Volkswagen Atlas is an SUV and a half! It measures five meters in length and is therefore the largest Volkswagen passenger car, more than 20 centimeters longer than the Touareg. With a rather noticeable exterior and powerful engines, Volkswagen Atlas will be primarily available to drivers in the United States, Russia, the Middle East and China. For now, the VW’s sales plan does not include the European market.

Volkswagen Atlas originates from Crossblue study

Volkswagen’s new SUV is based on the well-known MQB platform, but it is much larger than similar vehicles of this German manufacturer. What can be marked as oversized and huge in Europe and some other markets, it is not the case in the United States. In the US, similarly sized SUVs account for one tenth of all new passenger car registrations. The Volkswagen Atlas premiere will be held at the Los Angeles Motor Show.

Volkswagen Atlas is not a complete surprise. Three years ago, a study named Crossblue announced its arrival. As far as design is concerned, the Germans tried to slightly deviate from its other models. The reason for this step is trying to step closer and to catch the sales momentum in the North American market. This has long been one of the main tasks for the biggest European car manufacturer, whose reputation was highly damaged because of the last year diesel affair.

Two powertrains, petrol VR6 with 280 PS

Volkswagen will produce Atlas in a factory in Chattanooga (Tennessee). The car will be officially revealed at the Motor Show in Los Angeles. Initially, it will be available with two engines. The first one will be two-liter four-cylinder TSI petrol engine with 238 PS and the more powerful 3.6-liter petrol V6 engine with 280 PS. The eight-speed automatic transmission will connect both of them. The customers can also choose 4Motion four-wheel drive in combination with the bigger engine.

Volkswagen Atlas interior like living room on wheels

The Volkswagen Atlas interior is almost as spacious as a living room. Fender audio system with a dozen speakers and 480 Watt amplifier is responsible for a musical scenery. Access to the third bench is extremely simple and easily accessible also for adults. There will be a number of driver assistance systems (find the list below) as well as services such as MirrorLink, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

Conclusion: 2018 Volkswagen Atlas final thoughts

From the outside, the new Atlas looks nothing special. Is the word boring too rough? Definitely will not be on the podium of the best design achievements. As far as the interior: yes, it is large, and spacious. As well as the continuation of the exterior, when it comes to beauty.

The rich equipment, which today is anyway necessary, could be a big plus. Especially if your goal is to penetrate the such an important market as the North American. We just hope that most of the equipment is serial. Otherwise the price could go a little to high.

Overall, 2018 Volkswagen Atlas could be very decent, spacious 7-seater for the American family. Well equipped, proverbially reliable and for a reasonable price. And not much more. But in any case, we cannot get rid of the feeling that this is a budget Audi Q7. Which may not be far from the truth. Even in Volkswagen eyes.

2018 Volkswagen Atlas technical details

Dimensions:

• Length: 5,037 mm
• Width: 1,979 mm
• Height: 1,768 mm

Engines:

• 3.6-liter VR6 engine, maximum power 206 kW / 280 PS, eight-speed transmission.
• 2.0-liter four-cylinder TSI with gasoline direct injection and turbo charging, maximum power 175 kW / 238 PS, eight-speed transmission.
• Front-wheel-drive or 4Motion all-wheel-drive in combination with the VR6 engine.

Equipment:

• Standard LED headlights and LED Daytime Running Lights.
• Active Info Display (Volkswagen Digital Cockpit).
• Volkswagen Car-Net: Apple CarPlay™, Android Auto™ and MirrorLink®.
• Fender® Premium Audio System with twelve speakers and a 480 Watt amplifier.
• 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).
• Parking Steering Assistant (Park Assist).
• Automatic Post-Collision Braking System.

Production:

Volkswagen Chattanooga assembly plant (Tennessee).

Start of sales:

• USA: spring of 2017.
• Russia and Middle East: end of 2017.

Image credit: Volkswagen