The Atlas Cross Sport with the 4cyl isn’t that different from the Ford Edge with the 4cyl. People just have unrealistic expectations from modern cars. The Majority of Edges are turbo 4 cylinders and do just fine and live long lives. People just love to be ignorant. Good video.
It is a small engine in terms of displacement and compared to all the 300+ HP engines out there now, but a couple decades ago, 238 HP would not have been considered small. In 1998 there was a special edition Jeep Grand Cherokee with a 5.9 L Hemi V8 engine that put out just 245 HP. At the time it was the fastest SUV on the market. What a difference a couple decades make.
they just got that tsi engine up to 240-250hp with the new gti version, honestly that v6 is irrelevant at this rate. it shouldnt be though, VW just hasnt changed it.
I walked in for the vr6’s tow rating but ended up getting the turbo because it climbed hills a lot easier. Didn’t rev up very much to cruise around ever.
I have been driving a 2018 VW Atlas 3.6SE 6 cylinder engine with Technology and 4Motion. Great SUV. Drove it cross country multiple times. Been 6 years since I bought it but no issues. Even when 7 adults are in the car plus luggage the car does not struggle. It is strong, sturdy and feels safe even at high speeds.
Just got the 2.0 turbo 2023 Atlas SE w Tech. This Suv is Quiet, smooth, great turning radius and rides more like a luxury car than an SUV. VW did a great job in making this SUV a very comfortable ride with plenty of power to haul everybody around at a reasonable price. And Kyle you are absolutely correct about not even noticing the engine coming on when fully stopped. I drove the V6 and this feature drove me crazy feeling and hearing the start up constantly. Great review
I think the 2.0 is a great choice myself it might have a lower tow rating. There’s more available torque at a low rpm. You can just keep cruising without hearing the engine much ever.
@@wadeepperson6906 I have had mine now for 8 months and always look forward to driving it.. still very easy to drive handles very well on curvy roads carries a full load with no problems going from Sacramento to Tahoe and back..that 4 cylinder turbo is just a very well made engine.don't need to tow so very satisfied with my Atlas....
I have a 19 Atlas 2.0 . It's an S model and with fwd . I only rarely tow and have towed at the maximum just fine (2000 #) on the freeway. . The engine is a 3rd generation ea888 , essentially a detuned Golf engine capable of performance tunes with reliability. I,m on fuelly with a 27.1 mpg average .
I disagree. Once you load up the car with 7-8 passengers, the small engine will struggle to move the car and its occupants. A V-6 would be a better choice.
We had a 2018 Ford Flex which had a 3.5L V6 that put out about 285hp. We just traded it in for a 2020 Explorer with the 2.3L 4cyl Ecoboost that does about 300hp. The Explorer feels way more peppy but the big advantage is that we get about 3.5MPG more in city driving which is what we do 99% of the time. Not sure how much the auto start/stop helps with this but that extra MPG really adds up.
Depends on the particular vehicle I guess. I'd choose a turbo 4 over the FCA 3.6 V6 any day of the week. That engine doesn't make any decent power below 5000rpm, so in a bigger vehicle, you end up winding it way out all the time. Jeep now offers a 2.0 turbo in the Wrangler and the wide concensus seems to be that it is greatly improved over the V6. The real world struggle with putting smaller turbo engines in big vehicles is durability. The VAG 2.0T breaks constantly, and not just the expected electrical issues. They regularly stretch/wear the timing chain and jump timing before 100k, resulting in cylinder head replacement. The BMW/Mini turbo 4s bend the rods and destroy the cylinder walls due to carbon and super knocking/LSPI. The 4cyl Ford eco boosts wear out the bottom end bearings, the V6 eco boosts go through turbos and timing chains like crazy. Even the Honda turbo 4s have major issues. Now, that's not to say that all the bigger NA engines are substantially better, but there definitely tends to be a trend of lower mileage catastrophic failure with small turbo engines in big vehicles.
Nowadays the FCA 3.6 is actually a very good/refined engine. That being said I'd choose it over a 2.0T any day and twice on Sundays. Buuut I will say Mazdas newer 2.5T actually impressed me on a rental a while back.
A turbo diesel 4cyl 2l 150Hp 320Nm has 80Nm /cylinder. A v6 would mean 53Nm/cyl but such diesels can be very reliable because they just make them slightly stronger. However, for a medium SUV you need like 200hp for a decent run. With a diesel you can’t increase the rpm limit so to make more power you need more torque. For 200hp the max torque would go about 420Nm which is 105Nm/cylider so the components need to be x2 as strong. With a gasoline engine you can have 200hp and 300Nm max which is acceptable (75Nm:cyl) The capacity is also important because smaller displacement means you need more pressure (so more boost) so you need to be careful about the consequences (more heat, detonation, blowby) 160Nm/1000cc turbodiesel 106Nm/1000cc naturally aspirated 3.0 320Nm 6cyl.
The island where the video started is Belle Isle, which is close to GMs Hamtramck plant. Modern 4 cylinder engines, with their sophisticated intake plumbing, 4 valves per cylinder, and balance shafts, are very drivable in a lot of situations/vehicles. With enough transmission speeds to keep the engine in its torque band, 4 cylinders make a lot of sense.
