New Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport Spied In the U.S.

Volkswagen is currently testing the Atlas Cross Sport in the United States, and despite the camouflage, there’s no denying there will be little difference between it and the Teramont X from China. As opposed to the concept, this test mule features smaller alloy wheels. Their design mirrors the Atlas V6 SEL Premium with 4Motion all-wheel drive.

It’ll be interesting to see if the Atlas Cross Sport will feature the 2.0-liter TSI as the entry-level engine, but the VR6 is better suited for a mid-size utility vehicle. The narrow-angle V6 with 3.6 liters of displacement has 276 horsepower and 266 pound-feet to offer. In the case of the Atlas, this engine is capable of 24 miles to the gallon on the highway and 5,000 pounds of towing capacity.

Competition in this segment is serious, and Volkswagen is facing an uphill battle against the likes of the Chevrolet Blazer. The Ford Edge, Nissan Murano, GMC Acadia, and Honda Passport should be mentioned as well, and pricing-wise, the Atlas Cross Sport won’t come cheap.

Honda is a great example in this regard with the Pilot and Passport. Whereas the Pilot retails at $31,450, the Passport levels up to $31,990 despite the difference in practicality. The Atlas, meanwhile, starts at $30,895 excluding destination charge for the 2.0-liter TSI.

Regardless of engine, front- or all-wheel drive, and trim level, the Atlas ships as standard with the eight-speed Tiptronic automatic transmission. Over in China, the Teramont gets the seven-speed DSG for some reason or another. Both the coupe-styled crossover and family hauler are underpinned by the MQB platform that Volkswagen uses in the Golf, Tiguan, Arteon, and European version of the Passat mid-size sedan (and wagon).

Look forward to the public debut of the Atlas Cross Sport no later than November at the 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show.