Volkswagen may be reeling from ongoing sales issues in the U.S. when it comes to its EVs, but SUVs make up over 80 percent of sales in the country with the Atlas bearing the brunt of the sales load to please a growing number of families.

It was no secret though the Atlas was starting to age in some respects and was falling behind. Volkswagen has attempted to address some of the wrinkles with the second-generation Volkswagen Atlas.

Volkswagen’s China connections become more apparent with Atlas

The main changes that the Atlas gets for its second generation lie in its styling but the canvas may be familiar to those who have made a trip to China recently with the SUV sharing its platform and styling with the Chinese market Teramont Pro. This infusion of Teramont DNA gives the Atlas a more refined appearance and newly updated lighting front and rear. Volkswagen says that there are some differences between the two but most of them appear to have been made for the sake of scale and meeting regulations. For example, the Atlas ditches the Teramont’s electric door handles for traditional door handles.

Three new paint colors are making their debut on this version of Atlas; Sacramento Green, Blackberry, and Sandstone though we get to wait until we see all three of these colors in the sunlight to get a better judgment of how they look in real world use.

Teramont also lends goodies to Atlas interior

Slip inside the second-gen Atlas and it becomes apparent Volkswagen wanted to blur the line between itself and Audi with all the upgrades it has given to the interior. A large 12.9-inch touchscreen is standard on the base model but higher trims can be equipped with a bigger 15-inch screen. This screen is also the one in higher grade Tiguans ad that also means your stuck with VW’s haptic slider controls (please get rid of them VW.)

Thankfully, it appears the company has listened to some of these complaints and has given the Atlas a large physical knob. It mainly serves as the volume control, but also like in the Tiguan, it can also be used to select drive and lighting modes with the center of the knob showing different colors depending on which setting is picked. Materials have also been given an upgrade with higher trims getting real wood accents and Nappa Leather upholstery. The dashboard and the door cards also get embedded lighting elements that showoff several distinctive designs.

Four cylinder continues to reign supreme

The outgoing Atlas was defined by four-cylinder power for the latter half of its life, and this strong focus on four-cylinder power continues on in the second-generation Atlas. Like some of the other things here, the engine is also lifted from the Tiguan but the company did give the Atlas a small power boost with power going up to 282 hp. Front-wheel drive is standard on the base model, but optional all-wheel drive is available across the board for those who want four-season capability.

Pricing for the 2027 Volkswagen Atlas has not been released, but look for the model to follow the outgoing model very closely in this regard with lower trims being firmly in the $40,000 range while the more luxury oriented trims being below $56,000. Volkswagen also didn’t confirm whether the Cross Sport would be returning but look for info on that to emerge later.