2025 Volkswagen Atlas Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Volkswagen offers the 2025 Atlas in five trim levels: SE, SE with Technology, Peak Edition, SEL, and SEL Premium R-Line. The Atlas Peak Edition is the one that looks like it can go off-roading, while the SEL Premium R-Line is the sporty-looking one with the most standard equipment. A five-passenger version, known as the Atlas Cross Sport, is also available. It offers a more rakish-looking design but is otherwise similar to the three-row Atlas discussed in this review.

Base prices range from $38,200 to $53,205, not including the destination charge of $1,425. For this test drive, VW provided an Atlas SEL Premium R-Line in new-for-2025 Mountain Lake Blue with a Shetland Beige leather interior. Since VW’s 4Motion all-wheel-drive (AWD) system is standard with this trim level, it had no options, bringing the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) was $54,630 with the destination charge. That aligns with the top-trim prices of the Atlas’s competitors.

Thanks to its polished aluminum detailing, front and rear light bars, and sizable 21-inch wheels with a machined finish, allowing you to see the appealing 10-spoke design, the Atlas SEL Premium R-Line looks impressive. It has a chiseled, muscular, upscale appearance that has aged remarkably well. Additionally, for whatever reason, Mountain Lake Blue appears to resist looking dirty, concealing the dust and debris that is easily visible on darker blue hues.

The premium look and feel continues inside, with diamond-stitched leather, metallic accents, and artificial wood creating a warm and inviting environment. Digital instrumentation and a large infotainment touchscreen, each with appealing graphics, promise a high-tech experience.

Volkswagen also largely resists its recent urge to add touch-sensing controls rendered in reflection-prone, gloss-black plastic. Unfortunately, two of the most commonly adjusted features in any vehicle—temperature and stereo volume—are touch-sensitive. While we didn’t test their efficacy while wearing gloves, they weren’t particularly satisfying to use without them. So we can only imagine that won’t improve when winter sets in. Knobs, please.

Until the 2024 model year, the Atlas offered a choice between a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine and a narrow-angle 3.6-liter V6, what VW called a VR6. With the last model year’s refresh, a new turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine replaced both of them, making more torque and promising better fuel economy than the retired V6. An eight-speed automatic transmission is still standard, with front-wheel drive (FWD) or the aforementioned 4Motion AWD system.

At the time, this seemed like a bad idea. With 269 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque, the tiny power plant nestled into the huge Atlas’ cavernous engine bay seemed overmatched in an eight-passenger SUV with a 5,000-pound tow rating. However, a year later and with some experience driving Atlas rivals with turbo-fours, we’ve made our peace with VW’s decision.

For starters, the Atlas’ engine is far more refined than the (admittedly more powerful) food blenders General Motors is installing in the Buick Enclave, Chevy Traverse, and GMC Acadia. The Volkswagen Group knows how to engineer quality turbocharged fours, and the one in the Atlas is similar to the base engine in the more luxurious Audi Q7.

Additionally, once you teach yourself how to surf the engine’s generous maximum torque curve between 1,600 rpm and 4,500 rpm, you’ll find it satisfying for most daily-driving tasks. Selecting Sport mode also helps, and adds a pleasing engine note to the acceleration. Predictably, though, it has a negative effect on fuel economy.

We tested the Atlas on our mountainous Southern California evaluation loop, on a sunny 81-degree day with low humidity but relatively heavy city traffic conditions, primarily using the Comfort driving mode. It returned 15.5 mpg on the urban portion of the route and 19.2 mpg over the entire 70+ miles driven. The official EPA ratings are 18 mpg city and 21 mpg combined.

Moving on, and more disappointing than the engine’s modest acceleration and lackluster efficiency, is the ride quality. We’ve always thought Atlas models with the largest wheel and tire combination lacked impact isolation, and that remains true of the 2025 model. The suspension of our SEL Premium R-Line test model felt brittle and fragile over smaller and sharper road surface anomalies, such as cracks and holes in the pavement. When traveling over speed bumps at 15 mph, shock waves traveled through the SUV’s structure as though VW had crafted it of al dente pasta.

Unfortunately, that trait pairs with excessive body motions at highway speeds, contributing to wallowy and woozy ride sensations. Traveling the 405 freeway through West Los Angeles with four people and their luggage aboard, the Atlas wobbled around like a junior-level executive armed with a corporate credit card at an Embassy Suites bar.

