2024 Volkswagen Atlas Review Update
What Owners Say About the Volkswagen Atlas - Find the best Volkswagen Atlas deals!
Photo: Perry Stern
The Volkswagen Atlas competes in the Upper Midsize SUV market segment. According to data collected from verified new-vehicle buyers for the J.D. Power 2022 Automotive Performance, Execution and Layout (APEAL) Study, 50 percent of new Volkswagen Atlas buyers are male (vs. 52 percent for the segment), and the median age of a new Atlas buyer is 46 years (vs. 52).
As part of the APEAL Study, owners rated the Atlas in 10 primary categories. Listed below in descending order, you’ll find their preferences, from their most favorite thing about the vehicle to their least favorite:
- Exterior styling
- Driving feel
- Feeling of safety
- Interior design
- Getting in and out
- Driving comfort
- Setting up and starting
- Powertrain
- Infotainment
- Fuel economy
In the 2022 APEAL Study, the Atlas ranks ninth out of 15 Upper Midsize SUV models.
What Our Independent Expert Says About the Volkswagen Atlas - Find the best Volkswagen Atlas deals!
In the following sections, our independent expert analyzes an Atlas SEL Premium R-Line equipped with the following options:
- Aurora Red Metallic paint
- Titan Black leather with silver underlay
- Second-row dual captain’s chairs
The test vehicle’s price was $54,895, including the $1,350 destination charge.
Exterior Styling
Photo: Perry Stern
The updated front-end styling is the most noticeable change for the 2024 VW Atlas. The SUV’s grille features a wide 4-bar design framed by LED headlights with now-standard adaptive lighting. LED daytime running lights wrap around the headlights, connecting to an LED light bar that spans the width of the grille. A new front fascia with integrated air intakes adds to the wide stance, and a lighted VW logo completes the look.
For the 2024 refresh, Volkswagen added a larger rear spoiler to the Atlas, which extends the roofline and gives the big SUV a sleeker profile. The rear lighting mimics the signature front lights, including the LED bar across the vehicle and the illuminated VW logo. New wheels are also available for all trim levels.
Upgraded Interior
The 2024 Atlas gets a fresh look inside with extensive use of premium materials, including a leatherette-trimmed soft-touch lower dashboard and center console. The front door trim flows into the dash, giving the cabin a spacious feel. Top-level trims can also get quilted leather seats featuring a stylish diamond pattern.
Adding to the premium style is available ambient lighting with 30 available colors. The selected color illuminates all cabin areas, also changing the color theme of the infotainment display.
The Atlas features plenty of storage space in the cabin, with room for small items behind the cupholders and a larger area at the front of the center console that features dual USB ports and a wireless charger. Volkswagen also redesigned the center console, taking advantage of the shift-by-wire gear selector with a sizable storage area underneath. The new Atlas also features a USB port near the rearview mirror, ideal for plugging in a dash cam or GoPro.
Volkswagen continues to offer the Atlas with three rows of seating, with the option of a bench seat or captain’s chairs in the second row. All seating positions are surprisingly roomy; even those relegated to the third row enjoy good legroom and headroom. Each row features multiple cupholders as well as USB ports, providing charging options for all seating positions.
The 2024 Atlas also gets plenty of cargo space, with a sizable 20.6 cubic feet behind the third row for a few small bags. Folding the third row is simple, opening up more than 55 cubic feet of space. The second-row seats fold flat for hauling extra-large items.
Interior Tech
Photo: Perry Stern
Volkswagen’s new 12-inch infotainment display comes standard on every 2024 Atlas. The large screen seems to float above the dashboard and provides a clear, easy-to-read display with large icons for the infotainment system with quick response. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, with a simple setup and a wireless connection.
Like many car companies, Volkswagen is moving to a completely digital interface with virtually no physical buttons. The essential climate functions like seat heating/cooling and dual-zone cabin temperature are accessible via soft-touch controls or static on-screen shortcuts. All other climate features require navigating to a deeper menu.
