Volkswagen Atlas seven-seat SUV revealed

VW rolls out the Atlas seven-seat large SUV for North America, with plans to export it to Russia and the Middle East, but no plans are afoot for right-hand drive countries.

Aptly named the Atlas, Volkswagen’s new seven-seat SUV has been the model the German car maker promised to deliver, and one that caps off its SUV range internationally. 

Volkswagen has been hinting at offering a large SUV model, with seating for seven to complement the five-seat Touareg, since the debut of the CrossBlue Concept in 2013. Little wonder that the Atlas takes after the 2013 concept’s exterior and interior design cues, and dimensions. 

Measuring in at 5,037mm long, 1,768mm tall, and sitting at 1,979mm wide, the Atlas is 236mm longer - but 229mm narrower - than the Touareg. By those measurements, the Atlas is similar in size to the Mazda CX-9. According to Volkswagen the Atlas, which is built on the company’s flexible MQB platform, slots into a category between the Tiguan and the Touareg. 

For now the Atlas will only be built in North America at Volkswagen’s Chattanooga assembly plant, alongside the North American Passat, with the German carmaker investing €900 million into the facility.

There is no doubt that the Atlas would fit naturally into Volkswagen Australia’s SUV roll-out. 

Considering that the greatest brunt of the fallout from Volkswagen’s Dieselgate scandal stems from the US market, it comes as little surprise then to find that the Atlas’ powertrain line-up only consists of two petrol-powered mills. 

From launch the Atlas comes with a choice of either a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged unit producing 175kW, or a 3.6-litre V6 engine capable of chucking out 206kW. Both engines will be paired to an eight-speed automatic, with power being sent to the front wheels, or all four wheels via an optional 4Motion all-wheel drive system for the V6-powered models. 

On the inside the Atlas offers space for seven adult occupants as well as luggage, with the third row being easy to reach via ‘an innovative folding seat solution’ - which Volkswagen is yet to detail. 

Besides practicality and seven seats, the Atlas is crammed with plenty of premium features. Volkswagen claims that the Atlas is the only vehicle in its class to offer an Automatic Post-Collision Braking System that automatically applies the brakes in the event of a collision that is detected by the airbag sensors, to prevent further runaway collisions. 

Depending on the variant on offer, the Atlas can be equipped with driver assistance system such as Adaptive Cruise Control, Forward Collision Warning and Autonomous Emergency Braking, Blind Spot Monitor with Rear Traffic Alert, Lane Departure Warning, and Parking Steering Assistant. 

As for creature comforts, the Atlas features Volkswagen Car-Net connectivity system that is able to integrate with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and MirrorLink platforms, a 12-speaker audio system made in partnership with esteemed guitar makers Fender, and an optional Active Info Display digital instrument panel.

While Volkswagen has plans to export the Atlas to Russia and the Middle East towards the end of next year, there is no word if it will be making its way to Australia in the foreseeable future. 

“We have to acknowledge that right-hand-drive is a remote contingency in Atlas,” explains Jeff Shafer, Volkswagen Australia’s product marketing manager, in an official statement. “That said, there is no doubt that the Atlas would fit naturally into Volkswagen Australia’s SUV roll-out.”

“The Atlas is definitely of interest to us as it is a good fit for our range,” adds Volkswagen’s public relations manager, Kurt McGuiness. “However at this stage Volkswagen AG has not communicated any plans for offering the Atlas to international markets or produce right-hand-drive variants.”

For now Volkswagen’s seven-seat SUV range will only be comprised of the upcoming Tiguan XL and Skoda Kodiaq, both of which won’t be arriving on our shores till early-2018 and the third quarter of 2017 respectively.  

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