With all of that said, the VW’s handling proved utterly predictable on mountain roads; the Bridgestone Alenza all-season tires were the weakest dynamic link on Mulholland Highway. Driving in Sport mode kept the engine and Tiptronic transmission alert while adding some heft to the relatively light steering. The brakes resisted rumble, vibration, and fade under duress. And while the excess body motions remained undesirable, the Atlas didn’t unexpectedly toss its weight around.

Form and function are where the Atlas shines brightest. This SUV is designed for carrying people in comfort and features what is perhaps the most comfortable third-row seat in its class. Not only that, but the cargo area is downright cavernous. So, if hauling people and their stuff is high on your agenda, the Atlas is ready to serve.

Starting with the front seats, the SEL Premium R-Line model’s heated, ventilated, and massaging buckets are comfortable and supportive, but the leather feels slightly stiff. Outward visibility is excellent, with each hood corner visible, large side mirrors, and nesting third-row head restraints that provide a clear view to the rear. These qualities, combined with a surround-view camera system, make the Atlas easier to park than expected, given that it feels like a full-size SUV from behind the wheel.

The second-row bench seat comfortably accommodates three adults of average size. Two larger and taller people will also fit without any trouble, thanks to the significant leg-, foot-, and headroom. The seat cushion feels a little low, but sufficient thigh support and a proper backrest angle make that a non-issue, and passenger get their own climate-control panel and air vents. Overhead, there is a sizable panoramic sunroof. Overhead touch-sensing controls operate the sun shade and the portion of the glass that opens, but this isn’t problematic because those are single-swipe operations. There is no need to fine-tune your inputs, like with the temperature and volume settings.

Access to the third-row seat is outstanding. Clearance between the roof pillar and second-row seat is generous, and once you’ve effortlessly stepped in, you’ll discover a third-row bench seat that sits high enough off the floor to provide adequate leg support. People in the second row have plenty of room, allowing them to slide forward to provide sufficient legroom for longer trips.

Storage space is commendable in all three rows of seats, nicely finished and practically shaped and sized. Our giant 32-ounce water bottles tucked into the lower door panel bins, second-row riders had multiple storage compartments available to them, and third-row passengers also benefited from storage space and cupholders.

Behind the third row, the Atlas offers 20.6 cubic feet of cargo space. There isn’t much hidden storage under the cargo floor, but recessed trays on either side add utility. The 50/50-split folding third row folds to create a flat floor and 55.5 cubic feet of cargo volume. Fold the second row down to maximize cargo capacity at 96.6 cubic feet. By comparison, the Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, and GMC Acadia are slightly more accommodating of your stuff, but not by much. And that trio of SUVs has less appealing third-row seating areas.

Google Built-in infotainment systems are hard to beat. Alas, the 2025 Volkswagen Atlas doesn’t have that technology. Instead, it uses the VW Group’s homegrown, third-generation Modular Infotainment Toolkit (MIB3) operating system accessible through a 12-inch touchscreen display. Three Car-Net connected service plans enhance the technology.

As previously mentioned, the Atlas doesn’t have traditional stereo and climate controls with knobs and buttons. Instead, everything is embedded into the MIB3 touchscreen except for touch-sensing temperature buttons and a touch-and-slide volume control located at the bottom edge of the infotainment display. Volume and tuning rocker switches are on the steering wheel, but they’re hard to see and easy to forget. Perhaps if we’d remembered they were available, our experience with the Atlas’s MIB3 system would have been more pleasant.

The crux of the problem is that the Atlas lacks a reliable native digital voice assistant. The available system is an extra-cost option, and doesn’t work that well. Using the touchscreen to tune the radio is difficult, and because Volkswagen has cast a radio tuning knob onto the dustbin of history, being able to push the Talk button on the steering wheel and say, “Hey VW, tune to Alt Nation,” could be a sanity preserver. Instead, when trying that command, the MIB3 told us we could not request any music at that time.

Oddly, however, the voice-recognition system did work for some requests. For example, it provided a list of nearby hospitals (and only hospitals) when we urgently said: “I need to go to a hospital!” It also adjusted the cabin temperature when prompted. But when we asked for directions to a Starbucks, the assistant responded with: “Sorry, the system could not connect to the Internet. Please try again later.”

