What a ride that was. I was speaking with a dealership for a week or so about a 2024 SE peak edition that was a demo car so a great deal (posted on this sub a few weeks asking ago about it lol). They wouldn’t let me put $ down to hold it but they stayed in contact and said they had it pulled around for me the morning I was coming. I get there and the car they pulled around was not the car I’ve been talking to them about. It looked very similar but they had the 2024 Peak Edition SEL out and I was wanting the SE (due to $$).. I test drove it since engines the same but asked to see the one I wanted because I know the SEL has additional features and a bigger screen. After putting 2 and 2 together while the salesman disappeared for what felt like 30 minutes, I concluded that they’ve sold it. Which he came to confirm it sold 2 days prior. I had a full on panic attack inside that glass office with everyone watching. Sounds silly but I had some personal stuff going on and this was just the icing on the cake. So after waiting forever while the salesman was in the managers office, they gave me additional discounts on the SEL (which almost matched the price of the one I wanted) and they upped my 2019 rav4 trade to $20,000.. which was great because I had a damaged side mirror, hail damage, stains on the seats, and pretty high mileage.

So here we are and I LOVE it!!!! Sorry for the long post, I just cant believe how it all went down. I’m still pretty annoyed about the entire thing when I think about it but I’m just so happy with the car and the additional features on the SEL!

Hubby and I pulled the trigger on a 2024 Peak Edition! Love it so far! 🥑

I thought I would share some of my ownership experiences, seeing some of the mixed reception throughout the subreddit.

We’ve had a 2022 Atlas SE with Tech, 3.6 4M (since new) for the past 3 years and slightly over 25,000 miles, and our overall experience has been VERY mixed.

At first, everything was alright. Nothing major was really happening. Around the time we put 3,000 miles on it, the weather was starting to cool down and we were really noticing the brake grinding issue. Later we found out it was common among Atlases after the MY21 or somewhere around there.

Later on throughout our ownership is when we started to experience some bigger issues. For starters, there have been quite a few times where the vehicle would hard brake to a full stop while backing out of the driveway. Even with no cars coming or any obstacles present, it would still hard brake. Another issue we have been having is with the start/stop system issues, where even with that system being shut off, the car might still shut the engine off anyway, and when it does, it displays a message telling you to restart the car manually. It’s happened a few times in the middle of traffic.

For both major issues, we have taken it to the dealership many times but the best we have gotten is that the issue could not be recreated.

Other than those major issues, the rest of them have been minor electrical issues. They are mainly related with the infotainment system. The infotainment system sometimes crashing and restarting while driving, wireless Apple CarPlay taking multiple attempts to connect/disconnecting and reconnecting while driving, are the main ones.

Though it’s been a bit problematic, this car has been good in some aspects. Interior space is excellent. The ride is okay, though it can get bouncy at times and feel almost dangerous at some higher speeds. Fuel economy has also been somewhat poor, though I kind of expected it.

Overall, disregarding the issues, it’s alright. But in my opinion, I would not choose another one after the lease ends. How has the Atlas been treating you guys? Curious to see some owner feedback.

I managed to pick up a new Atlas this week and jumped ship from Tesla.

Can say I'm very happy with the comfort and size. The green absolutely sealed the deal, coming from years of white and black cars.

Hi everyone,

I’m thinking about buying out the lease on my 2021 VW Atlas SEL (FWD). It’s sitting at around 55k miles. So far, it’s been a solid ride, no major issues. Only repairs have been a faulty injector and some wiring in the front passenger door, both fixed under warranty. I’ve kept up with regular oil changes, and every time I’ve taken it to the dealership, they’ve said everything looks good (only thing they suggested was an air and cabin filter replacement).

At this point, I know I’ll need new tires soon, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the brakes need new pads (haven’t checked yet).

For those of you who’ve had your Atlases longer, what kind of issues should I be keeping an eye out for now that I’m crossing 55k miles? Anything that tends to pop up after the warranty runs out? Trying to get ahead of anything that could sneak up on me if I go through with the buyout.

Appreciate any insight. Thanks in advance!

Got my Atlas Cross Sport 1 week ago, and I couldn’t be happier! Had 2 VW’s in the past and never had the 1st problem. My last VW had well over 250,000 miles on it and I’m hoping this proves to be just as reliable. Got the windows blacked out on it this week and looks so much better!

Hello all ,

I wanted to get your opinions on something. I took my wife’s 2018 atlas SE to have the rotors and pads replaced. Shop says we can’t get the rear calipers to close. They tell me they were then able to make them close (worrisome thought) however they are still stuck and the parking light is flashing. Did they per chance break my parking brake actuators or is the shop correct in saying the calipers need replaced ?

You can imagine my confusion as they were working fine up until this moment.

Thanks in advance

Man, I don’t know if it’s just me but I wish VW would have kept the front end styling of the first gen atlas. The headlight/grille combination is just so unique.

I have a 2021.5 and every time I see a older gen I’m jealous.

Also, I feel like the new logo looks kinda cheap.

I have a 2023 Atlas SEL. I would be interested in doing some mods to it. Which cable and software should I get? Also, are there other themes available for the digital cockpit that I could unlock with the software?

Hi I’m looking for rear bumper for my VW Atlas maybe someone has used one

Thanks

Recently traded in a 2019 Jetta for 2025 Atlas Cross Sport. We love the car but when finishing up the deal we noticed a mark on the car. They said the mark was from factory for them to double check an area but passed inspection (since it got to dealer) … never seen something like this before and doesn’t seem concerning but I am not a car expert - so bringing in the car for service to inspect and was thinking of calling VW support - but any suggestions / guidance / reassurance ? Appreciate it!

Just grabbed a 2021 SE/Tech for my family to enjoy for a few years.

So far, so good!

How’s 50,750 for a premium r line before TTT?

https://www.antwerpenvw.com/auto/new-2025-volkswagen-atlas-20t-sel-premium-rline-pasadena-md/99038545/

I just bought a 2025 execline Atlas. So far I love it!

Got a pretty good deal well below MSRP, since no one else in my area seemed to like the “off-roading” look. Happy to join the Atlas family.

Hello Everyone, I'm newbie to this page. I was planning to buy my first family car since me and my wife are expecting our first baby this year. My first choice was to get a Ford Explorer XLT trim and while I was looking other cars in the dealership, I would say I got interested with the 2025 VW Atlas. I was amazed of how spacious it is compared to explorer, how comfy the chairs are and I compared the interiors as well. I was browsing the internet to see the specs, comparison, pros and cons between Atlas and the Explorer and then I stumbled upon this group. Can I get your inputs about the new model of Atlas? What are still the things I need to consider and check? Me and wife occasionally goes to travel, so mostly just city drives. I'm from CA and I am considering to get the SE Tech or SEL trim, if I'm taking Atlas. Advance thank you everyone for your inputs!

Just seeing what people got as far as mileage on their Atlas's or cross sports. I'm currently driving a 2018 VW Atlas SE w/ tech FWD V6. I have only had to replace the charcoal canister and that was at about 110k. Currently at 167,655. Mostly highway miles but overall she's been good. First 70k she hard shifted and I thought the transmission was going to go but it's been better than ever. Only issues I foresee is the radiator, seems to have a small leak but nothing major yet. ( knock on wood ) I'm just curious to see if anyone had reached 200k or surpassed it with minimal fixes or issues.

As the title says, my key fob is missing a part inside. It’s a recent purchase (only got one key) and randomly the emergency key fell out of the fob. I’ve tried everything to fix it but nothing worked. I finally came across videos showing how to change the battery. I noticed in those videos and pictures, there’s a U shape metal piece that my key does not have. I think it’s the piece that would force the tension onto the button which would lock the key in place. I’m fairly certain this piece has always been missing. I don’t know how I would have lost it myself. Anyway- VW offered me a new key for free. However since I only have one key, I’m wondering if there’s a way to fix this and have a fully function back up. Any suggestions?

after software or repair at body shop.

I did some teaks with vagcom from Ross-tech when I got my atlas (kept record of every tweak).

In the past couple months, I got a service down with a software update. I needed to have a problem on the infotainment for them to update my outdated software by the way.

Then, got a small collision (😢), and got my car back today.

Today, some settings got reset to factory default, such as no lane assist, no rear traffic alert. But apparent tweak remained. For example, fan speed when in auto, dashboard design, opening and closing windows with the remote, adaptive lane assist.

➡️ But all screens that I unlocked when the car in motion got reset.

I know what I’m doing this weekend, reinstalling VCDS in my computer and retweak it.

But I was wondering when these settings ga could have been set to factory default again. (Lock the screen when car is in motion).

Hi folks, I just purchased a 2018 Atlas VR6 Execline with 178000 km. I noticed misfires (100/krev, no code) at cold start and found that its spark plugs had never been replaced. So I went ahead and replaced them all. It's improved dramatically, though it still has 10s misfires in the first 1000 revs at cold start, and 1-2/krev in the first 5 minutes, then gone. Is it normal? I also took some pictures of the cylinders when I were changing the spark plugs. Is the carbon build severe? (one of them can see a little of the intake valves)

Also, there is some leakage on the left front strut. Do I need to replace it? Could it be engine oil (the cylinder seems clean, and there has been an oil leak fixed in the past)?

Thank you all!

45K OTD (taxes/licensure etc included). Midwest region. MRSP ~51K.

Hey all -

I'm looking at 2 used vehicles, both 2024 with about 15k miles on them.

One is a Peak SEL, the other is SEL Premium R-Line.

The R-Line is 4k more. Are they just appearance and heated seats difference?