2018 Volkswagen Atlas 3 Row CUV

[Gecko]

Volkswagen has been selling cars in the United States for 61 years. It's sold quirky cars, small cars, vans, and a few crossovers with odd names. Some are iconic. Some are obscure. A few have been toxic. Except for a few sold during periods of high fuel prices, none of them have ever truly matched the precise needs of American buyers. If the company has its way, that ends now. Meet the 2018 VW Atlas crossover.

This new three-row has room for up to seven passengers, a strong VR6 engine, and available all-wheel drive. Wrapped in boxy styling with prominent wheel arches, big lights front and rear, and lots of masculine lines and creases, it's the most American-centric vehicle VW has ever conceived.

"This is the biggest and boldest Volkswagen we have ever built in the United States, delivering the distinctive design and craftsmanship we're known for, now with room for seven," Hinrich Woebcken, CEO Volkswagen's North America region, said in a statement. "The Atlas marks a brand-new journey for Volkswagen to enter into the heart of the American market."

VW will begin assembling the Atlas in December at its expanded factory in Chattanooga, TN, and it will go on sale next spring. It uses the company's MQB architecture and measures 198.3 inches long, 77.9 inches wide, and 69.6 inches in height. By comparison, the 2017 Ford Explorer is the same length, 78.9 inches wide, and 70 inches tall. The Explorer, Dodge Durango, Toyota Highlander, Chevy Traverse, and Honda Pilot will be its chief rivals.

With those strapping utes as benchmarks and targets, VW went all out to create an SUV that wouldn't be embarrassed. The Atlas offers a 3.6-liter narrow-angle six-cylinder engine rated at 280 horsepower or a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that makes 238 hp. Both come with an eight-speed automatic transmission. Volkswagen's 4Motion all-wheel drive is an option on the six-cylinder model. The AWD system can be configured depending on the driving conditions. Fuel economy ratings were not released.

The third row, arguably the most critical feature of the Atlas, has room for two adults. The seats fold forward on rails, easing entry, exit, and storage. We've sat back there ourselves – next to Woebcken, no less – and it's comfortable and accessible, as advertised. Up front, the driver gets an optional configurable digital cockpit. VW's Car-Net suite includes the App-Connect feature that pairs smartphones with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and MirrorLink technologies, and the most sophisticated Fender audio system the company has ever offered. Safety features include lane-departure warning, adaptive cruise control, forward-collision warning, and parking assist. It also offers a post-collision accident system, which VW says activates the brakes when the airbags go off in a bid to lessen the damage.

The Atlas offers standard LED headlights and daytime running lights, and optional LED taillights. They punch up a design that looks vaguely like those of its competitors, yet still remains true to VW's traditional styling language – there's some Touareg and Tiguan in there. These images are the first look at a vehicle that has been previewed by the CrossBlue and Cross Coupe concepts and was teased in company videos. Finally uncovered completely, it's a safe yet appealing design, exactly in line with its key competitors.

That was also our initial impression when we drove an Atlas prototype on a forested off-road course near the Tennessee-Georgia border in late August. It was a limited stint, but the vehicle displayed strength, was comfortable over the dusty, dirty trails, and was intuitive to operate.

With uncertainty still swirling over the diesel-emissions scandal, Volkswagen needs a winner – something to completely change its image and bring in new buyers. The timing couldn't be better. Volkswagen has long thought globally, though that has often meant it never truly understood the US market. Finally, Atlas gives Volkswagen a real chance in America.

Source: http://www.autoblog.com/2016/10/27/2018-volkswagen-atlas-crossover-details/#slide-4250578


Much of the internet has already panned this car for looking a little too much like the Grand Cherokee. Squint looking at the side profile or front end, and I can see the discrepancies.

I can see this being a money maker for VW, but looking at the spec sheet, it just doesn't seem to move the needle forward much. Maybe it doesn't have to?

 

[mmcartalk]

Nice-looking design inside and out. :thumbsup:I like the conservative, squarish themes, and tend to get turned off by both jelly-bean aero-designs and the over-chiseled looks on some Cadillacs.

Though the article doesn't specifically state it (unless I just missed it, which occasionally happens)..........the Atlas appears to have been taken right off the Audi Q7, with, of course, a different interior. The article, though does mention an adjustable MQB platform.

 

[IS-SV]

Big and bland. Since the VW carries no cachet today, it will take discounting/incentives to sell good volume.

 

[mmcartalk]

Big and bland. Since the VW carries no cachet today, it will take discounting/incentives to sell good volume.

