Please keep hammering on manufacturers for not providing second row bench seats on higher trim levels (e.g. Toyota Highlander). Good to see the Atlas has one.
I have the 2024 Highlander Limited. Bench seats. 8 passenger. The second row bench seats are extremely comfortable. Highest comfort rating by CR. The Platinum only has Captain’s chairs.
Everyone needs to copy Nissan and replace the gloss black that gets dirty looking and scratched in no time with the matte black brushed metal look material they use. Its super durable and looks good.
Andrea and Zack, the perfectly matched couple...always interesting auto reviews. Great looking SUV, but a large vehicle with a turbo four...short longevity.
I just bought this model today, I really like the turbo vs when I test drove the VR6 version years ago. The interior improvements are substantially more appealing, especially some of the features on the Peak Edition package. Very pleased with this car already hours into owning it. The advantages that made me like the Telluride more in the past have been incorporated for the most part. My Peak Edition does have the electronic gate, and the foot motion activation. The Panoramic Moonroof is lovely - VW has always been solid with moonroofs. The turbo engine is a big improvement - The car no longer feels nose-heavy. The Telluride still suffers from that. We opted for the bench seat - It was cheaper and more kid-accomodating.
I’m a peak edition owner and the improvements coming from the 21 year model is outstanding you really feel the upgrade across all areas from the interior to ride quality to the updated and much refined drivetrain. It just pulls effortlessly in great smoothness, no wonder since the engine is the evo4 of the EA888 engine family, which is basically a detuned Golf R engine, it also features the Audi Valve System for engine head technology! Loads of value in this car and it drives exceptionally well.
I absolutely love my 2024 peak edition. Even though I don’t have a large family, I mainly bought this suv for its large size and comfort and massive cargo space. And the exterior of this car is so elegant without looking too overdone in my opinion. And while I love the sleek interior I am not too crazy about the piano black, but nevertheless it is still a beautiful suv. I do not agree at all that the new 4 cylinder turbo engine is underpowered. My atlas has plenty of passing power when I need it without struggling whatsoever. And to be honest most comments who complain about fuel economy. I mean come on folks, what did you expect from this size SUV? To have corollas fuel economy? I don’t think so. I have zero complaints about fuel economy, if anything it is really good in my opinion for being a 7 passenger suv. All in all, Atlas is a stunner and a great car, as long as it’s regularly maintained. I had a 2016 Tiguan for over 6 years which was regularly maintained and never a single issue… people gotta give proper credit to VW re: reliability when properly maintained. German cars are elegant and way more sophisticated than Japanese cars, so it comes down to a personal choice on what to buy. German cars vs Japanese cars is like comparing apples to oranges…. It simply can’t be done folks.
I have a 2019 Tiguan with 74k miles and I still looks and feels like day 1. The only complaint is the horrible combination of 4 cylinder turbo and automatic transmission at low speeds. One day it feels like a young kid and another day like a senior citizen..lol
We rented a 23 model to go from Danville, VA to Noblesville, IN and back. When we returned the vehicle they asked us what we thought. We said it was not a good experience! Before we told him why the guy said let me guess the seats right? We said yes. After an hour in the vehicle our butts and lower backs were killing us. Hopefully the 24 model has much better seats.
Weird, because we have a 2018 and didn't have problems with the seats. We just took a 2 day Trip from Buffalo to Winnipeg and never felt tired or pain in the ass.
@@bmw803same. We had a 2019 Atlas bought new and kept through 2024. Multiple roadtrips and loved it for the comfort as a road-tripper. And I have a bad back. 🤷♂️
I love seeing all the people who don’t actually own an atlas jaw about how bad it is. I get it, everyone loves their own car more than others cause they drive it every day. If the car was that terrible why are they everywhere? And don’t tell me it’s because people are dumb, at this price range u drive what u want to drive.
We have a 2019 VW Atlas with the V6 engine and it has been good for us. We bought it for being able to leave the car seats installed and being able to get into the third row, with three kids in car seats, it sure is handy. We would be interested in getting a new one, but with no hybrid option and this being a huge vehicle gas milage in the city is not the greatest. So, waiting for now as the Grand Highlander is going to be very hard to get.
Another couple of years before that Piano black is phased out! Great review as always, and kudos to VW for offering the bench seat. Did you miss the good'ol fender audio system? Now with so much refreshed competition, I guess we're due for a mid size 3 row comparison featuring the Atlas, Traverse, CX-90, Grand HL, upcoming explorer , the Pilot, some GMC (I don't know if it's the yukon or Acadia that fit this category), palisade and your all time favorite, the indisputable king , the telluride! That's a looong list to compare! Great job as always 👏
Great review as always but turbo engines will have trouble down the road so lease them for 3 years! On the positive side, great looking, nice power, decent fuel economy and very nice interior for the money.
