2020 VW Atlas Diesel welcome to vwsuvmodels.com now you can find expert reviews for the latest models of Volkswagen SUVs from the U.S. on our site. The 2020 Volkswagen Atlas is a three-row crossover SUV with a large interior as well as seats for grownups in all 3 rows. It’s not showy, extravagant, or specifically effective, but it bests most rivals for an outright interior area.
The Atlas can fit adults in every outboard seat, in addition, to providing adult-sized gain access to through large door openings as well as an easy-to-slide 2nd row that’s very easy for children to utilize, too. Freight space is near the top amongst competitors, as it needs to be for a lengthy and large vehicle that will certainly fill up most SUV garages.
As soon as aboard, passengers will certainly have to chip in the trim degrees for even more technical benefits and also creature conveniences. The conventional style might attract some shoppers. This year, VW upgraded the crossover’s infomercial software application, and also it still comes standard with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto ability.
Likewise conventional is a good range of collision-avoidance safety tech that gained excellent marks in government and also independent safety screening. However, below-average headlights stopped it from making the desired Top Safety and security Select honor bestowed by the non-profit IIHS.
Offered in S, SE, and SEL, the Atlas SUV can be had with a turbo-4 or V-6 engine. A lot of customers choose the 276-horsepower V-6 because VW needs six-cylinder power for all-wheel drive. The base 235-hp turbo-4 comes just with front-wheel drive.
The Atlas’ finest driving possession is its composed ride, which takes in bumps much better than most rivals despite having the 21-inch alloy wheels offered on the range-topping SEL Costs trim.
First released for the version year 2018, Atlas lags the competitors in the gas economy. The V-6 versions are rated at just 19 mpg integrated, which is 3 mpg shy of AWD competitors such as the Toyota Highlander and Honda Pilot. A crossbreed option would certainly behave, but it would boost an already hefty price tag for many Atlas configurations. The most effective worth with all these confusing trim levels is the Atlas SE V-6 with a four-wheel drive at around $38,000, which offers a lot of space per dollar.
2020 VW Atlas Diesel
With its 2020 Atlas, Volkswagen employs no methods to make its large three-row crossover look delicate, dainty, or demure. We dock it a factor for beefy appearances that do not excite, which brings the 2020 VW Atlas Diesel to a 4 out of 10 on our scale. That’s a factor less than in 2014 because the competition has actually boosted while the Atlas has actually stayed the same.
The wide grille, rectangular fronts lights, and also large fender flares offer the Atlas a plus-size design appearance that has actually lost its charm when faced with more trendy rivals from Ford, Toyota, and also Chevrolet. This year, 20-inch wheels are a standard package on even more versions of the Atlas, while the range-topping SEL Costs swaps in 21-inch moving stock that gives it a more sporty appearance.
Inside, the Atlas is car-like with a reduced dash and tall and also broad front glass completely exposed. The plastic controls are focused around either a 6.5-inch or 8.0-inch touchscreen. It’s not playful or enjoyable in the least in its design, yet the interior finishes the job with few fuss.
The cloth seats on base Atlas S and artificial natural leather seating on mid-level Atlas SE trims struck the mark. VW doesn’t do anything to dress it up for the Atlas SEL apart from exchanging synthetic natural leather for the actual stuff, as it needs to be for $50,000 with every option box ticked.
Read more: 2020 VW Atlas Hybrid
The front seats are strong and provide a decent range of change. Large back door openings expose a spacious bench or optional individual captain’s chairs that slide ahead conveniently for outstanding access to the 3rd row. The 3rd row seats 2.
Large home windows, 38.3 inches of the head area, integrated cupholders, as well as toe room under the second row make the third row totally habitable for adults. We can’t say that around many rivals. The leading latch on the 2nd seat allows children to relocate the seat ahead from the third or 2nd row, and it turns so you do not have to remove the car seat. Your back will appreciate the Atlas.
Freight space is naturally impressive also. With rows 2 as well as three folded, the Atlas can carry virtually 97 cubic feet of luggage. With row two upright, that drops to a still-reasonable 55.5 cubes. Behind the 3rd row, the Atlas still has nearly 21 cubic feet of freight room, with much of that listed below the window line.
It may be large, but the 2020 VW Atlas Diesel isn’t specifically plush. Interior materials do not thrill, though we such as the easy-clean nature of the synthetic natural leather furniture fitted to most trims. Base Atlas S crossovers are cushioned in a tough-feeling towel that’s worth a try to find vehicle drivers without pets or spill-prone children, while the leather in the Atlas SEL Premium seems like it’s attempting to mimic the phony stuff.
Volkswagen Atlas Diesel: VW Atlas TDI
The ongoing diesel scandal means that all Volkswagen and Audi TDI models are still missing from US showrooms and will likely last for several years. Even the new US-only TDI models won’t be sold here.
This is the Volkswagen Atlas TDI, the diesel version of the seven-seater Atlas SUV that debuted at the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show last week.
The VW Atlas Tdi will be manufactured in the US, but according to Automotive News (registration required).
Citing an unnamed executive familiar with VW’s product plans, an industry trade magazine reported that sales of the Atlas TDI will be limited in Russia, with no plans to sell the vehicle in the US, Canada, or even Western Europe.
The Atlas was designed primarily to appeal to US buyers, so it will be built at VW’s Chattanooga, Tennessee plant, along with the US market version of the midsize Passat sedan.
