2018 Volkswagen Atlas SEL 4MOTION Review

I really was looking forward to trying VW’s new Atlas large crossover. This is a critical offering from a company that has struggled to overcome the Dieselgate fiasco and remain relevant in the United States. Its strengths and shortcomings clearly illuminate the internal strife between its US arm and its German parent company.

The Altas could easily be brought to us by any domestic manufacturer. In some ways this is a good thing; it is right-sized for those who have outgrown a compact crossover or even something like the Toyota Highlander, yet don’t want or need a body-on-frame behemoth like a Chevy Tahoe—in fact it actually has more interior room than beasts like that. Its interior is well thought out and comfortable for all occupants; there’s even storage behind the third row when its in use. The Atlas rides softly, smothering many pavement irregularities, and its V6’s 276hp/267lb-ft engine is strong throughout its rev range, moving the big VW with commendable alacrity, while also returning decent fuel economy. The Altas’ touchscreen interface is fast and intuitive and its driver aids generally work really well, especially the radar-based cruise control.

But there are many areas in which it appears that American engineers and managers must have transported directly from 1985 to the present, including the horrid, vacuum-formed stitching that runs across the dash and other moldings, and the grotesque faux wood and metallic trim that look like a bad photocopy of what highlighted Volkswagen’s own Touareg a decade ago. There was a time when VW was known to offer interiors that seemed richer than the car’s price. Seemingly now it’s okay to foster off cheap plastics and vinyl seats on a know-nothing target audience. The Atlas’ chassis calibrations likewise seem behind the times by many years; that smooth ride degrades into harsh crashiness over larger bumps and the steering, while light for parking, isn’t very accurate, making it hard to place this big SUV. What feel like big antiroll bars means the Altas handles corners in a flatish fashion, but this means occupants suffer from “head toss” over one-wheeled impacts.

It is hard to tell if the Americans who design and build the Altas had too much control over its design and development or too little. There’s a bit of the “Zis iz gutt enough for ze Amerikans” mentality to this whole amalgam of cross-Continent codevelopment. Is the Atlas any worse than the other large crossovers it competes with, such as the Nissan Pathfinder and Honda Pilot? Probably not—at least it isn’t blighted by a power-sapping, unreliable CVT gearbox, like the Nissan, and its floaty ride and lack of perceived quality puts it right in line with the Honda. Perhaps I am out of step and this is what my countrymen and -women really want, but there are certainly crossovers that are built with less cynical materials and drive better, like the Mazda CX-9 and the new Chevrolet Traverse.

EPA ratings: 17/23mpg; 19mpg combined

0-60mph: 7.9sec

Price as tested: $49,415

Here is what VW has to say.

3.5 Stars

Contact Isaac Bouchard for help saving time, money and hassle when buying or leasing one at [email protected]

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