The Volkswagen Atlas SUV is only about a year old, and already its trophy case is filling up.
To wit, the Atlas has been named:
-Best three-row SUV by Parents magazine and Edmunds.com, the gold standard of automotive websites.
-Best large SUV in the 2018 Motorweek Drivers Choice Awards.
-Best three-row SUV in the Cars.com challenge.
-Good Housekeeping magazine's 2018 Best New Mid-size SUV.
-Best family SUV at the 2018 Outdoor Activity Vehicle of the Year competition.
And the accolades don't stop there: The seven-passenger Atlas also has earned a 5-star safety rating. Importantly, it has also been embraced by VW customers, with 6,499 units sold in July alone.
So, with all those glowing reviews and all that sales momentum, the Chattanooga-made Atlas has certainly enjoyed a successful launch. For that, the thousands of VW workers out on Volkswagen Drive here deserve applause and respect.
But in the auto-manufacturing business, sometimes your competition blows by you while you are taking your bows. Relentless vigilance aimed at improving the product is the only way the Atlas will continue to flourish.
What they're saying
What the automotive media is saying about the VW Atlas:Car & Driver: “It’s not the fastest or the most fuel-efficient midsize crossover, but this biggest VW earns its stars by offering practicality that’s hard to beat.”Motor Trend: “If space is your No. 1 concern and a minivan is off the table, it’s tough not to recommend the Atlas.”
FAST FACTS
Model: 2018 Volkswagen Atlas V6 SELExterior color: Tourmaline Blue MetallicInterior color: ShetlandEngine: 3.6-liter, six-cylinderHorsepower: 276Transmission: eight-speed automaticFuel economy: 25 mpg highway, 18 mpg cityLocal Dealer: Village Volkswagen of ChattanoogaPrice (as tested): $44,025
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This makes our third test drive of the Atlas. The first was a perfunctory lap in an early Atlas, the second time was last December. This time, VW sent us a 2018 Atlas V6 SEL to test for a week, and we virtually lived in the SUV. We drove it to soccer games at Camp Jordan in East Ridge, to a photo shoot at Raccoon Mountain, to a mall sale at Northgate and to work every day in downtown Chattanooga.
We don't pretend to be as smart as the folks who design and build the Atlas, but we do have the advantage of driving almost every new SUV that comes to market. For example, Subaru's new three-row Ascent SUV may prove to be formidable competition for the Atlas, especially among suburban families who want to break out of the Toyota-Jeep-Honda-Ford SUV box.
STYLING AND COMFORT
Having pondered Atlas styling for about a year now, the adjective that best captures the SUV is handsome. There is something about the strong, commanding lines in the sheet metal that look up-market, and, perhaps more importantly, timeless. If you buy an Atlas today, you can be confident that it won't look dated by the time you pay off your car loan.
We really liked the Tourmaline Blue Metallic exterior paint on our tester, which looks black in some lights. It's an expensive look, similar to dark blues and dark greens we've seen used by luxury auto-makers Mercedes-Benz and Land Rover. Other available Atlas colors are shades of silver, white, platinum, black, yellow and red.
Our tester is equipped with the R-Line Appearance package, a basket of mostly cosmetic upgrades that costs $1,960 and includes gorgeous 20-inch alloy wheels; special bumpers, badges and trim; and stainless-steel pedal caps.
The interior is highlighted by a clean, airy design; but it's also the place where WV can look to improve the Atlas. The plastic parts in the door armrests look cheap, the switches feel wobbly - not silky smooth like the Japanese makes - and the touchscreen attracts fingerprints. Thankfully, these are small things.
On the plus side, the interior is roomy and quiet. The third-row seats are actually functional for adults. The V-Tex "leatherette" seat surfaces are comfortable and easy to wipe clean if your kids are prone to spills. A large, panoramic sunroof spans the length of the Atlas, but looks a little narrow compared to most other mid-size SUVs.
The second-row seats have been designed to hold three child safety seats for families with several small children. You can even access the third row without removing a child seat - a big plus. With the second and third row seats laid flat, the Atlas has 96.6 cubic feet of available cargo space. A hands-free lift-gate is another family-friendly feature.
The Atlas is packed with modern safety-tech systems. Standard on our SEL tester are a rear-view camera, blind-spot monitoring system, autonomous emergency braking and adaptive cruise control.
There are reportedly 17 cup-holders in the Atlas, although we didn't stop to do an inventory. Three-zone climate control, with vents for each row, is an important comfort feature for passengers.
DRIVING IMPRESSIONS
The Atlas is available with two engine options. Our tester came equipped with the stronger of the two, a 3.6-liter V-6 engine that makes 276 horsepower. The V-6-equipped Atlas can tow up to 5,000 pounds, making it a good choice if you have a boat or camper to pull.
Around Chattanooga the Atlas was a near-perfect family hauler. The steering is so light you can almost point and shoot the SUV with your fingertips. (It might even be too light for divers who like a little more steering feedback.)
The Atlas absorbs potholes and road imperfections well, and the over-all ride quality is quiet and composed. Get all your passengers plugged-into their electronics and your cross-country journeys will be stress free.
Lower trim levels are available with a 2-liter turbocharged engine that gets fractionally better fuel economy. We'd spring for the V-6, though. This is a large SUV and the larger-displacement engine is a better fit. The government says to expect 25 mpg highway and 18 mpg city in the V-6.
BOTTOM LINE
One of the most significant selling points for the Atlas is its industry-best bumper-to-bumper warranty which protects you for six years or 72,000 miles, whichever comes first. Other manufacturers may offer better "power-train" warranties, but VW's limited "new car" warranty is much more valuable - and double what some of its competitors offer.
Our tester lists for $44,025 without all-wheel-drive. A base S model with the four-cylinder engine starts at $30,750. There are about a dozen trim levels, so pick one that fits your budget.
Oh, and if you need any more incentive to buy an Atlas, don't forget to ponder that line on the sticker that says "Final Assembly Point: Chattanooga, Tenn., U.S.A."
Contact Mark Kennedy at mkennedy@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6645. Follow him on Twitter @TFPCOLUMNIST. Subscribe to his Facebook updates at www.facebook.com/mkennedycolumnist.
Awards
The Volkswagen Atlas SUV is only about a year old, and already its trophy case is filling up.To wit, the Atlas has been named:* Best three-row SUV by Parents magazine and Edmunds.com, the gold standard of automotive websites.* Best large SUV in the 2018 Motorweek Drivers Choice Awards.* Best three-row SUV in the Cars.com challenge.* Good Housekeeping magazine's 2018 Best New Mid-size SUV.* Best family SUV at the 2018 Outdoor Activity Vehicle of the Year competition.