versus the Atlas’ seven but offers a big jump in cargo space behind the rear passengers. With all rear seats folded, though, the bigger Atlas comes out the winner.

Among five-seat midsize SUVs, the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport’s direct competitors include the Jeep Grand Cherokee, Nissan Murano and Chevrolet Blazer. Because those lineups are quite diverse, the range in prices is hard to compare. All four start close to each other, but neither the Murano nor the Blazer have a trim level as pricey as the SEL Premium R-Line. The Grand Cherokee, on the other hand, has several trim levels that go well beyond $50,000 and one that starts above $65,000.

There are two engines available, a 235-horsepower 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder and a 276-horsepower 3.6-liter V6 (not available on SE). Neither are road burners, but most midsize SUVs aren’t. The Cross Sport also isn’t intended to be a hardcore off-roader.  It gives up 9/10ths of an inch in ground clearance to its Atlas sibling. At 7.1 inches, the Atlas Cross Sport is simply too low to the ground for comfort when it comes to obstacles and hazards of real dirt driving, though it can traverse light dirt roads.

Base price for the Atlas Cross Sport SE is $34,830 (including destination) for the front-wheel drive 2.0-liter. Opting for 4Motion all-wheel drive (AWD) adds $1,900 to the bill, but is standard on SEL and R-Line models. There are six trim levels in all (SE, SE with Technology package, SEL, SEL R-Line, SEL R-Line Black and SEL Premium R-Line), with the base price topping out at $52,000 for the SEL Premium R-Line. SEL and higher models bring a raft of active safety gear, but base SE versions only get the bare minimum, sadly.

The Atlas Cross Sport V6 SE with Technology is a well-built SUV with abundant room for five people and their things. The V6 engine provided plenty of power and the ride was smooth. Its chop-top styling makes the Atlas look truck-like and definitely cool, but at the wheel, there’s no sense of imposing size and it’s a very easy vehicle to drive in city traffic. 

Performance: 11/15

The base 235-horsepower, 258 pound-foot 2.0-liter turbo four in the Atlas Cross Sport is a little more powerful than the 228-horsepower 2.0-liter turbo four in the Blazer, but it’s outgunned by the 260 horsepower 3.5-liter V6 in the Murano and even more so by the Grand Cherokee’s 293-horsepower 3.6-liter V6. To do better in the Volkswagen, you have to move at least one rung up the ladder to the SE with Technology. The V6 engine (called VR6 in Volkswagen tradition) is not available on the base SE model. 

Even after spending for a higher trim level and the optional 276-hp, 266 lb-ft VR6, the Atlas Cross Sport is still low on juice—its 276 horsepower only beats the Murano’s standard (and only) engine. Optional mills in the Blazer (a 308-horsepower 3.6-liter V6) and the Grand Cherokee (a 357-horsepower 5.7-liter V8) leave the Atlas Cross Sport behind in sprints to 60 miles per hour. Both versions use an eight-speed automatic transmission.

Equipped with the VR6, the Atlas Cross Sport’s maximum towing capacity is 5,000 pounds (it’s only 2,000 with the turbo four). That’s about what most midsize crossovers max out at, and it’s better than the Murano’s 1,500 pounds and the Blazer’s 1,500 (standard engine) and 4,500 (optional V6). Still, it’s far behind the Grand Cherokee’s range of 6,000 to 7,200 (depending on engine and number of wheels driven) or towing champs like the Land Rover Discovery and Nissan Pathfinder.

Fuel Economy: 8/15

Neither the Atlas nor the Atlas Cross sport are particularly fuel-efficient. The Blazer and Murano have the best average fuel economy across their lineups, at 23 mpg. The Atlas manages 21 and the Grand Cherokee, which has to factor in the only V8 in the group, trails at 20. 

The Grand Cherokee does offer the only hybrid in the set, a plug-in model called the Grand Cherokee 4Xe, but Hyundai’s Santa Fe Hybrid and the Toyota Highlander Hybrid will provide far superior gas mileage in this class.

