These days, there is controversy surrounding VW interiors. The business totally embraced a brand-new infotainment system, went all-in on a minimalist motif that did away with buttons, and overall appeared futuristic. It was, as you are presumably already aware, not well received.
For many, the interior controls were a deal breaker due to their poor design, which included unlit temperature and volume dials and a sluggish touchscreen user interface. In an effort to make the new interiors more user-friendly, Volkswagen has thankfully now reversed course and is making significant, mostly effective improvements, including the reintroduction of buttons among other “illuminating” additions. Now, you would be assuming that the 2024 Volkswagen Atlas and its two-row Atlas Cross Sport sister would receive the same course-correcting updates, given that they underwent considerable updates for 2024. That wouldn’t be the case because the Atlas was released prior to the first new VW model, which included the ID.7 interface. However, it’s unfortunate that the 2024 Atlas isn’t receiving the new technology while other VW models from the 2024 model year—most notably the ID.4—do.
It’s true that the ID.4 and GTI share a concept and appearance with the updated interiors of the Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport, which feature larger screens, fewer buttons, and a contemporary, minimalistic style. The outcome is a noticeably different cabin, for better and worse, as you can see here. The word “worse” refers to the fact that, while having outdated technology and a smaller touchscreen, the prior cabin was significantly simpler to operate. Importantly, the improvements that made the ID.4 so much better are not received by the Atlas or Atlas Cross Sport. In essence, Volkswagen is preparing for another update, ideally in the near future.
After relaxing into the quilted leather seats of the SEL Premium R-Line, which are genuinely rather nice and stylish-looking, the 12-inch widescreen infotainment system that appears to be hovering on the dash becomes the main attraction. In contrast to earlier iterations of this technology, it responds and boots up quickly. However, it lacks the ID.4’s updated software, home screen, permanently docked band of climate controls at the bottom, and customisable menu shortcuts at the top. The Atlas is on the left, while 2024 ID.4 is on the right, as you can see in the comparison of the two.
The damned climate and radio controls built into the panel beneath that screen, I would contend, were the biggest sin. You cannot truly see what you are meant to run your finger over at night because they are not illuminated. Even if you can see the ID.4, upgraded 2025 GTI, and new ID.7 have those lighted, it still makes it extremely difficult to rapidly adjust the slider volume or adjust the cabin temperature. Making the user drag their finger back and forth on a tiny touch target is still rather unfriendly, especially when they’re moving. You’ll soon discover that unintentional inputs occur significantly more frequently than they ought to. Even the heated and cooled seat controls are a little awkward to use because they are always tucked into the bottom-left corner of the touchscreen, which is inconvenient for the passenger, and they lag a little when the car first starts up. Once more, the Atlas lacks something, however this was fixed with the system upgrade.
And, yes, the defrost buttons are located under the headlamp touch controls, which are naturally located to the left of the steering wheel, in case you were wondering. Once more, finding that location is just needlessly challenging, particularly if you’re driving and need to rapidly get defrost power. I could almost accept this positioning if it were a button that could be located simply by touch alone, but as-is, no thanks. Making it a touch control means that the driver must physically glance at the control panel in order to press it out of concern that they will brush up against the headlight control. Oh, and in case you were wondering whether the defrost controls on the upgraded infotainment system migrate back to their proper location, the answer is no.
At the very least, the new center console for the Atlas is a huge design improvement. Many usage improvements have resulted from swapping out the tall gear lever for a little toggle nub, chief among them being the spacious storage beneath the floating panel. It appears ideal for holding a little takeout order, a purse, or any other objects you would not want to fly all over the place in the automobile. It’s also nice to have the additional features, which include large cupholders, 45-watt USB-C ports for quick charging, and a secure wireless phone charger. Sadly, the area beneath the touchscreen—which was once home to practical knobs and buttons—is now just utilized for air vents and touch controls that quickly toggle to display menus on the tablet.
However, speaking of air vents, the Atlas’s front side vents are also a really nice improvement. With their dual-stacked design, you can direct airflow in several directions, such as one direction toward the window and another toward your face, or in any other preferred arrangement.
The steering wheel, which is the course-correcting modification the Atlas did receive, is another significant plus. In fact, VW completely dodged the issue because the Atlas was never equipped with VW’s touch-capacitive steering wheel controls. Its abundance of tactile actual buttons offsets some of the shortcomings of the infotainment control and makes it easy to operate. For instance, any owner will probably discover that they are limited to using the steering wheel controls for volume and navigation. The wheel also houses the controls for the 10.25-inch digital cluster. Although they require some practice to use, they are simple to use once you get the hang of them. Since most new cars come equipped with two or more large displays, I think it would be great to see more manufacturers offering the option to customize their infotainment system and gauges in addition to the virtually limitless color schemes VW offers.
Fans of imitation wood trim will be happy to see that it has been replaced with an elegant piece on the dash that glows in the dark (above, bottom right). Although the piano black plastic that has been splattered all over the dash and surrounding the center console is really detrimental to long-term reliability, crisp images with it appear nice.
Aside from the interfaces, the Atlas Cross Sport is still the stylish and practical SUV it was prior to the redesign. This indicates that it boasts an incredibly roomy back seat with a convenient reclining feature for even more relaxation. The fully equipped vehicle I was driving has heated rear seats as well, and this tester’s Aurora Red Metallic paint looks great with the black and white two-tone leather. When paired with the blue paint option, the interior option with the blue accented chairs (shown above, top row) would look great.
The interior of the Atlas Cross Sport may also be summed up in a word: awful and good. The new design has a lot going for it, but it also has a number of frustrating elements that ruin what could be a rather appealing choice. It has an excellent exterior, a powerful turbo-four-cylinder engine, and is all around a fun SUV to drive. Regretfully, similar to the ID.4, its interior control difficulties may prove to be deal-breakers. Even before Volkswagen began receiving such loud criticism about the new interior direction and developed the initial set of changes, it appears likely that the Atlas update was well along. It’s still disheartening, though, that the 2024 Atlas appears and is not only inferior to the pre-refresh model in several aspects, but also inferior to a number of other 2024 VW vehicles.
