2025 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 4motion: MPG and fuel economy
The 2025 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 4motion is rated by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency at 21 combined MPG, with 19 MPG in the city and 26 MPG on the highway. That lands well below the average for cars in the Small Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD class in the same model year.
This page collects every fuel-economy figure the EPA publishes for the 2025 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 4motion. Below you will find the headline combined, city, and highway MPG, the estimated annual fuel cost at three different driving levels, the tailpipe CO₂ emissions, and a full breakdown of the engine and drivetrain. If you want to know whether this generation got more or less efficient over the years, the year-over-year table further down covers every model year the EPA has rated.
Key takeaways
- Returns 52% worse combined MPG than the average car in the Small Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD class for the 2025 model year (43.4 MPG class average).
- The most efficient car in the Small Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD class for the 2025 model year is the Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD at 117 MPG.
- EPA estimates this car costs around $3,500 more in fuel over five years than an average new vehicle of the same model year.
Fuel economy at a glance
These are the EPA's official ratings for the 2025 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 4motion. The numbers come from a standardised laboratory test cycle and are the same figures that appear on the window sticker of every new car. Real-world mileage varies with driving style, weather, fuel quality, and how heavily loaded the car is.
Combined MPG is a 55/45 weighted blend of the city and highway test cycles. The EPA uses it as the single number you can compare across the entire dataset, including hybrids and EVs (which use the equivalent MPGe figure).
| Combined MPG | 21 MPG |
| City MPG | 19 MPG |
| Highway MPG | 26 MPG |
| Annual fuel cost | $2,850 |
| Tailpipe CO₂ | 420 g/mi |
| Fuel type | Regular |
How the 2025 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 4motion compares
The 2025 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 4motion returns 21 combined MPG. Cars in the Small Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD class for the same model year average 43.4 MPG, which puts this car behind the class average by about 52%.
The most efficient car in the Small Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD class for the 2025 model year is the Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD at 117 MPG. The bar chart below puts the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 4motion alongside the class best and the class average so you can see the full picture.
For broader context, the average new car of the 2025 model year (across all classes) returns 44.3 MPG. Larger vehicles pull the all-cars average down, so do not use that figure on its own to judge a small car or a hybrid. The full list of the most efficient cars of the 2025 model year is on its own page.
Annual fuel cost across driving patterns
The headline annual fuel cost the EPA publishes assumes 15,000 miles of driving per year and a fuel mix of 55% city and 45% highway. The dollar figure is calculated using the EPA's current reference price for regular gasoline, which is $3.99/gallon. EPA updates that reference periodically rather than tracking live pump prices, so treat it as a window-sticker estimate rather than today's pump number.
The table below scales the EPA's number to three common driving patterns. The combined MPG and the reference fuel price stay constant, only the annual mileage changes. To get a current-prices estimate, take your local gas price and multiply by 714.3 gallons (the car's annual consumption at the rated MPG).
| Driving pattern | Estimated annual fuel cost |
|---|---|
| Light driver, 7,500 miles per year | $1,425 |
| Average driver, 15,000 miles per year | $2,850 |
| Heavy driver, 25,000 miles per year | $4,750 |
Year-over-year MPG for the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 4motion
The EPA has rated the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 4motion across 7 model years, from 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 4motion through 2026 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 4motion. The numbers below are the best combined MPG figure the EPA published for each year, which lets you see when the car was at its most efficient and how recent generations stack up.
Combined MPG has stayed in roughly the same range across the run. The peak rating came with the 2021 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 4motion at 22 MPG.
| Year | Combined MPG | Open year page |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 22 MPG | 2026 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 4motion |
| 2025 | 21 MPG | this page |
| 2024 | 22 MPG | 2024 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 4motion |
| 2023 | 22 MPG | 2023 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 4motion |
| 2022 | 22 MPG | 2022 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 4motion |
| 2021 | 22 MPG | 2021 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 4motion |
| 2020 | 20 MPG | 2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 4motion |
Compare against other Small Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD for 2025
If you are cross-shopping the 2025 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 4motion, the most useful comparison is against the other cars in the Small Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD class for the same model year. The list below shows the highest-MPG peers, ranked from most to least efficient. Click any of them to open its full page.
The Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD leads this group at 117 MPG, 96 MPG ahead of the 2025 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 4motion.
Specifications
The 2025 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 4motion runs a 2-liter 4-cylinder turbocharged engine paired with a automatic (s8), sending power through all-wheel drive.
Engine, transmission, and drivetrain together drive most of the variation in fuel economy across trims. A larger engine moves the car with less effort but burns more fuel. A turbo lets a small engine punch above its weight, often without much MPG penalty. All-wheel drive adds traction and weight, and usually costs a couple of MPG compared with two-wheel drive of the same engine.
- Vehicle class
- Small Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD
- Engine
- 2L 4-cylinder turbocharged
- Transmission
- Automatic (S8)
- Drivetrain
- All-Wheel Drive
- Fuel type
- Regular
- Annual petroleum use
- 14.2 barrels per year
- Start-stop system
- Yes
Common questions about the 2025 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 4motion
Quick answers to the questions people most often search for when looking up the 2025 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 4motion.
-
Is the 2025 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 4motion fuel efficient?
Not particularly. The 2025 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 4motion returns 21 combined MPG, which trails the average car in the Small Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD class for the same model year by about 52%. -
What MPG does the 2025 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 4motion get?
The EPA rates the 2025 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 4motion at 21 combined MPG, 19 MPG in city driving, and 26 MPG on the highway. Real-world numbers depend on your driving style, the weather, and how loaded the car is. -
How much does it cost to fuel a 2025 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 4motion per year?
The EPA estimates an annual fuel cost of $2,850 for the 2025 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 4motion. That figure assumes 15,000 miles of driving per year, a 55% city and 45% highway split, and the EPA's published average fuel price for the rated fuel grade. -
What fuel does the 2025 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 4motion use?
The EPA lists the 2025 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 4motion as running on regular gasoline. Using a different grade than the manufacturer specifies can affect fuel economy and engine longevity. -
Has the Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 4motion become more fuel efficient over time?
Combined MPG has stayed close to flat across the run. Both the earliest (2020 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 4motion, 20 MPG) and most recent (2026 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 4motion, 22 MPG) versions sit in the same range. -
How much CO₂ does the 2025 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 4motion emit?
Tailpipe CO₂ emissions are 420 g/mi. Multiplied across a typical year of driving (15,000 miles) that works out to about 6,300 kilograms of CO₂. -
What is the difference between the city and highway MPG of the 2025 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 4motion?
City driving returns 19 MPG and highway driving returns 26 MPG, a gap of 7 MPG. A spread that wide is typical of cars with conventional automatic or manual transmissions, where stop-start city traffic eats more fuel than a steady highway cruise. -
What engine is in the 2025 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 4motion?
The 2025 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 4motion has a 2-liter 4-cylinder turbocharged engine (EPA description: SIDI). Smaller turbocharged engines like this one tend to deliver bigger-engine power on demand while keeping fuel economy closer to a non-turbo version of the same displacement. -
What transmission and drivetrain does the 2025 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 4motion have?
The 2025 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 4motion comes with a automatic (s8) transmission and all-wheel drive. All-wheel-drive variants typically read 1 to 3 MPG lower than the front-wheel-drive equivalent of the same engine, since the extra hardware adds weight and parasitic loss. -
How does the 2025 Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 4motion compare to the best car in its class?
The most efficient car in the Small Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD class for the 2025 model year is the Tesla Model Y Long Range AWD at 117 combined MPG. The Volkswagen Atlas Cross Sport 4motion returns 21 MPG, a gap of 96 MPG. If you are comparing on fuel economy alone, the class leader is worth a look.
Source: U.S. EPA fuel economy dataset. Annual fuel cost figures assume 15,000 miles of driving per year and a 55% city, 45% highway split. Real-world mileage varies with driving conditions, vehicle maintenance, fuel quality, and driver behaviour.