2022 Volkswagen Atlas Reviews, Pricing & Specs

Because Volkswagen made numerous updates to the 2021 Atlas, the 2022 model carries over with minor modifications. The automaker sells the Atlas in four trim levels in Canada: Trendline, Comfortline, Highline, and Execline.

Pricing for the 2022 Volkswagen Atlas ranges from $41,595 to $57,695, plus a $1,950 destination charge to cover the shipping cost from VW’s Chattanooga, Tennessee, factory to your local dealership. Our test vehicle was the U.S. equivalent of the Execline trim, which is the top of the Canadian line-up both in terms of pricing and equipment.

For 2022, the Execline has standard R-Line design elements, including a set of 21-inch alloy wheels with a machined finish. They do a great job of filling out the Atlas’s exaggerated fenders and giving the SUV more of an upscale look. Big and boxy, the VW Atlas is appealing, but we think most of the wheel choices fail to match the SUV’s otherwise bold styling.

Viewed purely from a design standpoint, the interior is excellent, displaying simplicity with a premium flair. However, many of the materials are crafted to a low cost point, and the amount of hard, shiny, and slippery plastic in an SUV that costs almost $60,000 is unacceptable. At a minimum, the storage areas need linings to prevent unwanted noise, vibration, and harshness. Additionally, low-gloss coatings on hard surfaces would help to eliminate what can come across as disappointing quality.

In Canada, the Atlas Trendline, Comfortline, and Highline have a standard turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine paired with standard 4Motion all-wheel drive (AWD). It makes power specs of 235 horsepower at 5,000 rpm and 258 pound-feet of torque starting at 1,600 rpm, but you need to use premium fuel in order to achieve those outputs. An eight-speed automatic transmission distributes the power to the wheels.

We haven’t driven an Atlas turbo, so we cannot comment on whether it makes enough torque to satisfy drivers who may load the SUV with people and cargo. The turbo four’s maximum towing capacity is only 907 kilograms (2,000 pounds), but the Natural Resources Canada fuel consumption rating is 10.6 litres per 100 kilometres in combined driving. Those estimates are lower than for the available V6 engine; just remember that the turbocharged 2.0-litre needs more expensive premium fuel to produce maximum power.

Begrudgingly, we recommend the 3.6-litre V6 engine, which is optional for Comfortline and Highline and standard for the Execline trim. Like the turbo-four, it pairs with an 8-speed automatic and standard AWD.

The V6 makes 276 hp at 6,200 rpm and 266 lb-ft of torque at 3,500 rpm. These are borderline competitive figures in the Atlas’s segment, and while the V6 can tow up to 2,268 kilograms (5,000 pounds), acceleration is leisurely even with just a driver aboard. Plus, this is an old engine design, and the drivetrain has a gritty note and granular feel that adds to the Atlas’s lack of refinement. The fuel consumption estimate is 12.2 L/100 km in combined driving, which aligns with our 12.0 L/100 km test result.

Drivers can choose between Eco, Normal, Sport, and Individual driving modes. Additionally, with the 4Motion AWD system, the Atlas has Active Control calibrations including On-Road, Off-Road, Off-Road Custom, and Snow. The Atlas offers Hill Start Assist and Hill Descent Control systems, too.

To maximize fuel economy, the 4Motion AWD system decouples the rear wheels from the drivetrain until the front wheels slip or you adjust Active Control for specific conditions. Up to half of the engine’s power can flow to the rear wheels. Ground clearance is modest at 18.1 cm for the turbocharged Atlas and 17.9 cm for the Atlas V6.

With a better engine, the Atlas would be more satisfying to drive. The V6 gets the job done, but its lack of power, efficiency, and refinement leads to dissatisfaction. Choosing Sport mode helps make the Atlas feel more responsive, but may also negatively impact your real-world fuel economy. Our 12.0 L/100 km average is the result of using Eco on the highway, Sport in the mountains, and Normal in the city.

Compared to most rivals, the Atlas is bigger inside and out. However, its squared-off hood makes the front corners easy to place, and our test vehicle had all of the cameras and sensors that VW offers on this SUV, making it easier to park and maneuver. Our loaded-up test vehicle also had a semi-autonomous parking assist technology that steers the Atlas into spaces.

