About Atlas
The Atlas is Volkswagen admitting what American families actually want. After years of trying to sell Europe-sized cars to a country of long highways and big cupholders, VW built a full-size three-row SUV specifically for the United States, assembled at its plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, and launched for the 2018 model year. It was boxy, roomy and refreshingly unpretentious, and it quickly became one of the brand's most important products in North America.
The Atlas earned praise for a genuinely usable third row, a huge cargo hold and a calm, predictable ride. The early V6 felt dated and thirsty, and the interior plastics drew complaints, so a substantial refresh brought a turbocharged four-cylinder, a more upscale cabin and new screens. The two-row Atlas Cross Sport joined as a sleeker sibling for buyers who wanted the size without the extra seats. Volkswagen has also used the Atlas to showcase in-car gaming, letting parked passengers play Tetris on the screen.
In the three-row arena it squares off against the Honda Pilot, Toyota Grand Highlander, Hyundai Palisade, Kia Telluride and Chevrolet Traverse, a brutally competitive group. The Atlas tends to win on space and lose on fuel economy and reliability perception, and it has no hybrid answer to rivals that now offer one. Recent news includes a large steering-related recall shared with the Tiguan. This page follows the Atlas through updates, recalls, reviews and the next generation of Volkswagen's American family hauler.