2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport is swanky and full of substance

Even if Volkswagen hadn't already explicitly said it was building one, it was inevitable that the brand would jump on the coupeover bandwagon. It's doing so with the new Atlas Cross Sport, revealed Friday, which is essentially a regular Atlas with a sloping roof and only two rows of seats. 

The Cross Sport is 2.8 inches shorter and 2.3 inches lower than the regular Atlas, but it rides on the same wheelbase. 

Despite the reduced length and raked rear hatch, the Cross Sport doesn't lose much in terms of practicality.

The Cross Sport's 40.3 cubic feet of luggage space behind the rear seats is shy of the standard Atlas' 55.5 cubic feet, but a good deal better than the 20.6 cubic feet that the three-row Atlas has with all seats up. 

Beyond the shorter body and raked rear glass, there are some notable styling differences from the full-size Atlas, almost all of which I expect to make their way to the the regular Atlas when a facelift inevitably comes about.

There is a new three-bar chrome grille, headlights with a unique light signature, front and rear bumpers with different designs, the hood is more sculpted, the taillights are new, and the Cross Sport gets additional chrome exterior trim. 

New bits of design on the inside include a different steering wheel and some available accent stitching for the seats and door panels. 

There are some new convenience features like wireless charging, and the Cross Sport comes with niceties such as heated and ventilated seats, a digital gauge cluster and a 12-speaker Fender audio system. 

Like the regular Atlas, the Cross Sport will be available with either a 235-horsepower, turbocharged, four-cylinder engine or a 276-hp, naturally aspirated V6; both engines use an eight-speed automatic transmission. 

Pricing for the Cross Sport has yet to be announced, but expect a starting price pretty close to the standard Atlas' $31,890 base figure. The 2020 Atlas Cross Sport will go on sale next year.

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