As far as the driving dynamics go, the Execline’s 21-inch wheels and short-sidewall tires supply impressive grip on highway ramps and when rounding corners and roundabouts. However, they also transmit smaller and sharper surface bumps and cracks to the cabin in the form of a taut and busy ride. Speed bumps taken at more than a crawl cause the Atlas’s structure to shudder as the suspension attempts to absorb and quell the impact energy. On some road surfaces, too much road noise makes its way into the cabin.

We might be mistaken, but this Atlas’s ride quality felt softer, more compliant, and better isolated than examples we’ve evaluated in the past. Gone is the occasional brittle sensation over larger bumps and holes, replaced by added cushioning against poorly maintained pavement.

If VW has made changes to the suspension tuning, the byproduct is added body float that reminds us of Buicks from decades ago. This trait made itself blatantly evident while driving the Atlas through the mountains, where the SUV bounced, wallowed, and rolled around on its suspension. The Atlas’s handling is fundamentally sound, and the steering and brakes are capable, but an adaptive-damping suspension option is necessary to better control the SUV’s ride motions on undulating pavement.

Given the test vehicle’s expensive wheels, low-profile tires, and limited ground clearance, we did not venture off-road in the Atlas, and we also didn’t test it in the snow. However, again, it is not a terribly sophisticated AWD system in a segment where even the aging Honda Pilot offers a greater ability to split power between axles and provide torque vectoring for improved handling.

Unlike in the U.S., the base Trendline trim still comes with cloth seats in Canada, though they do come heated as standard. From Comfortline, the company’s V-Tex leatherette seating is standard, along with a 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat and a heated steering wheel.

Genuine leather upholstery, a panoramic sunroof, ventilated front seats, and heated second-row seats come with the Highline trim.

Hands down, the best things about the 2022 Volkswagen Atlas are the roomy interior and comfortable seats. This midsize SUV seats seven people in comfort—even providing sufficient head and legroom for adults who are assigned to the rear seats in the third row. Plus, though the Atlas is large, the step-in height is relatively low, making it easy to get into and out. The test vehicle even had rear side-window sunshades to help keep sunlight out of your child’s eyes.

Really, we cannot say enough about how comfortable the Atlas is. It is easily the most accommodating vehicle in its class, and Volkswagen also includes numerous storage areas in which you can stash everything from house keys and sunglasses to smartphones and wet wipes. The problem, unfortunately, is that many of these areas are unlined, so whatever you put in there is going to vibrate and slide around, making a bunch of unwanted noise.

Similarly, cargo space is exceptional. Open the power liftgate using the remote key fob or by waggling a foot under the bumper, and it rises to reveal 583 litres of space behind the third-row seat. It’s usable space, too.

If you’re not carrying more than five people, you can fold the 50/50-split third-row seats down flat to create 1,572 litres of cargo space. Or, for maximum utility, fold the second-row seats down and you’ll have 2,741 litres of cargo volume. All three of these numbers are larger than the full-size Nissan Armada.

For 2022, every Atlas includes the Volkswagen Digital Cockpit instrument cluster as a standard feature. An 8-inch display is standard, and starting with the Highline trim it expands to 10.25 inches and adds different themes, expanded functionality and customization, and the ability to display the navigation map within the gauge cluster.

However, the Atlas Trendline only has a tiny little 6.5-inch touchscreen and last-generation infotainment system. Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, and two USB ports are standard, though. All other Atlases have VW’s next-generation MIB3 infotainment system. With MIB3, the Atlas features an 8-inch touchscreen, multi-device Bluetooth pairing capability, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, wireless charging, SiriusXM satellite radio with a complimentary three-month subscription plan, and Car-Net connected services.

Volkswagen’s Car-Net connected services can manage remote start, Last Parked Location, automatic collision notification, emergency assistance, and Family Guardian alerts related to speed, geographic boundary, curfew time.

