# 3rd year Atlas redesign



## GjR32 (Dec 22, 2010)

I realize it’s still a little way off but I’m lying on my couch recovering from ACL and medial meniscus surgery and wondered what peoples’ views are on the following. So, this time next year will mark the 3rd anniversary of when the Atlas was released in the USA and will surely also be when many Atlas drivers’ 3 year lease (me included) will be up. Surely VWOA will want to offer those drivers a significant enough refresh to keep those Atlas drivers as opposed to going elsewhere - I must say the new Kia Telluride and Hyundai Palisade are both looking pretty good. Do you think VWOA will offer a new engine (hybrid or otherwise), styling changes, new tech, new colors? What will be enough change for you to get another Atlas or would you get another one without any changes?


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## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

If you don't want an Atlas, buy something else. Good riddance.


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## Hfqkhal (Oct 14, 2018)

Well it came out as a 2018 model so I would think if any change would occurs on the 4th year like a 2022 model refresh (this all depends on the VW life cycle policy for the Atlas and they have to sell more than enough to recoup all costs first and make the proper returns). At that time and based on what VW group has been showing we will for sure see some electric introduced into the Atlas. 


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## Boater108 (Feb 1, 2019)

As a car buyer (leasing is too expensive from my perspective) the longer the design persists, the better it is. I know that almost 30% of new cars are leased. I'm not one of them. A reliable car that is held for at least 10 years is the best deal. The manufacturer's cost to develop all-new models is very high so a mid-life "nose job" or other efforts to refresh are the most common. I'd expect some additional standard equipment is most likely for year 3.


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## Savvv (Apr 22, 2009)

GjR32 said:


> Surely VWOA will want to offer those drivers a significant enough refresh to keep them Atlas drivers as opposed to going elsewhere - I must say the new Kia Telluride and Hyundai Palisade are both looking pretty good.


Did you reread this aloud to yourself before you clicked Post? :laugh:


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## GjR32 (Dec 22, 2010)

Savvv said:


> Did you reread this aloud to yourself before you clicked Post? :laugh:


No I didn’t. How unfortunate you couldn’t reply with anything constructive to the discussion.


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## Hfqkhal (Oct 14, 2018)

GjR32 said:


> No I didn’t. How unfortunate you couldn’t reply with anything constructive to the discussion.


Unfortunately neither the Kia/Hyundai looked good to me and don’t have much more to offer than the Atlas I saw the Kia in person and it only reminded me of a GMC. Seeing picture is not like seeing it live with Kia it is the opposite of VW live shows the worth of the Atlas as compared to pictures. A close friend test drove the Kia and ended up with the Atlas. As to those 2 I think when it is time for you to renew your car my thoughts would be that you will end up considering some other SUV by the time. Every year we get something new so one can go endlessly in thoughts as to what to get. 


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## Savvv (Apr 22, 2009)

GjR32 said:


> No I didn’t. How unfortunate you couldn’t reply with anything constructive to the discussion.


If it were constructive, you wouldn’t have been able to take it like a millennial.


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## macaddict (Oct 12, 2014)

Savvv said:


> If it were constructive, you wouldn’t have been able to take it like a millennial.


Huh?


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## kootenaydub (May 15, 2009)

I'm happy with the VR6, it's bulletproof for the most part. Sure, not the best for towing, but I'd buy a truck if I wanted to tow a lot, and I have a GTI for hooning around. But overall, I think the engine is the Atlas' weakest point in term of market comparison. Would have been nice to get 300+ hp from a v6, considering a lot of 2.XL engines are over 300 and have comparable mileage, albeit smaller vehicles. the interior is huge and well thought out. Most folk that take a ride think it's a luxury SUV.

After having a Santa Fe 2.0T which blew up on the highway at 70 mph, I will never touch a Hyundai/Kia ever. Junk cars, and the fit and finish is far behind VW. Customer service was atrocious, and the recall campaign was a failure. The company has had the issue since 2012 and has not fixed it, coming from a quality/manufacturing/production world, that's absolutely inexcusable.

I'll ride it out with this Atlas for 5-10 years and when someone makes a decent electric SUV/Truck with 1000 km range, and at a comparable ICE price, and doesn't look like a toaster with wheels and lights, that will be my next purchase.

I tihnk VW will cash in when they make the atlas CUV model on the platform, as the atlas is too big for a lot of folks, and the tiguan is too small now, compared to it's rivals, RAV4, CRV, etc which has gotten much bigger over the years.


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## GjR32 (Dec 22, 2010)

kootenaydub said:


> I'm happy with the VR6, it's bulletproof for the most part. Sure, not the best for towing, but I'd buy a truck if I wanted to tow a lot, and I have a GTI for hooning around. But overall, I think the engine is the Atlas' weakest point in term of market comparison. Would have been nice to get 300+ hp from a v6, considering a lot of 2.XL engines are over 300 and have comparable mileage, albeit smaller vehicles. the interior is huge and well thought out. Most folk that take a ride think it's a luxury SUV.
> 
> After having a Santa Fe 2.0T which blew up on the highway at 70 mph, I will never touch a Hyundai/Kia ever. Junk cars, and the fit and finish is far behind VW. Customer service was atrocious, and the recall campaign was a failure. The company has had the issue since 2012 and has not fixed it, coming from a quality/manufacturing/production world, that's absolutely inexcusable.
> 
> ...