“What are the key standard features?!” VW, “Well, we worked in as much shiny black plastic as we could - all the feedback surveys said customers wanted as much as possible. We felt it needed it in those high use areas so that you would buy a VW branded cloth to wipe it all down every day. Oh, and then we kept the torque numbers as low as we could because no one will actually load it up and use it as intended.”
The problem is not just a turbo 4 cylinder engine but how small the engine is for a nearly full size 7 seater. It needs either a hybrid assist to reduce the load on that small engine or bump the displacement to 2.5
The best feature for me is that split AC, so simple yet such an ingenious way to make subtle improvements! Add this feature to the petition to remove piano black 😅
Long time VW owner here who has moved on from the brand because they keep making underpowered vehicles. I test drove the 2024+ with 4 cylinder only powertrain and it’s not the fact that it’s a 4 cylinder, but 269HP is anemic in a 7 passenger SUV. They should’ve at least put the 315hp Golf R tuned 4 cylinder in this SUV… It would’ve been closer to the likes of Ford Explorer 2.3 4 cylinder with 300hp…. The 2018-2023 3.6 V6 wasn’t that great either. Underpowered is just becoming the standard for VW. Gone are the days of premium European vehicles for the masses that also drove like they could take on the autobahn. 269hp is not enough power to get out of its own way when loaded down with 7 people and luggage. It’s better to have more power and rarely having to use it, than not enough power when you need it. I think 0-100kmh in 6 seconds should be the benchmark, which this powertrain doesn’t even come close to doing.
If I recall correctly, the 1st gen Ford Taurus 4 cylinder actually got WORSE mileage than the 6 because it was working so hard. So yeah you need a powertrain that's up to the job!
Used to be a VW fanboy too, but so many of their products now are just mediocre/average at best. Definitely not like the old VW. This Atlas does everything okay I guess, but there are so many better options in this category in my opinion to consider. Also long-term reliability and resale value is probably going to be below average.
I dont think you understand how hp and torque work... hp has mostly to do with top speed. You can go 120mph with that hp. The thing you want is torque. Look how diesel engine power ratings are. A lot of times they have much smaller hp numbers but very high torque numbers. These trucks have no issue getting up to speed.
I wish I could champion to have less technology in cars. I believe there's a lot that's not necessary to have in a car like bring back analog gauges, and manual handbrake. And do most cars really need wheels that are more than 18"? And can we have more hatchbacks not SUVs?
C'mon, VW. As a current 2018 Tiguan owner, the only way I'd jump into an Atlas-anything is when a naturally aspirated V6 is installed as a standard engine. Just the curb weight alone of an Atlas is hard work for a 4 cylinder turbo. Forget taking it off-road. It'll die a sure death.
My co-worker just picked up one for his wife and the kids two days ago. He loves it! I can't believe the amount of options that are standard. P.S. Still waiting on my AT4 Canyon to be built and delivered. LOL
I almost bought one of these in March and April. I couldn’t get past all the piano black and the infotainment touch screen. Otherwise, I loved this Atlas
I have a 22 Rline and the 21rims ruin the ride and introduce a ton of raod noise. I actually look forward to the winter tires and rims I have. Most people don't keep cars for ten years anymore, so if you don't then a turbo engine will be fine, but the turbo will let go one day and maybe even take the engine with it, anytime you introduce more complexity to something it reduces its reliability.
Rented an Atlas R line, happened to be 2 years newer than my 4runner and same mileage, but god it drove like it’s going to fall apart compared to mine.
My next 2 SUV leases would be Honda Pilot Elite and Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy edition. The previous 2 leases were BMW X5 and Acura MDX. Tired with the premium gasoline prices.
I have had the 2024 Atlas for 4 months now and unfortunately the 4 cyl is very inefficient. With mixed highway and city driving, you'll be lucky to get 13l/100km. Mostly city driving is 16+l/100km. And these stats are on eco mode with gentle driving
This is pretty good looking for a VW. But, I’ll keep driving my Pathfinder Platinum. It has most of the same features of this vehicle , a NA V6. Physical buttons. And, it’s slightly smaller, which I prefer.
Driving a Touareg, when the Atlas came out found it cheap fit and finish. Drive didn't feel like a Volkswagen. Hope you will drive the 2025 Jetta soon.
I got the 24 SE with tech/comfort line with tech. Didn’t go for GH because seats were more stiffer than the Atlas. It’s about the same stiffness as the Tiguan I used to have. GH hybrid max is fast for sure. I just don’t think GH hybrid max and $60K belongs in the same sentence. Thought about the Traverse as I’ve owned GM vehicles in the past, but wasn’t available. Also it’s a first year vehicle so kinda skipped that part.