Additionally, the MyVW smartphone app provides access to Car-Net services plus roadside assistance, maintenance scheduling, and more. Volkswagen also installs five additional USB ports and includes them in all three rows of seats. A navigation system is standard starting with the Highline trim, while Execline models have a 12-speaker Fender premium audio system that sounds terrific.

As impressive as this is, the user experience isn’t as good as it should be. First, the infotainment system takes quite a while to load when starting. Second, in our experience, tuning a station or two up or down the radio dial it became a three-step process. Unless you’re already on the right screen, you need to reach forward to activate the proximity-sensing menu that appears at the bottom of the touchscreen display, choose the right screen menu, then twist the tuning knob, and then push the tuning knob to actually select the station.

Third, you’ll have trouble using spoken commands to control the navigation system. For example, when we asked for directions to the closest Chipotle, the Atlas thought we wanted a poultry restaurant. On a positive note, it did give us a list of nearby hospitals filtered to include only hospitals and not cosmetic surgery centres and the like.

However, the experience was so hit-and-miss that we recommend using Apple CarPlay or Android Auto and forgetting all about the embedded navigation and voice recognition systems.

Volkswagen offers an impressive list of safety features for the 2022 Atlas. In addition to automatic post-collision braking, which brings the SUV to a stop as soon as possible following a collision, the Atlas Trendline has standard Front Assist, Side Assist, and Rear Traffic Alert.

Front Assist includes forward-collision warning, pedestrian detection, and automatic emergency braking. Side Assist is a blind-spot monitoring system. Rear Traffic Alert is a rear cross-traffic alert system. Choose Comfortline, and the Atlas adds adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go capability as well as front and rear parking sensors with low-speed automatic braking.

The Atlas Highline also gets brighter LED headlights with automatic high-beam operation and an adaptive front lighting system that helps a driver to see around corners and curves. Execline has Area View (a surround-view camera system) and the previously mentioned Park Assist technology.

We sampled as many of these driver assistance features as we could, and have two complaints. First, with five people inside, the Atlas had enough weight aboard that the parking sensors detected the street at the bottom of our driveway as an obstacle and slammed on the brakes, scaring the you-know-what out of every passenger. With only a driver onboard, this wasn’t a problem, though.

Second, the Lane Assist technology had trouble ignoring pavement scars from old construction zones and exit ramps. At one point, Lane Assist interpreted old construction markings as lane paint and tried to swerve onto an exit ramp. Later, on a four-lane divided highway, while driving in the right lane, Lane Assist wanted to follow the right lane marker at exit ramps rather than continue straight.

You also cannot turn off Lane Assist using the infotainment screen. Instead, the Atlas notifies you that, “for your safety,” you are not allowed to disable the function while driving. However, you can use the steering wheel controls and make that change using the proper menu within the digital instrumentation. And from our perspective, this method is even more distracting.

Crash-test ratings are decent, but not class-leading. The 2022 Atlas does not earn a Top Safety Pick rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). In frontal-impact tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), it gets four-star ratings for the driver and front passenger rather than five-star ratings.

Unless you buy a minivan, you cannot get a vehicle with more interior space for passengers and cargo at the Volkswagen Atlas’s price.

Also, every 2022 Volkswagen comes with a 4-year, 80,000-kilometre warranty.

Volkswagen doesn’t offer an electrified powertrain in the 2022 Atlas. They’re still rare in the segment, but the Ford Explorer and Toyota Highlander are available with hybrid powertrains. The Atlas’s turbocharged four-cylinder offers slightly better fuel consumption ratings than our preferred V6, but the premium fuel requirement diminishes the benefit.

There are specific reasons to choose a 2022 Volkswagen Atlas. They include the styling, the interior comfort, the cargo space, and the driving assistance tech. However, the Atlas desperately needs a more powerful and refined engine or an electrified alternative, improved interior materials, and more refined voice recognition and lane-keeping systems. We’d also like to see further suspension tuning changes or an adaptive suspension option.

Volkswagen gets many things right about the Atlas. But there are also several things that cause genuine disappointment in this otherwise excellent crossover SUV. And that prevents it from rising to the head of its class.

Note: Images show a US model.