2025 Volkswagen Atlas

The Atlas is at its best from the side, where its pronounced fender flares impart a muscular look. Work your way rearward and you’ll find plain taillights and hints of brightwork. The Cross Sport’s more adventurous roof works well for a decidedly buff, stout stance. 

The Peak Edition model tosses in a few rugged styling touches, but it’s certainly no Grand Cherokee Trailhawk.

The cabin has a big 12.0-inch touchscreen and some models have a 10.3-inch instrument cluster. The dash itself has an upscale look backed by generally nice materials. VW has started to sweat the small stuff again, so you’ll find attractive dash and door trims, contrasting stitching, and quilted leather, depending on the trim level. 

VW’s big SUV is far from an off-roader, even in Peak Edition trim. Big wheels and just 6.3 inches of ground clearance make it little more capable than an AWD minivan. 

How fast is the Volkswagen Atlas?

The turbo-4 pushes 269 hp and 273 lb-ft of torque to the wheels through a smooth 8-speed automatic. While not exactly rapid, the portly, 4,500-pound-or-so Atlas runs to 60 mph in a reasonable 7.5 seconds with all-wheel drive. Curiously, front-drive models are slower. 

The turbo-4’s best asset is its decent passing power thanks to a broad torque curve. It works best in Sport mode, where the transmission helps keep revs higher to alleviate a hint of off-throttle turbo lag. Convenient paddle shifters are most helpful for descending grades.  It’s also a quiet operator due to extensive sound deadening. 

The Atlas can tow 5,000 pounds when fitted with the available trailer hitch.

With all that mass, it’s no surprise that the 2025 Atlas smothers pavement. In fact, we’re surprised that it doesn’t leave ruts in its wake. It rides quite nicely, though the available 21-inch wheels can be too jiggly compared to the more common 20-inchers. Impact absorption is one thing, but the Atlas also has a decidedly composed overall feel, with limited lean in cornering. VW-typical ultra-light steering makes it nimble around town but leaves things feeling a bit vague on center at highway speeds. 

The Cross Sport doesn’t drive differently enough to merit a rating change. 

The second row can easily accommodate three average adults. Available captain’s chairs are just about as comfy as row one, with decent space between for squeezing into the third row. The best way to get back there is to flop one of the middle seats forward, though. Once back in row three, you’ll find enough room for two adults or three kids to easily handle around-town jaunts. Third-row headroom isn’t great, but this is still one of the best SUVs on the market today for handling three rows of passengers. 

Cross Sport models are just as comfy in row two.

The three-row Atlas has an impressive 21 cubic feet of cargo space behind row three, which mushrooms into a hefty 55.5 cubes with those seats folded before maxing out at 97 cubic feet. 

Cross Sports have 40.3 cubic feet of space behind the rear seat, though there’s less room for tall items due to the rear window that slopes downward. 

The Atlas has a nice cabin now, with good overall materials and a blend of faux wood trim scattered about. Standard synthetic leather gives way to real hides on higher-end trims. Though top Atlas models don’t quite match the most opulent Hyundai Palisade, they’re not too far off the mark.  

All Atlas models have automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitors, and active lane control. A surround-view camera system comes on higher-end versions. 

Note that Cross Sport models are outfitted about like three-row Atlases, but they cost $1,000 more. 

The standard infotainment system is loaded up with features but can be menu-intensive for some functions. More frustrating are the touch-sensitive climate controls below. VW has started phasing these out in favor of conventional buttons on some models, and we hope the Atlas will follow. 

Which Volkswagen Atlas should I buy?

The base SE is likely fine, though about $4,000 for the SE Technology package with its power tailgate, parking sensors front and rear, remote start, tow hitch, and additional USB ports (including one near the rearview mirror for a dash camera) may make sense. You can also add second-row captain’s chairs for $700. 

A loaded-up SE Technology likely makes more sense than the $5,000 costlier Peak Edition that mostly features styling tweaks. We’d spend instead for the $50,000 SEL with its leather seats and head-up display. 

How much is a fully loaded Volkswagen Atlas?

The range culminates at about $54,000 in the top SEL R-Line, which has sportier exterior styling, 21-inch wheels, nicer leather, Harman Kardon audio, and a surround-view camera system.