Atlas CUV well thought out
VW has struggled to meet corporate expectations in North America. Marketed as a premium brand, it has also struggled to keep up the relentless onslaught of Asian products with their industry-leading quality and reliability. Just when it was making inroads, the brand was slandered by the “dieselgate” fiasco.
Having addressed that, VW has retained a legion of loyal VW fans that would love to get their hands, once again, on a diesel.
In the meantime, North Americans have been abandoning cars in the pursuit of crossovers. VW dealers have been crying out for some of these, especially larger ones, to attract new customers and keep current ones from going elsewhere.
So here it is, the largest Volkswagen yet, the 2018 Atlas, designed, developed and built in the U.S. exclusively for the crossoverhungry American market. Based on a stretched version of the same corporate MQB platform as the five-passenger Touareg, the Atlas is 24.1 cm longer and 3.8 cm wider and equipped to slug it out in the burgeoning mid-size crossover field. It features three rows of seats, seven passenger capacity and more than 2,000 kilos of ground hugging weight.
The Atlas is available in three trim levels with front or all-wheeldrive, and four or six cylinder motivation spanning a $35,500-$53,500 price range. The base Trendline version comes with a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, eight-speed automatic and front-wheel-drive. Next up is the Comfortline, which can be had with the same driveline or a V6 and 4Motion all-wheel-drive. The Highline and Execline models have the six and 4Motion.
I spent a week with the Comfortline in six-cylinder and AWD configuration. The first impression is of size. This is a large vehicle, larger than anything you’d associate with the VW brand. The designers succeeded in delivering that message. There is nothing particularly handsome about the vehicle, but the conservative style will probably be attractive to family-oriented consumers.
Like the exterior, the inside is devoid of flash. Function takes precedence and layout leads to instant familiarity with both major and minor controls placed where you intuitively look or reach for them.
The Atlas makes good use of available space. There is plenty of room for six-plus-footers in the front and second rows and for two mid-size or smaller folks in the third row. The tilt and slide feature of the second row makes it possible to access the third row without having to remove child seats — a definite plus in this market.
There is a generous 20.6 cubic feet of space behind the third row, growing to 55.5 when it is folded out of the way. Drop the second row seats and you have a cavernous 96.8 cubic feet
The tester was powered by VW’S well-respected narrow angle VR6 engine. Smooth, and silent, it provides adequate power without resorting to excessive or unpleasant sounds under wide-open throttle. A few extra ponies in the coral would be appreciated, so I suspect the four-cylinder base engine might not be that popular.
The eight-speed automatic shifts invisibly up and down the gears as necessary with the 4Motion system sending power to the front wheels until slippage is detected. At this point it can send up to 50 per cent of available torque to the rear wheels.
The sophisticated system can be controlled through what VW calls the Drive Mode selector. The console-mounted dial has an outer ring with dry (everyday), snow, off-road and custom offroad positions. In dry mode, you can use a button in the centre to select eco, normal, sport and custom settings.
This is a tall and heavy vehicle, but the suspension team did a great job of hiding those factors. Thrown into an off ramp or hustled down a back road with verve, the Atlas remained poised and relatively flat. That agility has been paired with a smooth, silent and supple ride on the highway where it will spend the majority of its time
Volkswagen’s first foray into the three-row crossover segment is a well thought-out and executed effort. Sized, priced and equipped to be competitive, it should prove popular with customers and dealers alike.
The specs:
Model: 2018 Volkswagen Atlas Comfortline
Engine: 3.6-litre V6, 276 horsepower, 266 lb.-ft. of torque, regular fuel
Transmission: eight-speed automatic, full-time all-wheel drive
NRCAN rating (litres/100km city/highway): 13.7 / 10.1
Length: 5,036 mm
Width: 1,978 mm Wheelbase: 2,979 mm Weight: 2,042 kg
Price: $44,290 base, $46,235 as tested, including freight
Competition: Ford Explorer, Honda Pilot, Kia Sorento, Nissan Pathfinder, Toyota Highlander
Options on test vehicle:
none
Standard equipment (Comfortline): 18-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, power heated mirrors, rear view camera, heated washer nozzles, 10-way power driver’s seat, cargo cover and storage net, three-zone automatic climate control, heated front seats and steering wheel, second row sunshades, eight-speaker audio system with 20-cm touchscreen, , four USB jacks, adaptive cruise control, alarm system, blind spot detection , autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian detection, remote start, keyless entry and push button start, smartphone integration (Apple Carplay and Android Auto), cruise control, electronic parking brake, hill hold and hill descent control.