Volume 15 Issue 1 » 59
2018 Volkswagen Atlas
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At long last, Volkswagen’s all-new three-row crossover has arrived.
Although it may be late to the party, it is worth the wait. Designed
in North America and built for North Americans, the Atlas takes
the Tiguan’s basics and supersizes it. Despite its nearly 200-inch
length, the chunky styling makes the best use of space, and it is still
easy to judge corners when parking.
This means that even two adults can fit comfortably in the third
row even with luggage stored behind them. The Atlas’ squared-off
shape pays dividends inside with an open and airy interior. There are
oodles of room for legs, feet and elbows in just about every seating
position. Entry and egress is easy too, thanks to an adjustable second
row that folds and slides to get into the third row.
There is a useful 21 cu.ft. of space behind the third row and a
cavernous 56 cu.ft. behind the second row. Fold down those
seatbacks and you get a continuous flat floor with a massive 97 cu.ft.
of space. Each of these figures places the Atlas near the top of its
class.
Power comes from either a 2.0-litre turbocharged 4-cylinder
engine, or the more popular choice, a 3.6-litre V6 producing 276
hp and 266 lb-ft of torque mated to an eight-speed auto and VW’s
4MOTION all-wheel-drive system.
The top-level Atlas Highline also comes with a high level of
equipment including surround vehicle camera, remote start, three-
zone climate control, Fender audio system, and a fantastic 8.0-inch
touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android
Auto.
The 2018 VW Atlas starts at an MSRP of $35,690.