Safety & Driver Assistance Tech: 8/15

The Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport gets good overall crash ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and a five-star overall rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Volkswagen also offers a huge slate of active-safety gear, but the Cross Sport loses points in our ranking because very few of those features are standard. The base-model SE gets forward automatic emergency braking, blind spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alerts, but nothing else.

That’s a shame because SE with Technology models get adaptive cruise control and SEL and higher models get Volkswagen’s IQ.Drive safety suite as standard. That includes adaptive cruise control with an advanced driving assist system as well as lane departure warnings with lane-keep assist. Some alternatives, like the Hyundai Palisade, offer these systems as standard equipment

Comfort & Room: 15/15

The advantage, beyond style, of the Atlas Cross Sport over the Atlas, is room.  Forward passengers get lots of space as they do in most midsize SUVs, but the real difference in back. Free of the need to make room for the regular Atlas’s big third row, rear seat passengers get 40.4 inches of legroom, a nearly 3-inch increase from the standard Atlas that puts the Cross Sport near the top of the midsize SUV class. 

The Blazer (39.6), Murano (38.7) and Grand Cherokee (37.7) all fall short, though the Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride have a bit more at 42.4 inches each.

Infotainment: 11/15

The standard infotainment system on the Atlas Cross Sport SE is fairly basic by contemporary standards—a 6.5-inch touchscreen with six speakers. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, as are two USB ports. 

To make the move to an 8.0-inch screen (still modest these days) and additional USB outlets requires a higher trim level, although all Cross Sports have Wi-Fi connectivity (a data plan is required) and VW’s Digital Cockpit driver information center. As with the infotainment screen, the driver display is smaller in the low-end SEs, 8.0 inches versus the 10.3-inch unit in the higher trims. At the very least, controls and switches are intuitively laid out, and the user-friendly interior design prevents all the available tech from being overwhelming. 

Cargo Space & Storage:  15/15

Space for things as well as people is another strong suit for the Atlas Cross Sport, which offers 40.3 cubic-feet of space behind the rear seat and 77.8 with the second row folded down. That’s tops in the competitive set, and only the Honda Passport, similarly a shorter, two-row version of a three-row SUV (the Pilot) is a real match at 42.1 cubic-feet and 77.7 with the seats folded. The Grand Cherokee comes close to the Cross sport at 37.7 cubic-feet and 70.8, but the Murano (32.1 and 65) and Blazer (30.5 and 62) are way behind. 

Style & Design: 8/10

The lower stance and aggressively raked rear window give the Atlas Cross Sport a more dashing appearance than the taller, more squared-off Atlas. Long, low and wide are hard proportions to pull off in a tall SUV but the Cross Sport does it. Still, from the rear doors forward, it’s the same vehicle and VW’s stylists went for a big, truck-like look that could easily inform the stylists at GMC. It’s bold and distinctive, but light on elegance.

Inside, the cabin is typically Volkswagen: spare, clean in its details, but sober and functional.

Is the 2022 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport Worth It?  Which Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport Is the Best Value?

While most of the action in this size SUV seems to involve three rows of seating, this is still a competitive segment. Given that the stronger engine and full suite of safety gear are not available in the base SE model, we’d skip ahead to higher trim levels. 

Opting for the SEL ($44,700, including destination) still requires an added expense for the optional engine (as do all the trim levels), but brings desirable features like navigation, 4Motion all-wheel drive, automatic high beams and an upgraded infotainment system as standard equipment. Adding the V6 adds $1,750, but greatly enhances towing capacity and performance. The SEL R-Line models offer fancier materials and more features, but it’s possible to load them up into the mid-$50,000 range, which is about the starting rate for a BMW X4. 

How Much Does it Cost to Insure the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport?

Insurance costs for the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport are similar to or slightly lower than its competitors. According to our data, a typical 30-year-old female driver with a clean record can expect an average annual premium of $2,115 for an Atlas Cross Sport SEL, though these numbers average all 50 states. That compares to about $2,121 for a Ford Explorer Timberline, $1,882 for the Honda Passport and $2,155 for a Nissan Murano and $2,310 for a Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit. To get a more accurate picture of your potential insurance expenses, visit our car insurance calculator.