The Atlas Cross Sport concept brings some style and flair to the Volkswagen display at the 2018 New York International Auto Show, and it should continue to do so once production versions start appearing in 2019. We obviously like the three-row Volkswagen Atlas — it won our 2017 Three-Row SUV Challenge and our Best of 2018 award — but it’s certainly not a radical styling departure. In fact, you might even say the exterior is a bit basic.
Related: More 2018 New York Auto Show News
With the Atlas Cross Sport, Volkswagen is attempting to remedy that and expand the Atlas line. Sacrificing the third row for a raked rear windscreen, the Atlas Cross Sport has the sporty style that the current production Atlas is lacking. Twenty-two-inch wheels fill the large wheel wells but likely won’t make it to the production version — although the current Atlas is available with 20-inch wheels, so it isn’t out of the realm of possibility.
The interior is close to production-ready, with a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster and a pair of screens for infotainment and climate control in the center console, as part of a look that seems borrowed from luxury subsidiary Audi.