With that said, if you don’t listen to traditional or satellite radio, standard wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto should take care of your needs. Run one of these familiar smartphone integration platforms, and you get a conversational digital voice assistant, navigation, and music streaming from your favorite sources. “Hey Siri, play Stick Figure on Apple Music.” Boom. Done. And the Atlas SEL Premium R-Line’s Harman Kardon audio system is pretty terrific.

Not only that, but those Apple and Android platforms don’t suffer from the MIB3’s weird user-experience glitches. For example, during the evaluation, the SiriusXM radio display showed the same Alt Nation artist and song title for the entire two-hour drive, even though the channel played multiple songs and artists as per usual. When we switched to a different SXM station, the song title and artist didn’t appear at all. Returning to Alt Nation, the same problem persisted as before.

Additionally, it seemed like this technology was too busy trying to predict what we might want to see and use, rather than providing a sensible selection of choices. For instance, when you select Navigation, it doesn’t take you to a navigation map. Instead, you land on a mostly black screen nearly devoid of information. That’s confusing and causes unnecessary driver distraction.

Overall, the Atlas’s native MIB3 infotainment system is not user-friendly, and the sketchy voice recognition system is an inadequate replacement for the non-intuitive user experience and the lack of traditional knobs and buttons. So pair that smartphone and run Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. It will make living with the Atlas significantly more satisfying.

Gathered together under the IQ.Drive umbrella, standard driver-assistance features include: Front Assist, Active Side Assist, Lane Assist, Emergency Assist, and Travel Assist. Additionally, every Atlas features adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go capability and a rear cross-traffic alert system.

Front Assist includes forward collision warning, pedestrian warning, and automatic emergency braking. Lane Assist encompasses lane-departure warning and lane-keep assist. Active Side Assist is a blind-spot monitoring system that can actively try to prevent an unsafe lane change. Travel Assist pairs the adaptive cruise control with lane-centering assist for semi-automated driving assistance on highways. Emergency Assist can detect an unresponsive driver and take action to bring the Atlas to a safe stop.

In addition to IQ.Drive, Volkswagen provides every Atlas buyer with a complimentary five-year subscription to Car-Net Safe & Secure services. It includes automatic crash notification, SOS emergency assistance, information assistance, a stolen vehicle locator, and an anti-theft alert sent through the MyVW app.

We used the IQ.Drive systems extensively. Despite occasional false lane-departure warnings and some Lane Assist confusion when two lanes narrowed to one or one lane expanded into two, nothing about how the Atlas’ safety features behaved caused us to enter the touchscreen’s driving-assistance menu and turn anything off. That’s a surefire mark of driver aids that are accurate, refined, and trustworthy.

The 2025 Atlas earned a five-star overall safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The Atlas was also a 2024 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) “Top Safety Pick,” but updated ratings for 2025 weren’t available at press time.

The 2025 Volkswagen Atlas is price-competitive in its segment and offers added value in the form of a five-year subscription to Car-Net Safe & Secure and complimentary scheduled maintenance for two years or 20,000 miles. However, the four-year/50,000-mile warranty is only slightly better than average and cannot match the lengthy offerings from Hyundai and Kia. Also, the VW’s EPA fuel economy ratings are overly optimistic, especially if you spend a lot of time driving in the city.

Ultimately, the unimpressive observed fuel efficiency, brittle low-speed city ride, soft and wallowing highway ride, aggravating native infotainment system, and use of non-traditional controls were our least favorite things about the 2025 Atlas. We can live with the sometimes winded turbocharged four-cylinder engine. And everything else is pretty terrific, particularly the SEL Premium R-Line’s styling, interior aesthetic, comfort, and cargo space.

Still, aside from those attributes, it wouldn’t be our first choice in this segment. Whether you want a three-row family SUV with dynamic performance (Ford Explorer ST), legit off-roading capability (Jeep Grand Cherokee L), top safety scores (Kia Telluride), great fuel economy (Toyota Grand Highlander Hybrid), genuine luxury (Mazda CX-90), class-leading value (Hyundai Palisade), or simply an intuitive Google Built-in infotainment system (Buick/Chevrolet/GMC), there is a rival superior to the Volkswagen.