The automaker invested $900 million in the Chattanooga plant to prepare it for Atlas production, in fact, and it’s the only global assembly plant for VW’s largest vehicles to date.
Given its limited market, the TDI Atlas version of the large utility vehicle will likely represent a very small proportion of the overall Atlas production.
The Atlas TDI is said to use a 2.0-liter engine, but no details are available at this time.
Before VW found out it was using illegal “device deactivation” software to cheat emissions tests, the Atlas TDI was slated for sale in the US, as was a higher-efficiency version of the Atlas series.
In contrast, the Atlas for the US market will be offered with two petrol engines: a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-4 and a 3.6-liter VR6 narrow-angle V6.
The 4 cylinder engine produces 238 hp and the VR6 produces 280 hp.
Both engines will be offered with an eight-speed automatic transmission, with standard front-wheel drive or optional all-wheel drive. Volkswagen
may also offer a plug-in hybrid powertrain in the future.
Several Atlas concept vehicles have plug-in hybrid powertrains, and VW currently sells the Golf GTE and Passat GTE plug-in hybrid passenger cars in Europe.
While a plug-in hybrid could join the lineup, Volkswagen is unlikely to resell diesel engines in the US, at least for the next few years, as it faces the ongoing Dieselgate scandal.
And even if they do return to the US, the VW TDI diesel models may not sell in the numbers they used to.
The cost of exhaust after-treatment hardware that would keep diesel vehicles truly meeting stringent emission standards means that Volkswagen, like other makers, is likely to limit future diesel to high-end, low-volume utility vehicles.
2020 VW Atlas Diesel Engine
The 2020 Diesel VW Atlas has a much more sports feeling than its huge measurements would suggest, though even more power would certainly rate. We rate it at 5 out of 10, offering it a point for its comfortable, composed ride yet getting rid of a factor for its limited power. (Find out more concerning how we price vehicles.).
Many VW Atlas Diesel 2020 utilize a 3.6-liter V-6 rated at 276 horsepower, though a 235-hp 2.0-liter turbo-4 is standard with front-wheel drive. While the turbo-4 cylinder engine is offered on numerous three-row SUVs, from the Subaru Climb and Mazda CX-9 to the Ford Traveler it is not the quantity seller due partly to its minimal appeal in icy environments and for towing.
The V-6 is peaceful and functions well with the standard 8-speed automatic transmission, but it doesn’t easily overcome its 4,500-pound visual weight with a four-wheel drive. With a full lot of travelers aboard, the 2020 Atlas struggles up hillsides as well as its gas scale moves faster than its speedometer.
Read more: 2020 VW Atlas MPG
The lengthy 117.3-inch wheelbase helps the Atlas disregard small bumps as well as stay composed at highway speeds. The steering remains arrow-straight also in heavy crosswinds as well as is much more active on winding roads than we have actually pertained to expect from many huge crossover SUVs.
Though the all-wheel drive is optional, the 2020 VW Atlas Diesel is better matched to dust roadways and winter season’s worst than it is to mud plugging. A handful of drive settings let drivers dial in grip control settings for snow and also muck at the spin of a handle.
With the appropriate alternatives, the Atlas can haul 5,000 extra pounds worth of trailer, though it will not win any type of drag races. Safety tests have not been conducted on the 2020 Atlas but the safety and security systems and also style haven’t transformed from 2019.
Just below average headlights hold the VW Atlas back from earning even more factors on our range. The large crossover SUV gained 5 stars from the NHTSA, top marks in accident tests from the IIHS, and comes standard with collision avoidance tech we take into consideration essential on a household lorry.
Every Atlas includes automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitors, and also back cross-traffic alerts. Active lane control and also flexible cruise ship control are available, though some rivals make those advanced motorist help systems standard.
The Atlas rated “Great” in every collision test performed by the IIHS, yet “Moderate” or “Poor” headlight rankings on all trim degrees stopped it from earning a Top Safety Choose honor.
The NHTSA rated the Atlas at 5 stars generally, with 4 stars in the determined rollover test. Given their greater centers of gravity, no crossover SUVs gain five stars in the rollover examination.
2020 VW Atlas Diesel Price
The base Volkswagen Atlas S costs about $32,000, though including the V-6 and four-wheel drive walks that to more than $35,000. Typical fare includes cloth upholstery, a 6.5-inch touchscreen for the infomercial, Apple CarPlay as well as Android Auto compatibility, energetic safety attributes, and 18-inch alloy wheels.
Household customers might wish to step up to the Atlas SE for regarding $1,500 even more that includes automatic climate control, a bigger 8.0-inch touchscreen, 3, even more, USB ports (for a total of 4), and easy-clean artificial furniture. If we were Atlas purchasing, that’s where we would certainly begin as well as quit.
For those that have to have it all, the Atlas SEL with the optional Costs bundle runs about $50,000 as well as includes an electronic instrument cluster, natural leather upholstery, warmed and cooled pole positions, Fender-branded speakers, as well as a panoramic sunroof. At that price, some high-end Alarms such as the Volvo XC90 beckon.
VW as soon as offered a six-year, 72,000-mile service warranty on the Atlas, however, that’s been dropped to a still-decent four-year, 50,000-mile insurance coverage. VW consists of maintenance for the initial 2 years, including oil modifications.
