2020 VW Atlas Cross Sport enters the two-row fray

About a year and a half after the concept was revealed, the 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport has been unveiled in production form. It looks quite a bit like the concept, and is pretty much what you would expect of a shortened Atlas. It has a more aggressively raked rear pillar, a deeper, meaner main grille, and the shorter length makes the pumped-up fender arches look even more inflated. Inside, the Cross Sport looks just like a regular Atlas, but with a different steering wheel.

According to Volkswagen, the Atlas Cross Sport is 2.8 inches shorter overall than the three-row Atlas, and it sits 2.3 inches lower. It has the same wheelbase as the bigger model, though, which likely helps it achieve a rear legroom number of 40.4 inches, larger than Jeep Grand Cherokee and Honda Passport. Cargo space is 40.3 cubic feet behind the rear seats and 77.8 with the seats folded, which is very close to the Passport.

Under the hood are two engine options: a 276-horsepower 3.6-liter V6 or a 235-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder. Both are coupled to an eight-speed automatic, and both are available with front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive.

The 2020 VW Atlas Cross Sport goes on sale this coming spring. Final pricing hasn't been announced yet, but during the crossover's reveal, a VW representative said it would be in the $30,000 range. Many crossovers in this segment start in the low $30,000 price range, with a couple sliding in just under that price.