Well said sir. Isn’t the Atlas Cross Sport going to be a hybrid with around 350hp? Is there a release date for this yet? It would be nice if the full size Atlas got this engine too.


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## kootenaydub (May 15, 2009)

GjR32 said:


> Well said sir. Isn’t the Atlas Cross Sport going to be a hybrid with around 350hp? Is there a release date for this yet? It would be nice if the full size Atlas got this engine too.


Didn't hear about a hybrid or 350 hp, are there any other VW hybrid models in NA? Would this be the first one? My guess is that they would use the 2.0T or another 2.XL turbo used in the fwd atlas for the smaller cross sport. If they did go bigger, then it should be available in the atlas, as a bigger vehicle with smaller engine wouldn't make sense. That been said, a VR6 in the cross sport would probably be a nice torquey ride too. They would have to be careful not to make a Q5 with a VW badge.

Sounds like, for the long term, VW is looking to invest in skipping the hybrid and go direct to full EVs, and so are other major producers. The move to making more SUVs makes sense, as they are bigger and have more room for battery capacity, which seems to be a limiting factor until battery tech improves (soon I hope). In NA it's a much bigger concern as we drive longer distances, than say in the EU. The Golf is just too small to get a decent range battery while keeping interior space. The extra cost for hydrid models over base ICE has never made a lot of economical sense in fuel savings, just in the 'warm and fuzzy' department. Hence why 75%+ are still straight up ICEs.


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## GjR32 (Dec 22, 2010)

kootenaydub said:


> Didn't hear about a hybrid or 350 hp, are there any other VW hybrid models in NA? Would this be the first one? My guess is that they would use the 2.0T or another 2.XL turbo used in the fwd atlas for the smaller cross sport. If they did go bigger, then it should be available in the atlas, as a bigger vehicle with smaller engine wouldn't make sense. That been said, a VR6 in the cross sport would probably be a nice torquey ride too. They would have to be careful not to make a Q5 with a VW badge.
> 
> Sounds like, for the long term, VW is looking to invest in skipping the hybrid and go direct to full EVs, and so are other major producers. The move to making more SUVs makes sense, as they are bigger and have more room for battery capacity, which seems to be a limiting factor until battery tech improves (soon I hope). In NA it's a much bigger concern as we drive longer distances, than say in the EU. The Golf is just too small to get a decent range battery while keeping interior space. The extra cost for hydrid models over base ICE has never made a lot of economical sense in fuel savings, just in the 'warm and fuzzy' department. Hence why 75%+ are still straight up ICEs.


The concept had 2 electric motors coupled with the VR6. Hopefully if/when the Cross Sport arrives here it with still have this powertrain. 
https://media.vw.com/en-us/releases/1000


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## BsickPassat (May 10, 2010)

vw once offered the Jetta and Touareg as a hybrid.

Audi iirc offered the A8 as a hybrid, with a 2.0t engine

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## Phil37 (Jul 5, 2015)

I would like to see the Atlas get the 320 hp 480 ft/lb 3.0 biTDI V6 from the Euro spec Audi A7, along with a 7 speed manual transmission. Other than that, it could use a couple more cup holders.


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## Mrprice (Jul 30, 2013)

I would be happy with the 2.0t tuned like the Golf R. And 4motion of course.


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## GjR32 (Dec 22, 2010)

Phil37 said:


> I would like to see the Atlas get the 320 hp 480 ft/lb 3.0 biTDI V6 from the Euro spec Audi A7, along with a 7 speed manual transmission. Other than that, it could use a couple more cup holders.


Well we all know they won’t bring a diesel here for obvious reasons. I’d love the Atlas to come with a manual transmission but it seems that there are very few SUV’s if any in the USA with a manual option.
It’s funny there are so many cup holders (17 I do believe) but the 2nd row center armrest has 3 different sized ones. Therefore, if you have 2 kids with the same hydro flask or whatever only one of them can use the center armrest, leaving the other one to be stored in the door pocket to rattle around in!


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## BsickPassat (May 10, 2010)

Phil37 said:


> I would like to see the Atlas get the 320 hp 480 ft/lb 3.0 biTDI V6 from the Euro spec Audi A7, along with a 7 speed manual transmission. Other than that, it could use a couple more cup holders.


1. Thanks to Dieselgate, not going to happen
2. That motor won't fit in the engine bay. the 90 degree V6 won't fit transversely in the engine bay. That's why the V6's in the transverse platform have been VR architecture.


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## Phil37 (Jul 5, 2015)

GjR32 said:


> Well we all know they won’t bring a diesel here for obvious reasons. I’d love the Atlas to come with a manual transmission but it seems that there are very few SUV’s if any in the USA with a manual option.
> It’s funny there are so many cup holders (17 I do believe) but the 2nd row center armrest has 3 different sized ones. Therefore, if you have 2 kids with the same hydro flask or whatever only one of them can use the center armrest, leaving the other one to be stored in the door pocket to rattle around in!


