VW Atlas deserves a look
First Drive: 2018 Volkswagen Atlas
BOERNE, Texas — The name says Atlas, but for Volkswagen, the debut of its first heart-of-the-midsize-segment sport ute should be named At Last. The German automaker, still shaking off the effects of Dieselgate, is moving past that debacle to concentrate on filling holes in its product lineup.
The Atlas, the company’s largest vehicle yet, is a seven-seat, familyoriented SUV that is not premium priced like the Touareg, but is targeting the Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, Nissan Pathfinder, Ford Explorer and a few others.
In the middle of Texas, where pickups and sport utes rule the road, the Atlas blends in easily, with a handsome yet conservatively styled look to it, offset by standard LED headlights and LED daytime running lights, plus available LED tail lights. This is a mainstream, U.S.-built product designed to sell in large volumes, not some sort of standout halo project.
On the powertrain front, the company is playing it safe. The first Atlases, which will be in dealerships by June, arrive with VW’s proven 3.6-litre VR6 gasoline engine, mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission and pumping out a solid 276 horsepower. For the Canadian market, 4Motion allwheel drive is mandated for the V6. Showing up a little later in the year will be front-wheel-drive models powered by a 235-hp, 2.0-L turbocharged and direct-injected fourcylinder engine, also bolted to the Tiptronic eight-speed automatic transmission.
We’re in Texas hill country, where the pancake-flat topography and arrow-straight roads that define a good portion of the state give way to curves and elevation changes. Considering the Atlas’s size — a little more than five metres long and weighing 2,042 kilograms with the V6 — it handles these tarmac challenges with a lazy ease and slight, controlled body roll. Reserve some credit for the SUV’s Modular Transverse Matrix (MQB) architecture; it provides a rock-solid platform on which to hang the mechanical bits.
Though it handled the tarmac twisties without inducing wooziness — important when fulfilling its role as a family-oriented hauler — the Atlas is a North Americanstyle cruiser, engineered to eat up miles of pavement in sumptuous and quiet comfort. The V6 (no 2.0-L models were available to test) is a smooth operator, if not the segment’s horsepower champ. There’s a slight coarseness under hard, prolonged acceleration, but otherwise nary a peep is heard from the engine, which made wind and road noise more pronounced than normal.
Not that it was needed on a pleasantly warm day winding our way to Fredericksburg, but the Atlas’s 4Motion has a drive mode selector that allows the driver to choose Eco, Normal, Sport or Individual, based on driving conditions. These modes alter the parameters of the SUV’s engine, transmission and steering, with optional adaptive cruise control.
Backing up the sport ute’s generally pleasant road manners is a full menu of available driver-assistance features, previously the purview of pricier models. These include adaptive cruise control, blind-spot detection with rear-traffic alert, lane-departure warning (which actively helps the driver steer the sport ute back into its lane) and parking-steering assistant. Forward-collision warning with autonomous emergency braking adds something called Pedestrian Monitoring, which will provide visual and audible warnings, supply increased braking pressure and, should the driver not react quickly enough, apply the brakes to help mitigate impact with a pedestrian and/or other vehicles.
Then there’s the automatic post-collision braking system. Volkswagen explains this as building on the premise that “a collision is rarely a single, instantaneous action, but rather a series of events that follow the initial impact,” the most significant of which can cause additional collisions. The automatic post-collision braking system applies the brakes when a primary collision is detected by the airbag sensors, thus helping reduce residual kinetic energy and, in turn, the chance of additional damage.
Inside, the Atlas makes the most of its dimensions to offer plenty of space for seven plus luggage. There is lots of legroom and headroom for six-foot-plus adults in the first and second rows, and acceptable room in the back row for kids or nimble adults of shorter dimensions. The third row is reached by an innovative folding second-row seat — one that slides and tilts/folds — that works even with child seats installed. Second-row captain’s chairs will be an option. Cargo room is generous — 20.6 cubic feet (583 L) behind the third row, 55.5 (1,572 L) with the back row down and a cavernous 96.8 96.8 (2,741 L) with the second and third rows folded.
The cabin itself puts function over flash, with a clean, uncluttered design and simple, driver-centric displays. All but the base Trendline model come with an eight-inch infotainment touch screen; VW’s digital cockpit with a 12.3-inch display is offered on the premium Execline model. Audiophiles will appreciate the available Fender premium audio system, with 12 channels, a 400-watt amplifier and 12 speakers. Naturally, in-car connectivity gets a boost; standard App-Connect technology offers integration with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and Volkswagen’s own MirrorLink.
Although late to the party, VW has put itself in the game with a well conceived, thoughtfully executed and properly priced product that will deserve a serious look from buyers shopping the mid-size SUV segment.
Pricing for the new 2018 Atlas will start at $35,690 for the base 2.0-L front-wheel-drive Trendline. The model’s range will top out at $52,540 for the V6-powered Execline.