When we bought our 19 atlas new there was no question we had to get the vr6. It’s buttery smooth, sounds good, is reliable, and will most likely last longer than the 4cyl. I think it’s asking too much out of a 2.0 to be able to pull a 5,000 pound suv loaded with people while hauling 5,000 pounds. That’s the new 24 towing stats. That’s a lot of weight. We’ll see how long they last.
I really like the 4 cylinder for being quiet myself you might hear a little grumble hear and there. The engine never really seems to have to go over 2500 rpm most of the time. Even getting on the highway. I was surprised by how much torque the thing has at such a low speed. The v6 struggled in the mountains otherwise that’s the vehicle I intended on buying from the start. I drove them both on the highway, in town, and up this giant hill I’ve driven over many times over the years. The atlas 2.0 was the smoothest experience I’ve had when the v6 just had to start cranking Rpm hard to climb it.
Said every toothless redneck ever. Turbocharging effectively increases displacement. Also the host of this video is brain dead if he thinks a turbo isnt the most desirable engine to have at high altitude.
You would do just fine I have the 2.0 . I'm an old school v8 guy but your basically getting a detuned Golf R engine. I have towed 2000#'s on the freeway long distance just fine. Three people with luggage on a long distance trip will average 28-31 mpg's. I average 27 mpg's overall , I'm on fuelly 2019 with 2.0
there are possibly a few issues, one is long-term durability with a turbocharged small displacement engine. if it was built well it should last being that it's a Volkswagen it probably wasn't. you can get a Chevy Silverado pickup truck with a turbocharged 4-cylinder also. What's interesting is I believe the fuel economy is slightly worse or the same with the 4-cylinder as it is with the 5.3 V8. if you live at a higher altitude you probably will get better performance out of the turbo 4. Otherwise I think I'd take the tried and true 5.3 which has been proven to be able to have the crap beat out of it and keep on going.
The 2.0T is literally the 1.8T that VW developed and brought to the U.S. in 1999. The 1.8T has just grown into the 2.0T and it drives all of their vehicle's in different forms of boost/performance. It's had hiccups here and there but it is a pretty reliable motor if maintained correctly.
I once saw a Volvo 240 wagon towing a midish size camping trailer (not big but not a little boler or tent trailer either. I wouldn't try it but it seemed to do fine.
Not a fan. I took a 2.0 out and between the shuddering tranny at low rpms, the undeniable turbo lag, it made me see why people pay MSRP for a Telluride. It’s powertrain just eats this 2.0 to pieces...to be kind.
I live in London Ontario. I just bought a VW Atlas cross sport. I went with the 6 cylynder because of the difference in price between regular fuel and premium. You have to put the high test in the turbo.
I know some car manufacturers are pumping in engine noise into the speakers. BMW, Acura, Cadillac, ect. Yuck. I despise that. I understand VW does that on some. Does the Atlas have that silly feature?
JR it’s totally possible, and likely, but we didn’t have the car long enough to test. Nothing was apparent to my ears at least as that’s a huge pet peeve of mine
Never heard of it on the Atlas cabin is quiet . Engine is barely noticeable unless you put your foot in it. You really don't have much need to as the torque curve is strong at low rpms.
The 4cl is less workhorse and lunch when you needed the most. The only reason we are mkvung out of V6 is the emmision throwing by the gov’t to eAch car makers,when you put 5 butt to 7 in a SUV with NA 4cl younwill feel and see the difference of V6 to 4cl. Yeah its more sucker of gasoline but who cares if you have punch and can throw a decent speed pull when you needed it. And importantly V6 has more built better internals than can last longer than a turbo engine with small engine. We do not know yet how reliable this small engine with turbos in a long run. We much do nkt much chiice as the regukation is getting stricter and we are force to adjust and follow.the reality is v6 is wa better to last longer than smal engine turbos.
In Europe we have always towed with 4 cylinder cars as they are by far the most common. Over the last 20 years or so turbo charged diesels have been the engine of choice and they do the job. A well maintained diesel, even one which spends its life hauling weight should run for 200,000 miles or more. But we are now enetering the electric era. I think manufacturers will struggle to make EVs which will do this particular task as well.
I once saw a Volvo 240 wagon towing a midish size camping trailer (not big but not a little boler or tent trailer either. I wouldn't try it but it seemed to do fine.
Why does it matter how fast you get to 60?? WHO CARES. If you buy an Atlas, it's clearly not to race. Does it really matter if you get to 60 2 seconds later?
Small engine turbos prone to breakdown and required to frequent maintainance and with the american culture who doesn’t care to go for a oil change regularly this small turbos are prone to breaking down ,like gasket issues and prone to heat issues as the engine stress during hjg heat and high demand of the turbo to deliver and hat causes a lot of issues into internals. If yo do not need to haul big family always in long trips you will be better off to V6 and if youjjst like to point A to B and not worry of a strong pull into highways and passes just stay off to 4cl and less money and good mileage than V6. We need to wait atlease 10-15yrs to see is yet to come gow this small engine works in turbos, we are just doctated b the gov’t compliance in emmision that force this companies to be efficient with gas milaeges while maintanince power and thrill of the small engine and that worries how this small engine will last.. seeing a lot os issues in small engine turbos is yet to come before it get perfected than the V6 tested in time already by years and years..
