2027 Volkswagen Atlas Up Close: Please Welcome the Lovely New Biguan

What Car Shoppers Need to Know

• Volkswagen’s second-generation 2027 Atlas is a grown-up Tiguan SUV, featuring similar styling but more room, more seats, more capability and more amenities.
• The changes bring an upscale, high-tech vibe to the new Atlas, but a reliance on touchscreen controls could still hold it back from true greatness.

Two years ago, a mildly updated version of the 2024 Volkswagen Atlas came in a strong second place in our big 2024 3-Row SUV Challenge. We called it 98% fantastic and 2% deal breaker — and that 2% had to do with the absolutely abominable operation of the Atlas’ multimedia system; the thing was so inscrutable that just figuring out how to manually change radio stations involved two veteran automotive journalists sitting in the front seats for 20 minutes, Googling for solutions and ultimately finding a YouTube video to show us how to do it. Insane.

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Fast forward to today, and VW has unveiled the second-generation Atlas at the 2026 New York International Auto Show, significantly revised for the 2027 model year with a heavily updated platform, new styling, a new interior, more standard equipment, a more powerful engine and — an updated multimedia system. We had a chance to get up close and personal with the new Atlas and are ready to revise our percentages — it might now be 99.5% fantastic, 0.5% iffy. Not deal breaker anymore, just … iffy. Let’s explain.

Nicer Inside, Just Like Tiguan

The changes that Volkswagen has made to the Atlas are straight out of the playbook for those it made to the compact two-row Tiguan for 2025: It’s nicer, with more upscale materials throughout, including genuinely lovely wood trim and two types of leather on high trims. It’s more stylish, with clean surfaces inside and out, sleek lines, well-integrated LED accents, and no bizarre grilles, strange strakes or sci-fi-level fins anywhere. It’s just as comfortable as before, with amazing amounts of room in all three rows, a testament to the skills of VW’s packaging engineers.

The rest of the Atlas interior is a home run, too. It’s incredibly spacious in any row, with even the third row providing comfort for full-sized adults. The adjustable second row allows for plenty of legroom, and drop both of them to get an absolutely massive cargo hold. Materials quality has definitely improved, although the dash and doors don’t feel quite as solid as they do in the Tiguan, likely an effort to reduce weight in the big SUV by thinning things out a bit. The new door handles on the inside of the Atlas are slick, but I also wonder how many children will end up pinching little fingers in them. Making door handles operationally creative isn’t always the best idea for family-oriented vehicles.

But How’s the Multimedia System?

Most importantly on the Atlas, VW has redone the multimedia system to be just like the one we’ve experienced in the latest Tiguan. Most versions of the Atlas will get the big 15-inch screen, which will come on all but the base model of Atlas, unlike the Tiguan, where you can only get the big screen in the top trim. It feels right in the Atlas, though, filling out the wide dash instead of dominating it like it does in the Tiguan. And it’s just as clear to use, easy to navigate, quick to respond and lovely to look at as it is there. A fantastic improvement for the Atlas, but it still relies on having its climate controls integrated into the system, with touch-sensitive sliders for temperature control instead of a dedicated panel of buttons like many competitors have for quick and easy use. We’ll have to see how it pans out when we drive the Atlas, and whether its integration into the touchscreen is a distraction or not. There’s no volume knob up on the screen, but at least there is one. The multifunction volume knob on the center console seems like it would be awkward, but it really isn’t a big deal once you get used to it.

Hopefully the improvements to the Atlas to turn it into a more upscale family mover will keep it competitive with the new flock of nicer, more luxurious family SUVs out there like the new Kia Telluride and Hyundai Palisade. So far, it seems to have the right stuff. All we need to do now is drive it.

More on the Volkswagen Atlas From Cars.com:

• Is the 2024 Volkswagen Atlas a Good SUV? 6 Pros, 3 Cons
• 2024 Volkswagen Atlas Review: Smart Changes (Nearly) Redeem a Former Favorite
• Redesigned 2024 VW Atlas, Atlas Cross Sport Priced From $38,065
• 2024 Volkswagen Atlas, Atlas Cross Sport Receive Top Safety Award
• Which SUVs Can Tow at Least 5,000 Pounds?
• 2024 Volkswagen Atlas Peak Edition Gets Rugged Look, No Significant Functional Upgrades
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