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2018 Volkswagen Atlas three-row midsize SUV finally unveiled - Will be built in Tennessee, riding on the MQB platform

143K views 1K replies 204 participants last post by  mhjett 
#1 · (Edited)





The 2018 Volkswagen Atlas, unveiled tonight on the Santa Monica Pier at the end of historic Route 66, launches a new chapter in the company’s American history. Built in Tennessee, the seven-passenger Atlas offers class competitive levels of technology and spaciousness combined with hallmark Volkswagen driving dynamics and attention to detail, all at a price designed to draw customers’ attention in the family SUV segment.

“This is the biggest and boldest Volkswagen we have ever builtin the United States, delivering the distinctive design and craftsmanship we’re known for, now with room for seven, ” said Hinrich J. Woebcken, CEO of the North America Region, Volkswagen. “The Atlas marks a brand new journey for Volkswagen to enterinto the heart of the American market.”

Engineered from Volkswagen’s award-winning Modular Transverse Matrix (MQB) architecture, the Atlas draws on the latest Volkswagen design DNA to create a bold new look in the SUV segment. At 198.3 inches long, 77.9 inches wide, and 69.6 inches high, Atlas is larger than any other Volkswagen on sale in the U.S., yet it retains classic proportions and clean lines that create a sense of timelessness and precision. Up front, standard LED headlights and LED Daytime Running Lights combine for a unique visual signature, with optional LED taillights to complete the look.

Inside, the Atlas makes maximum use of its dimensions to offer space for seven adults and their luggage. The third row can be easily reached by an innovative folding seat solution, one that works even with child seats installed in the second row. Simple, driver-centric displays enhance the feeling behind the wheel rather than distracting from it; while the available Volkswagen Digital Cockpit allows drivers to reconfigure how they view vehicle information.

The available Volkswagen Car-Net® system provides a full suite of connected vehicle services, including standard App-Connect technology that offers integration with the three major smartphone platforms—Apple CarPlayTM, Android AutoTM and MirrorLink®. The vehicle also features an available Fender® Premium Audio System that is the most sophisticated yet seen in a Volkswagen, with 12 channels, a 480-watt amplifier and 12 speakers.

The Atlas offers available driver assistance features that had been previously been reserved for premium SUVs, at an affordable level. These include: Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC); Forward Collision Warning and Autonomous Emergency Braking (Front Assist); Blind Spot Monitor with Rear Traffic Alert; Lane Departure Warning (Lane Assist), which actively helps the driver steer the car back into its lane; and Parking Steering Assistant (Park Assist).

Also, theAtlas is the only vehicle in its class to offer the Automatic Post-Collision Braking System. This builds 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 addresses this by applying 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.

The Atlas arrives with a choice of two powertrains: the 2.0-liter turbocharged and direct-injection TSI® four cylinder with 238 horsepower or the available 3.6-liter VR6 engine with 280 horsepower. Either engine routes power through an eight-speed transmission to help maximize engine efficiency, and the Atlas can be configured either as front wheel-drive or with available 4Motion all-wheel-drive in VR6 trims. The 4Motion system has a Driving Mode Selection feature that allows the driver to select specific parameters based on driving conditions.

EPA fuel economy estimates will be released ahead of the launch in the Spring of 2017. The Atlas is built alongside the Passat at the Volkswagen Chattanooga assembly plant, the result of an additional $900 million investment by Volkswagen in the facility. The Chattanooga plant is the only automotive manufacturing facility in the world to receive Platinum certification by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design (LEED) program.
 
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#406 ·
Well, I was looking to purchase an SUV about a month ago...got to drive just about every 3 row suv out there, new and slightly used, and even saw a new Atlas in a cargo warehouse near my office. The Atlas, top of the line model in this mustard color we keep seeing, was just soooooooo boring. Even my co-worker saw it and was hugely unimpressed. I haven't seen such a boring VW in ages, waste of a truck if you ask me. I ended up getting a 2016 CX-9. The AC Sucks, the interior is cramped, but so is every other new 3 rower under $45K apparently (thanks EPA) and the engine is surprisingly strong. It's strong as in it'll spin the 20" wheels off the line with ease and feels just as peppy than my 2009 Acadia felt with the 3.6 V6. It does not feel weak at all. I leased it for 3 years...maybe in 3 years low mileage Yukons or Escalades will be priced adequately (or I'll be making better money...lol).
 
