2024 brings a significant refresh for one of the better seven-seat SUVs on the market---the Volkswagen Atlas.
A larger, bolder grille up front, a spoiler and a full-width light bar at the rear and new wheel designs are the big news on the outside.
Under the hood, the old 3.5-liter V6 is no more, and the previous Atlas' other engine choice, a 2.0-liter turbo four, has been given more ponies to bridge the gap. It now makes 269 horsepower---34 more than before and only seven less than the V6. There's also a boost in torque, to 273 lb-ft, available over a broader rev range. Mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission, with 4MOTION all-wheel drive standard, the Atlas keeps its 5,000-pound towing capacity and earns a combined city/highway EPA fuel economy of 21 mpg.
Inside, it's a much more modern look, though that means dealing with the touch-sensitive controls you've read me complaining about in the ID.4, the Golf R and the GTI. Materials are nicer in the new generation, and the design allows elements to flow gracefully from one to the next.
The touchscreen is now "floating" rather than embedded in the dash, and has been upgraded to a 12-inch unit. All Atlases get a heated steering wheel, ventilated front seats and a height-adjustable front passenger seat standard.
Our tester was the next-to-the-top SEL. Base price $49,795 including destination. At that price, you also get 20-inch alloy wheels, a trailer hitch, a panoramic sunroof, three-zone automatic climate control, USB charging ports in all three rows, a head-up display, remote engine start and a six-speaker audio system.
Our Atlas had only one extra-cost option---second-row captain's chairs for $695. So the bottom line of the 2024 Volkswagen Atlas SEL adds up to $50,490.
If you'd asked me what to change about the Atlas last year, I would have said the outside and inside needed an update, and that was about it. Volkswagen has delivered. The Atlas tends to fly below the radar of a lot of three-row SUV shoppers, and that's a shame. Maybe that'll change for 2024.
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