7.6 seconds, which is a little quicker than the pricier <strong>and</strong> smaller Touareg but well behind the Pilot. Fortunately, the Atlas doesn’t feel as big as it is. It drives small—although not quite as small as a CX-9. Solid-mounted front <strong>and</strong> rear subframes faithfully translate the driver’s inputs into directional changes, but the steering is aloof <strong>and</strong> all but mute. The all-wheel-drive Atlas comes with a dial selector for its driving modes: snow, off-road, custom off-road, <strong>and</strong> on-road, the last offering four sub-modes consisting of eco, normal, sport, <strong>and</strong> individual. When switching among them, the most noticeable difference is the heavier steering in sport mode. Still, we didn’t find the sport steering too heavy on our drive through Texas Hill Country’s winding two-lanes, <strong>and</strong> there is no w<strong>and</strong>ering on-center. The brake feel, something often overlooked in this class, is strong, too, with immediate pedal response <strong>and</strong> an intuitive correlation between effort <strong>and</strong> stopping force. The ride flirts with buttery on the st<strong>and</strong>ard 18-inch wheels. The top trim level rolls on 20s, which don’t diminish the ride quality but do contribute to a noticeable increase in tire noise. The front seats are built for long-haul comfort, with ample thigh, lumbar, <strong>and</strong> shoulder support. Both sections of the 60/40 split-folding second row slide fore <strong>and</strong> aft <strong>and</strong> will also fold forward to allow third-row access, even with child seats installed. Once in the wayback, adults will find plenty of legroom <strong>and</strong> an appropriate seat height; the rearmost row is lacking only in headroom, so taller passengers must slouch a bit. The base S model starts at $31,425 <strong>and</strong> comes with LED headlights, 18-inch wheels, <strong>and</strong> Android Auto <strong>and</strong> Apple <strong>Car</strong>Play integration. Stepping up to SE trim brings faux-leather seats, blindspot monitoring, proximity entry <strong>and</strong> push-button start, additional USB ports, heated front seats, <strong>and</strong> an 8.0-inch touchscreen (up from the S’s 6.5) with satellite radio. Add $1400 for the six-cylinder S. V angle: 10.6° 2018 VOLKSWAGEN ATL AS VEHICLE TYPE: frontengine, front- or allwheel-drive, 6- or 7-passenger, 4-door hatchback BASE PRICE: $31,425–$49,415 ENGINES: turbocharged <strong>and</strong> intercooled DOHC 16-valve 2.0-liter inline-4, 235 hp, 258 lb-ft; DOHC 24-valve 3.6-liter V-6, 276 hp, 266 lb-ft TRANSMISSION: 8-speed automatic with manual shifting mode DIMENSIONS WHEELBASE: 117.3 in LENGTH: 198.3 in WIDTH: 78.3 in HEIGHT: 70.0 in PASSENGER VOLUME: 153 cu ft CARGO VOLUME: 21 cu ft CURB WEIGHT: 4300–4550 lb PERFORMANCE (C/D EST) ZERO TO 60 MPH: 7.6–8.0 sec ZERO TO 100 MPH: 20.4–21.0 sec 1/4-MILE: 15.7–16.1 sec TOP SPEED: 115 mph FUEL ECONOMY EPA COMBINED/CITY/ HWY: 19–23/17–20/ 23–29 mpg (C/D est) tech highlight NARROW-MINDED Volkswagen wasn’t the first to build a narrow-angle, mono-head V engine (Italy’s Lancia did it in the 1920s), but it has certainly stuck with it the longest, even employing the principles on current Bentley <strong>and</strong> Bugatti engines. Making its U.S. debut in the 1992 Passat, the so-called VR6 (a marketing-department portmanteau of V <strong>and</strong> Reihe, the German word for inline) displaced 2.8 liters, made 174 horsepower, <strong>and</strong> featured a 15.0-degree bank angle capped by a single 12-valve head. It used two camshafts, each controlling the intake <strong>and</strong> exhaust valves for one bank of cylinders. Shorter than an inline-six <strong>and</strong> only slightly wider than an inline-four, the cleverly designed transverse-six—it also did longitudinal duties in the Porsche Cayenne <strong>and</strong> others—supplied V-6 thrust in a smaller package. It got a four-valve head <strong>and</strong> grew to 3.2 liters (remember the 250-hp Golf R32?) by 2003. In 2006, displacement jumped to 3.6 liters, fuel delivery changed from port to direct injection, <strong>and</strong> the bank angle tightened to 10.6 degrees, allowing the camshafts to be reassigned with one dedicated to intake valves <strong>and</strong> the other acting on the exhaust valves. VW offers turbocharged four-bangers that now surpass it in terms of power <strong>and</strong> torque, <strong>and</strong> if a new six is to completely replace the veteran VR, as expected soon, we suspect it’ll be a borrowed version of Audi’s new 90-degree 3.0-liter. There is also a V-6 S Launch model, which will be limited to a few thous<strong>and</strong> units; it gets the upsized infotainment interface <strong>and</strong> a panoramic sunroof otherwise reserved for SEL trims. The SEL starts at $40,085, or $41,815 for the V-6. Those looking to tow more than 2000 pounds will need the SEL There is nothing flashy or frivolous about the Atlas. It’s all sober design, sensible power, <strong>and</strong> ample space at a reasonable price. That might just work for VW. V-6, which comes with a factory hitch <strong>and</strong> a 5000-pound towing capacity. VW also ups the radiator fan’s motor from 600 to 850 watts <strong>and</strong> ditches the lower grille shutters to ensure air is always passing through the heat exchangers. All SELs include driver-assist features such as adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist, forward-collision warning, <strong>and</strong> park assist (all but park assist are available as options on the SE). The SEL Premium (V-6, AWD only) brings real leather, 20-inch wheels, a 12-speaker Fender audio system, cooled front seats, <strong>and</strong> heated outboard secondrow seats, along with a version of Audi’s digital Virtual Cockpit, br<strong>and</strong>ed Virtual Display in VWs. The digital cluster functions much the same as its Audi counterpart does, but the map view isn’t quite as striking (read: large) <strong>and</strong> the controls are on the right steering-wheel spoke, not the left. The Atlas should be hitting dealerships anytime now. We think it’s fully capable of shouldering the responsibilities of protecting families <strong>and</strong> their stuff as well as a big chunk of Volkswagen’s future in America. Like its namesake, this VW is made to h<strong>and</strong>le heavy lifting. 096 . CAR AND DRIVER . JUL/<strong>2017</strong>
PROMOTION C OSCAR MAYER IS MAKING BIG CHANGES Hot dogs will never be the same again. We removed the added nitrates <strong>and</strong> nitrites*, by-products, <strong>and</strong> artificial preservatives in all of our meat. What else would you expect from Oscar Mayer? Visit oscarmayer.com or tweet #ForTheLoveOfHotDogs <strong>and</strong> tell us where the Wienermobile should go next. *Except those naturally occurring in celery juice. ¨ ©ShurTech Br<strong>and</strong>s, LLC 2016/66925
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