Yeah, I know. Wishful thinking. While the Atlas won’t get a TDI (from my understanding before Dieselgate, putting a Diesel into the Atlas was actually planned :banghead:. One of our Canadian Québécois Northern neighbors has reported 40+% of Golf Sportwagen being manual transmission in his province. This vs. what? 5% here in the USA? There’s hope. 

this could lead to VW Canada offering a manual transmission MQB Tiguan and perhaps a manual transmission option for the Atlas. A 2020 Tiguan with manual transmission is much more likely vs. an Atlas with manual transmission for Canadian markets. 

Still, I’d love a manual transmission Atlas.


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## GjR32 (Dec 22, 2010)

Phil37 said:


> Yeah, I know. Wishful thinking. While the Atlas won’t get a TDI (from my understanding before Dieselgate, putting a Diesel into the Atlas was actually planned :banghead:. One of our Canadian Québécois Northern neighbors has reported 40+% of Golf Sportwagen being manual transmission in his province. This vs. what? 5% here in the USA? There’s hope.
> 
> this could lead to VW Canada offering a manual transmission MQB Tiguan and perhaps a manual transmission option for the Atlas. A 2020 Tiguan with manual transmission is much more likely vs. an Atlas with manual transmission for Canadian markets.
> 
> Still, I’d love a manual transmission Atlas.


A sportier engine paired with a manual gearbox sounds like a great idea. I for one would snap one up straight away.


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## EPilot (Jul 27, 1999)

GjR32 said:


> A sportier engine paired with a manual gearbox sounds like a great idea. I for one would snap one up straight away.


No manuals for the Atlas or Tiguan in the USA are planned or have been planned.


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## Only1Z (Oct 15, 2006)

I will never buy a Kia ever again. If you need support from Kia corporate, forget it. I have a car under the 5 year/60K warranty and they cannot fix it. It has been now 50 days out of service in a 6 month period for the same problem. They haven't reimbursed me for my rental car yet ($600 when it was down for 32 days on a single trip). There is a reason the Korean companies are not known for their customer service. It literally sucks. You are on your own with that manufacturer. 

I wouldn't touch a Kia or Hyundai ever again. Volkswagen has never been short of terrific when I've needed them. That includes fixing something for free that was out of warranty by a few months. An Atlas is in my near future so I can get rid of this problematic Kia.


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## prettygood (Jun 19, 2002)

I would be happy with a mild supercharger/twin turbo option at the top end. I have a SEL Premium, and will sign up again with a little better engine. The 3.0T from Audi would be just fine.


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## Hfqkhal (Oct 14, 2018)

prettygood said:


> I would be happy with a mild supercharger/twin turbo option at the top end. I have a SEL Premium, and will sign up again with a little better engine. The 3.0T from Audi would be just fine.


I would probably go for the Arteon turbo in it. I just wonder if that turbo can take the 5k trailer capabilities. But like you said. I would love to see the 3.0T on it but that will not happen until they have another engine for the Audi first which then they might adopt at VW. 


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## macaddict (Oct 12, 2014)

How about an all electric engine that can tow like the Tesla model X?

I love my e-Golf. 


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## GTINC (Jan 28, 2005)

prettygood said:


> ....The 3.0T from Audi would be just fine.


Any thoughts on how VW could get the 90 degree Audi V6 in a MQB vehicle?


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## Atlas32 (Feb 3, 2018)

Only1Z said:


> I will never buy a Kia ever again. If you need support from Kia corporate, forget it. I have a car under the 5 year/60K warranty and they cannot fix it. It has been now 50 days out of service in a 6 month period for the same problem. They haven't reimbursed me for my rental car yet ($600 when it was down for 32 days on a single trip). There is a reason the Korean companies are not known for their customer service. It literally sucks. You are on your own with that manufacturer.
> 
> I wouldn't touch a Kia or Hyundai ever again. Volkswagen has never been short of terrific when I've needed them. That includes fixing something for free that was out of warranty by a few months. An Atlas is in my near future so I can get rid of this problematic Kia.


I will also never buy a KIA again, purchased the Highest End Sorento about 2 years ago.. Not far into owning it radiator sprung a leak. The car had like 10,000 miles or less on it. They would not fix it under warranty compared it to getting a rock chip in your windshield... I would have agreed if you could see any damage whatsoever however there was nothing. No visible ding dent anything you literally had to take a picture of it and zoom in too see a crack.

I protested this and the KIA Rep for the NW region denied the warranty coverage. If a company wants to try to find a reason to not cover something KIA is apparently a top prize winner. Why have a warranty if the manufacturer will not honor it. Oh yeah, because of what happened the head was warped later. They fixed that only because their techs replaced the entire radiator with an OEM one and wrote up that there were no issues and everything. Was fine. IT was not... 

The short story is that a band new top tier trim level vehicle that I loved was towed on 3 different occasions under 30,000 miles. What a joke, and I had to pay for the radiator which was complete BS. 




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