Have you tried the 2024 GMC Acadia Denali? It's similar to the Chevrolet Traverse. I am curious about your opinion. I like the VW Atlas but the i4 engine?? 2023 had V6! 2024 Traverse and Acadia have i4 too.
The engine’s probably fine. I’ve driven turbo 4s in Tiguans. They’re not exactly lightning quick but it feels adequate. The problem is this thing is a boat. It has no style at all. This is for people who might get a minivan but want an SUV. It’s too bad VW doesn’t sell the Touareg in North America because it’s an attractive SUV.
@@RP-oy5rtDidn't know that it can defy laws of physics. How can a smaller displacement engine not work harder than the VR6 for the same weight. Makes no sense.
@@bmw803 for example the 2.0 is 273 ftlb at 1500 rpm the vr6 made 266 at 3000. The 2.0 needs half the rpm to make more torque. The 2.0 also makes its hp about 1200 rpm lower then the vr6. The vr6 always has to work harder
I love the look of the Atlas. Not a fan of 4 cyl turbo, half life engine. Look at Toyota and Hyundai Turbo engine nightmares. Last year's V6 was better.
@@Technocrat. both of those were not turbo related failures both were the same machining debris in the oil ports. The tfsi doesn’t work nearly as hard as the v6 and will drastically outlast it
@@Technocrat. I guess in this example we are just ignoring the existence of like semi and locomotive and heavy vehicles and construction equipment in general? Pressure in the fireing chamber means nothing, the fact it’s barely working is what matters
@@RP-oy5rt Key word Heavy! Car engines are not heavy duty, not built to last Million miles. Heavy equipment do not have aluminum blocks, like small engines made for most consumer vehicles. If the block was cast iron like they used to be, yeah, turbo would be fine. Aluminum blocks tend to warp at high temps. A turbo will glow red under load and it's connected to an aluminum block. I've had a Nissan, where just the exhaust manifold bolts would melt the aluminum block, this was a naturally exasperated engine. Imagine a Red hot turbo.
The big problem with VW is how expensive the up keep is. To run a diagnostic on our Tiguan the dealership charges $162. It took them 1 1/2 hrs. Really? U plug the computer in, let it run. Not rocket science. Nope will never get one again
I will tell you why. The top trims do not come with a bench seat (So they are barely 6 seaters as you cannot actually fit someone in the middle seat of the third row) They do not have a car seat friendly tilt. So you cannot access the third row with car seats on outboard seats. Even the top calligraphy trim of palisade does not come with auto folding rearview mirrors and I think one of them also does not have auto wipers. They do not come with a Pano roof, a few trims do come with dual sunroofs though. I am not a VW fan in anyway, just stating the facts.
When Hyundai changes a BC customer for 56,000 dollars to replace the battery on his new Ioniq 5 , this make me question what kind of car company they are
@@bmw803 I find it very convenient as I leave home every morning with my vehicle full of inexpensive energy and never have to waste time handling a dirty gas pump nozzle.
On paper this could be a match for the outgoing 3.6L VR6, but honestly the Atlas is on the large side of the market and 269hp when you load it up & especially when towing is far too obvious. The Explorer is similar in size and its 2.3L turbo outputs a full 300hp and that would just be considered adequate.
I'm just here to watch Zack and Andrea. 😍😍😍 Pricing is fair for this Atlas. People should be at least buying Hybrid vehicles in 2024 as we start to shift to EVs eventually.
I Europe where I live VW used to be the king of the market: great, reliable, inovative cars In the last 10-15 years they went to sleep, now getting to poor reliability, poor inovation, worst interior quality with more plastic. But so do their brothers Audi, Mercedes, Bmw.... and guess what : customers are switching so fast to Tesla that in 2023 MY got to win the best sold car in Europe. It is the first time in history of Europe that a non european model win this title. And is not even a cheap - low budget model . Many europen customers that previous had VW, Audi, Mercedes, Bmw are switchuming to Tesla I used to have 2 Passat, 1 Bmw e39 5 series, 1 Golf Gti in the past but now I drive a MY as the europen producers lowered so much their quality , reliability and inovation - and all theese making their cars more expensive I had a drive test of the actual Bmw i5 M50 and , except performance, it is not same quality as my former 2003 e39 , it is cheaper made, more plastiqy... all door panels have so much cheap plastic. Incredible for a 100k+ price tag
Even with no towing anything, the engine won't last for 10 years. You could of say it but you won't. You know for sure, but just another fact to brush under the rug. Honesty is not the strong quality here. Again, who ever buy this car will loose a lot of money because these reviews.
Zack said there’s no crystal ball to tell how long it would last. And there isn’t. So they are being honest. If you’ve got historical reliability data on these motors, please feel free to share and contribute something worthwhile to the conversation.
