The 2026 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport once again offers a two-row option, sharing many of its three-row sibling’s updates.
While the three-row Volkswagen Atlas has been with us for nearly a decade now, the five-seater Cross Sport joined the lineup a few years later. Each model has influenced the other in the time since, and now the 2027 Atlas Cross Sport is getting many of the same design and technology updates as the three-row version. Up until now, VW has only shared details on the seven-seater Atlas, but this is confirmation that the automaker will continue its one SUV, two flavors strategy at the top end of VW’s lineup.
Fundamentally, the 2027 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport is the same as its three-row sibling from the rear doors forward. That means you get a new and modernized face, an overhauled interior and a more powerful engine. The two share the same 117.3-inch wheelbase, ride on the same MQB Evo architecture, and generally share the same design language with stacked LED headlights and (depending on the model) LED light strips and illuminated badging at the front, as well as more modern-looking LEDs at the back.
The 2027 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport gets a revised 2.0-liter EA888 Evo5 engine, with this new version bringing 13 more horsepower to the equation. That means you get 282 horsepower, though the 258 lb-ft of torque is slightly lower than the outgoing model. Also, like both Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport have since their last 2024 update, the four-pot is your only powertrain. You do get the choice of front- or all-wheel drive, but there’s no VR6, nor does there appear to be a hybrid model on the near horizon.
Official EPA figures have not been published for the updated Atlas Cross Sport just yet. That said, the three-row Atlas does have EPA figures of 25 combined mpg for the FWD version, and 23 mpg combined for the 4Motion AWD models. The Cross Sport should do slightly better, so I’d expect to see somewhere in the mid- to upper-20s for that one.
Changes inside the 2027 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport
Along with the change to the exterior look with the Cross Sport’s more steeply angled roofline and shorter overall length (it’s about 6 inches shorter), there’s also the updated interior. The new, vertical dashboard incorporates a 10.25-inch digital cockpit, as well as some dramatic new ambient lighting that’s available in up to 30 color options on the higher-end models, or 10 on the base trims. A 12.9-inch infotainment display is the new default on base models, though other trims get a larger 15-inch unit as standard equipment.
Other features coming to the new 2027 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport include Qi2-standard wireless phone chargers, five USB-C charging ports, and a revised 12-way ergonomic seat with four-way lumbar adjustment (which I’ve seriously started to value with time and age). From 2027 models onward, buyers will also be able to bundle connected features like navigation, AI-assisted functions and Wi-Fi hotspot capability into a myVW+ subscription.
The 2027 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport will continue to be manufactured in Chattanooga, Tennessee, right alongside the three-row model. Unlike the seven-seater Atlas, though, this five-seater version isn’t actually hitting showrooms until early next year. Specific pricing isn’t available just yet, though the outgoing model did come in ever so slightly cheaper than the “big” Atlas. At any rate, expect prices to start in the lower-$40,000s. The Atlas starts at $43,135…so the Cross Sport may come in around $42K or so.
Check out Roman and Tommy’s walkaround on the new Atlas Cross Sport model below:
