Coachella Adventures in the 2025 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 2.0T SEL Premium R-Line
It’s always a beautiful view in Palm Springs, CA, but Volkswagen knows how to add a color pop. Totally my flavor!
Volkswagen gave me this press loan for a week in exchange for my 100% honest thoughts on their SUV. All opinions are my own.
For the desert fun that awaited, this was not a mirage: the 2025 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport in Kingfisher Blue Metallic made my first Coachella a memorable one. I flew into Palm Springs, CA, and this trip needed the perfect adventure SUV for the drive to our group’s Airbnb about 40 minutes away.
Shout out to DriveShop USA for bringing it curbside and making the pickup seamless and easy. And of course, I did not plan it, but I color coordinated somehow by the powers of the universe my luggage with the VW Atlas Cross Sport. Starting at $52,195, I could see how this 2-row version of the 3-row Atlas is sportier, luxury-focused, and thoughtful with its storage and connectivity.
I’m obsessed with this sporty, luxury midsize 2-row SUV, and its bountiful cargo space. But with its tech upfront on the multimedia system and comfort on the go with luxe seating, I found myself falling in love with how it could fit into my drive even beyond this California dream trip.
Here are the top 5 features I loved and made the 2025 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport feel like my home away from home on wheels.
Ready for the next big drive together in the 2025 VW Atlas Cross Sport
Exterior Style and Function: You’ve Got to Have a Standout and this Color is Everything!
Sitting on 21” machined alloy wheels with all-season tires, this gorgeous standout paint color is Volkswagen’s Kingfisher Blue Metallic. Late last year, I enjoyed driving with VW in San Antonio, and enjoyed the boldness of VW Taos’ Bright Moss Green Metallic. Of course, it was love at first sight when I set my eyes on this stunning, jewel-toned VW Atlas Cross Sport.
Upfront the lines across the hood create a nice overall face and stance, while there is an illuminating light bar and emblem on the front grille. The adaptive front lighting system with its dynamic cornering lights are crisp, especially at night when you need them the most, and the interior even has multi-color adjustable ambient lighting to match its nighttime lighting and mood intensity. I also love the black grille design and truly gives it an edge, but with just enough sophistication for this sporty-meets-posh 5-seater.
It’s super easy to live with a power lift gate, but with a hands-free easy open and close option to remotely open it? Even better. And once inside, I didn’t care how bright it was outside. I knew I had to take in the views of the mountains and palm trees through the power tilting and sliding panoramic sunroof.
A Thoughtful Interior from the Colors, Materials, and Seating Comfort
At first glance, the woven-like material on the door panels looks like carbon fiber and has storage for your favorite reusable bottles on the go. The seats instantly caught my eyes with the Titan Black and Blue Underlay. It coordinates the blue throughout and adds that touch of true attention to detail for me, and the comfort is there, too.
The front seats are both 8-way power adjustable with lumbar and driver side memory, so I could get the perfect seat adjustments the way I like it. When I sat in the back to get a different perspective, I could see the legroom is spacious, there is a vent in the back, and connectivity in case you’d need a charge on the drive.
And for a trip to the desert, having heated and ventilated seats allows me to adjust to the fluctuating weather in the day and night. Both the driver and passenger seats can enjoy the dual-zone climate control and the advanced air filter came in clutch for the windy weather kicking up all sorts of things in the air.
If I had this SUV at home, I know my husband would prefer the massaging seat feature on the tollway. This 2-row SUV has a lot of interior considerations I would like to bring into my Dallas drives.
Never a dull moment in this sporty, luxury SUV from Volkswagen.
Powerful, Sporty Luxury with a Range That Makes Driving Efficient and Fun Again
The 2025 VW Atlas Cross Sport has a 4Motion 2.0L Turbo engine and 8-speed automatic with Tiptronic outputs 269 horsepower. When you need to change lanes or accelerate to adjust to the changing speed limits like entering the highway, the torque is responsive and the drive feels effortless. It’s easy to get that power down, no delay, and you don’t even feel like you’re driving fast so you do have to watch your speed. (It’s efficient, and we love that for us.)
The fuel economy served me well: 21 combined, 19 city, and 26 on the highway. With Coachella only a few blocks down the street, I only drove on one tank of gas the entire time. How? Well, with 409 miles to empty, there was a lot of driving opportunity between the airport, house, and Coachella. I returned it to the airport for the curbside pickup at around 230 miles to empty to spare. The overall city range for driving is around 353 miles and highway range is around 483 miles. This varied for me, since we did a healthy mix of both.
I honestly do not know how anyone could make the trip out to Indio from the airport without their own vehicle. The 2025 VW Atlas Cross Sport did not disappoint, especially with the amount of driving I had to do to and from the airport, the grocery store for food, and the event itself each day. It was a lot of driving, but this sporty, luxurious SUV did the trick. I felt fatigued more from the heat and wind and the drive was the refuge from it all.
Tech You’ll Love to Make the Drive A Thrill and Sanctuary
I am not local, so the multimedia system helped me navigate through Palm Springs, onto the highway, and headed for Indio, CA. On the 12” screen, I set up Apple CarPlay with my iPhone and destination set on Maps, and I couldn’t believe how easy the drive felt with the adaptive cruise control and everything in my field of view. From the head-up display to the safety features, I could enjoy the scenery and fest vibes while staying the course and safely making my way to my destination.
For a music fan like me, and while here for Coachella, I had to test out the Harman Kardon premium audio system. Lady Gaga songs on repeat? You know it! This little monster had the panoramic sunroof open and I sang at the top of my lungs. Hey, sometimes you have to enjoy the little things on solo drives.
Speaking of tech, there are 4 USB-C ports, and they’re fast charging at 45W! And as a driver, it is convenient to place your phone down on the wireless charger so everything is in its right and safe place.
The camera system is clear and the views around the VW Atlas Cross Sport were impeccable. I had alerts to ensure I parked within my field of view and inside the lines without a struggle. It may appear like a big SUV and feel intimidating, but for little me, it did not overwhelm me. It allowed me to relax and enjoy the drive by taking out the added pressures because I had more angles in view.
Extra Cargo Space Over 3 Rows? I’ll Take It.
After spending a week here, I was sad to say goodbye. Packing for my trip back to the airport, the cargo space did right by me. I could fit my large and medium luggage with my backpack comfortably with plenty of room to spare.
I know some would prefer a third row, but for me, I have a small family and prefer having more space for all of the potential home projects that could sprout up. And road trips anyone? I always want to be ready. (The luggage looks great back here, right?)
You look so good in blue.
Budget-Friendly, Attainable Luxury has Me Sold with the VW Atlas Cross Sport
It’s affordable luxury, where you feel comfortable, the features make the drive convenient, and you feel satisfied that you’re not just getting from point A to point B haphazardly. The 2025 VW Atlas Cross Sport SEL Premium R-Line gives you the sporty handling you know and love, but it gives you the space to enjoy the drive with the ones you love and stay charged to capture those special moments on the road safely and tech-focused as possible.
Until next time, see you on the next drive.