The Explorer and JGC, though (which IMO this vehicle seems aimed at), sold like hotcakes when they were big and bland....in fact, they led the public's modern transition to SUVs back in the 1990s. As far as discounting and incentives are concerned, we'll probably have to wait and see where the factory actually prices it. You're probably aware of this, but a common marketing ploy is to price a vehicle too high to start with (even if only a few thousand dollars)...and then publicize the incentives, making people often think they are getting a deal when they may or may not be actually getting one.

Perhaps this is just stating the obvious, but VW has to make money on this vehicle.....and on other upcoming vehicle-sales. After the huge scandal-settlements (with perhaps more to come), so much money is going out (or will soon be) that future income is going to have to come from somewhere.

 

[IS-SV]

The Explorer and JGC, though (which IMO this vehicle seems aimed at), sold like hotcakes when they were big and bland....in fact, they led the public's modern transition to SUVs back in the 1990s. As far as discounting and incentives are concerned, we'll probably have to wait and see where the factory actually prices it. You're probably aware of this, but a common marketing ploy is to price a vehicle too high to start with (even if only a few thousand dollars)...and then publicize the incentives, making people often think they are getting a deal when they may or may not be actually getting one.

Perhaps this is just stating the obvious, but VW has to make money on this vehicle.....and on other upcoming vehicle-sales. After the huge scandal-settlements (with perhaps more to come), so much money is going out (or will soon be) that future income is going to have to come from somewhere.

Uhhhhhh obvious, if unrelated . Marketing ploys, no comment on that mumbo jumbo, thanks.

Just because a company is bleeding billions (and still, not perhaps btw) and needs to "make money", doesn't insure future income from Atlas (the topic here).

Oh yes, the Atlas is closer in size to (large) Explorer.

 

[mmcartalk]

Uhhhhhh obvious, if unrelated . Marketing ploys, no comment on that mumbo jumbo, thanks.

OK...I'll use the term "policy" instead of "ploy". Less Mumbo-Jumbo-like.

Just because a company is bleeding billions (and still, not perhaps btw) and needs to "make money", doesn't insure future income from Atlas (the topic here).

Yes, correct that it doesn't guarantee income, but, nevertheless, there will be a lot of pressure on this vehicle (and other VW products) to make enough profits to at least stem some of the outgoing fines and settlements.

Oh yes, the Atlas is closer in size to (large) Explorer.

Not surprising, considering the way the Explorer has sold.

 

[mmcartalk]

VW had an Atlas today at the D.C. Auto Show. Out on the floor, unlocked.....got to check it out inside. VERY impressed. Every bit as nice in person as in the pictures. Love the simple, conservative looks and space efficiency, decent-grade materials inside for the interior (though not the best I've seen). A couple more vehicles like this, and maybe the company will start atoning for its sins LOL.

 

[Ian Schmidt]

The first pictures I saw I thought it *was* a rebadged JGC, like the Routan. The family resemblance to the Q7 is quite strong now that's been pointed out though.

 

[mmcartalk]

The first pictures I saw I thought it *was* a rebadged JGC, like the Routan. The family resemblance to the Q7 is quite strong now that's been pointed out though.

At the D.C. show, I noticed that, too, and asked the VW reps about it. They said it was not the Q7's platform per se, but a special modular-type platform that can be easily stretched or shortened to make more of a variety of vehicles from it. The cost and time savings, of course, are obvious.

 

[mikeavelli]

Could have debuted in 1984

 

[mmcartalk]

Could have debuted in 1984

I agree that the Atlas styling is quite conservative by today's standards. But I don't necessarily see that as a bad thing. Classic two-box SUVs are known for their space efficiency, headroom, entry/exit ease, and good outward visibility. And, look what did debut in 1984.......it went on to become one of the most successful SUVs of all time.

 

[mikeavelli]

True but its not 1984. Its amazing to me how VW builds boring and bland and it gets some weird pass for being "clean and classic". If Toyota does the same people lose their minds.

 

[mmcartalk]

True but its not 1984. Its amazing to me how VW builds boring and bland and it gets some weird pass for being "clean and classic". If Toyota does the same people lose their minds.

Some people may feel that way, but I'm not part of that group. As far as SUVs are concerned, I tend to be a believer in the classic two-box design for good visibility and space-efficiency, no matter what logo is on the vehicle. In fact, I owned a two-box design with AWD for almost six years.....a Subaru Outback.

 

[CIF]

IMO I have no issue with boxy styling. With this specific model though, my issue is that it's ugly, and that it looks like a poor copy of the Q7 exterior-wise. That points to a larger issue, that new Audis look more and more like VW models, instead of further distancing themselves from VW models style-wise. The new A4 for example, I often confuse it for a VW every time I see it on the roads.