Volume control is a soft-touch slider at the base of the screen, which is challenging to use, especially while driving. I’d much prefer a typical volume knob, which is much more intuitive.
All variants of the 2024 Atlas get the new 10.25-inch driver display featuring Volkswagen’s Digital Cockpit Pro. Completely configurable, the display features multiple views, including a full-screen navigation display overlayed by the speedometer and tachometer. The new Atlas is also available with a head-up display that also shows navigation instructions, even if they are coming from Android Auto.
Advanced Safety
For the 2024 model year, Volkswagen adds additional safety features throughout the Atlas lineup. All Atlas variants come standard with IQ.Drive, VW’s suite of advanced driver assistance systems. IQ.Drive includes the expected batch of features like automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic warning, lane-keeping assistance, and adaptive cruise control.
Volkswagen’s Travel Assist is also standard, utilizing adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assistance for semi-autonomous hands-on driving. A capacitive steering wheel ensures the driver’s hands remain on the wheel. The system worked quite well for me, although the steering needed additional assistance for tighter corners.
During my drive, I found the lane-keeping assistance in everyday driving to be overly aggressive, constantly correcting my steering. In some cases, there were patches in the road that the system read as lane lines and tried to steer the Atlas away from them. Ultimately, I had to turn the system off, as managing it was challenging.
The 2024 Volkswagen Atlas gets the highest-possible 5-star overall safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). As of this writing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) has yet to rate the crashworthiness of the updated Atlas.
New Engine
Every 2024 Volkswagen Atlas comes standard with a new turbocharged, 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine that delivers 269 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque. The new engine comes with an 8-speed automatic transmission. Towing capacity remains at 5,000 pounds.
While the new engine is smaller than the outgoing V6 power plant, horsepower is similar, and torque increases by 28 percent. According to VW, the updated Atlas can reach 60 mph slightly quicker than the previous version. Further, VW says Atlas models equipped with AWD complete this task in 7.5 seconds.
During my drive in the 2024 Atlas, I found the big SUV somewhat slow off the line. Making a left turn onto a busy road was concerning as the Atlas didn’t move as quickly as I expected, taking a moment for the power to arrive. While the Atlas is slow from a stop, the performance improves once the vehicle is moving, and that additional torque is more noticeable. Accelerating from 40 mph results in a smooth, quick downshift and robust power delivery.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the updated 2024 VW Atlas at 20 mpg city/27 mpg highway/23 mpg combined for the FWD model. Fuel economy for the Atlas SE 4Motion AWD drops by one mpg with the new Peak Edition rated at 20 mpg combined. During my drive in the Atlas SEL 4Motion, primarily on the back roads around Catskills, NY, the trip computer registered just 16 mpg.
Atlas Peak Edition
Photo: Perry Stern
Over the last few years, Volkswagen has shown a few renditions of an Atlas Basecamp concept at auto shows. The Basecamp concept portrays the Atlas as a rugged, off-road SUV. For 2024, VW is building a production Atlas based on those concept vehicles, but this one is called the Peak Edition.
The Atlas Peak Edition stands out with a rugged front fascia with silver underbody cladding. Two chrome strips cross the blacked-out grille, intersected by the illuminated VW logo. Adorning the doors is a black Peak Edition badge with the Peak Edition logo in orange. The mirrors, window surrounds, and roof rack are all black. At the rear, “ATLAS” displays in black chrome. Eighteen-inch black alloy wheels fitted with all-terrain tires complete the rugged outdoorsy look.
Special treatment for the Peak Edition continues inside with black leatherette seats featuring gray accents and orange stitching. The Peak Edition badge seen outside is also on the steering wheel clip. Black metallic trim is on the doors and dashboard for a unique look.
The opinions expressed in this review are the author’s own, not J.D. Power’s.
No portion of these reviews may be reproduced, distributed, publicly displayed, or used for a derivative work without J.D. Power’s written permission. © 2024 J.D. Power
You are now subscribed to the J.D. Power Cars Newsletter.