#428 ·
I drove one yesterday and it's amazing. It handles great, brakes really well and has good acceleration with the vr6 and 4motion. We also drove the ford exploder and the 2016 Honda Pilot and it blows both of them out of the water. I'm planning on getting one. The digital dash is really cool but only available on the SEL premium and that's going to be 47k so it will be out of my price range. The 3rd row has a ton of room and the entry and exit from the 3rd row is super easy.
 
#458 ·
Ross1013 said:
Keep telling yourself that! The CX-9 is an outlier...LuckyDogg listed 11 competitors that offer V6s. The reason Mazda don't is because they can't...not because they are onto something that Honda, Toyota, Nissan, GM, Ford, Hyundai/KIA haven't figured out.
Oh, now we are back on bagging on Mazda instead of Volvo again. You didn't mention the CX9 in the post I quoted. This is why you get the **** that you do, you keep moving the goalposts around.
 
#462 ·
The CX-9's engine is built off the already in existence 2.5 Liter NA engine in all of Mazdas other cars. It's not rocket science to figure out why they went in that direction.

The industry is moving toward small displacement turbo 4 engines which would explain why the XC90, Q7, and CX-9 all offer them.

All that I've read has suggested the CX-9's turbo engine works well in that vehicle and gets the advertised fuel economy, so what really is the problem?


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#463 ·
The CX-9's engine is built off the already in existence 2.5 Liter NA engine in all of Mazdas other cars. It's not rocket science to figure out why they went in that direction.

The industry is moving toward small displacement turbo 4 engines which would explain why the XC90, Q7, and CX-9 all offer them.
Is it really? Not in this class, as far as I can see.

CX-9 and XC90 don't "offer" turbo-4s, they confine you to them.

Q7 and other Germans offer FI sixes and eights, and are all done with NA, period.

But the bread-and-butter leaders in the 3-row CUV genre all offer V6s, and some like Honda don't even offer a 4-cyl at all.
 
#480 ·
For me, it will be between the atlas, tiguan and the new q5. My gti lease is up in September and although I cannot say enough good things about the gti, its just time for us to jump into a bigger car, and I am hopeful that one of these will fit the bill and wallet. :rolleyes:
 
#511 · (Edited)
Irrelevant Argument Is Irrelevant

I don't get this tangent on tuning the Atlas. Ha! The vast majority of buyers will never do that, they won't even entertain the idea FFS. For the three row buying segment, price, features and mpg rule. Performance is the realm of the Lux SUV segment. And with that in mind, I think VW has a shot here. The Atlas will sink or swim based on those metrics above against the best SUVs in the class.
The Toyota Highlander:

The Honda Pilot:

The Volkswagen Atlas:
 
#513 ·
I am buying this year and at one point the Highlander was at the top of the list. It has a fantastic price, great reliability and the resale is nuts. it sure underwhelms when you drive it and sit in though...

It dropped all the way off the list after spending 30 minutes in it.
 
#522 ·
How about a CX-9?
That was the original No.1 for me, and I still really like it. That said, the wife didn't like it at all and she will be the one driving it. We are old school and both are happy to be old school. As such, she will leave the decision to me, but I don't have the heart to get her something she doesn't like. I've had 3 new cars and a used car since she got her last car (a used Honda Odysee). The kicker is that I still have 3 out of the 4 cars that I've purchased since I got her the van. She accepts my hobby, but that doesn't mean that she should drive something she doesn't like.

I suggested 9 different cars for her to look at and she has narrowed it down to these:
1. Audi Allroad
2. Audi Q5 mk2
3. VW Atlas

The Atlas is bigger than I want, but we will wait to see how it and the Q5 do in person. Either way, I would be happy to have her in either one of these :thumbup:
 
#579 ·
Typical VW commercial.
A long commercial that's cute, but tells you nothing special about the actual vehicle.
Anybody researching 3 row SUVs will already see the Atlas show up... and the Atlas being a 7 seater is what all that 60 second commercial was for?
That tells us nothing about what makes it special in its class.
Wait... is the Atlas somehow specially designed for randy Catholics?
 
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