# Anyone purchased the 2.0T and wished you got the VR6 or vice-versa



## Phil37 (Jul 5, 2015)

My wife and I are looking into getting an Atlas before Thanksgiving ( third child’s due date is early December. As much as I love the Sportwagen , we realize that we will need something bigger. We plan on keeping the GSW as the daily commuter). 

I live in Maine but I am still not totally convinced that AWD is necessary. we’re looking at moving to a place with a less severe Winter . On top of that I really appreciate fuel economy, not so much for the money savings aspect but more for the lower carbon footprint. The 2.0 T is also a couple grand less expensive that the VR6 4Motion. 

I’ve decided on either the Atlas S VR6 4Motion or the Atlas S 2.0T but am leaning towards the 2.0T. The 2.0T Atlas is pretty much non existent within 500 miles of where I live but if I’m willing to drive 600-1000 miles. I can get one for $5k less than a VR6 4Motion. 

So back to the title, has anyone purchased the 2.0T fwd but wished to have got the VR6 4Motion instead or vice versa? If so, please share your thoughts. Also if you have driven both please let me know what you think.


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## KarstGeo (Jan 19, 2018)

When we got ours in Jan '18 there were no 2.0s to test drive and I really wish I could have. I wanted 4Motion so that locked us into the VR6. I think the 2.0 tuned with APR's Stage 1 software would be the bees knees if you could get it with 4Motion. Overall, I'm very happy with the 3.6; it has plenty of power (contrary to what you may read...I think people are too timid on the throttle...sometimes you just need to stomp it plus I drive in Sport mode 100% of the time) and it sure sounds good! VRRRROOOOMMMM!!!!!! The mpgs aren't great but they are exactly what was advertised; highs in the mid-20s on the highway and lows in the mid-teens for around town. Our long-term is 18 with a 70/30 mix of city/highway.


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## quaudi (Jun 25, 2001)

I doubt the owners of either will say they bought the one and wanted the other. Human nature?


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## LenE (Dec 23, 2002)

We got the VR6, but what I really wanted was a VR6 turbo, like they have in the Teramont in China.

This is going to sound weird, but the most fun car we ever had was an Audi Allroad with a twin-turbo 2.6L V6. Anyone complaining about the VR6 Atlas’s fuel economy should drive that for a few tanks. I think our average was around 17 mpg. Coincidentally we followed that up with a Mercedes 430 ML, which also got 17 mpg with its normally aspirated V8. 

Both of those cars have the same horsepower rating as the Atlas VR6, which has significantly better fuel economy (at least for us), and doesn’t need premium gas. Overall, the Atlas is much closer to our ideal of what we were looking for in those others I mentioned. Your mileage may vary, but we have no regrets.


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## nowosun (Dec 28, 2012)

Bought S 2.0T primarily for wife's commute - never understood small girls' obsession with big SUVs. We had the "rare" opportunity to test drive 2.0T, VR6 FWD and VR6 AWD back to back.

Acceleration: 2.0T and VR6 FWD feel about the same, both around the town and on highway. VR6 4motion is noticeably slower. Both VR6 prefer higher revs than 2.0T.
Braking: Not much difference.
Turning: I didn't push the boundary during the test drive. However, afterwards, I found the 2.0T surprisingly well-behaved on backroads.
Fuel economy: For Northern Virginia (DC suburb) commute with 50/50 highway and in-town, we average about 24 mpg (+/- 2 mpg, depending on how restrained we are on the throttle) with auto-start-stop disabled and AC on. 75 mph Highway cruising yields about 30 mpg.

One thing I did change my mind on is the APR tune. We were set on the APR Plus tune for $1,100, which also provides the gap warranty. However, we found the stock power on 87 octane more than sufficient, as we rarely rev above 3k rpm. Fuel consumption is another concern - 24 mpg isn't too bad for a huge SUV, but I do get 36+ mpg in the roadster zooming around the backroads like I stole it. :laugh:


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## golfzex (Mar 29, 2004)

We got a VR6 4motion Premium and we still love it a year and a half later. 

Wouldn’t change a thing. 


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## *DesertFox* (Sep 26, 2017)

golfzex said:


> We got a VR6 4motion Premium and we still love it a year and a half later.
> 
> Wouldn’t change a thing.
> 
> ...


I agree!


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## Mustang Matt (Mar 26, 2019)

I have the VR6 and I would have preferred a turbo setup but I wanted 4motion. Not necessarily the 2.0T, the 3.0T or a VR6T would have been nice options. With the horsepower gains you can get with a tune on the 2.0T and 3.0T is outstanding. I mean look at this chart! https://www.goapr.com/products/ecu_upgrade_20tfsi_trans.html


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## Phil37 (Jul 5, 2015)

nowosun said:


> Bought S 2.0T primarily for wife's commute - never understood small girls' obsession with big SUVs. We had the "rare" opportunity to test drive 2.0T, VR6 FWD and VR6 AWD back to back.
> 
> Acceleration: 2.0T and VR6 FWD feel about the same, both around the town and on highway. VR6 4motion is noticeably slower. Both VR6 prefer higher revs than 2.0T.
> Braking: Not much difference.
> ...


Thanks for sharing your rare test drive experience and thoughts. :thumbup:


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## Phil37 (Jul 5, 2015)

LenE said:


> We got the VR6, but what I really wanted was a VR6 turbo, like they have in the Teramont in China.
> 
> This is going to sound weird, but the most fun car we ever had was an Audi Allroad with a twin-turbo 2.6L V6. Anyone complaining about the VR6 Atlas’s fuel economy should drive that for a few tanks. I think our average was around 17 mpg. Coincidentally we followed that up with a Mercedes 430 ML, which also got 17 mpg with its normally aspirated V8.
> 
> Both of those cars have the same horsepower rating as the Atlas VR6, which has significantly better fuel economy (at least for us), and doesn’t need premium gas. Overall, the Atlas is much closer to our ideal of what we were looking for in those others I mentioned. Your mileage may vary, but we have no regrets.


The made for China 2.5 VR6 T is an impressive motor. 300 hp and 370 ft/lbs if I am not mistaken. The Chinese tax on displacement really penalizes anything over 2.5 liters harshly.


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## derekjl (Jun 24, 2006)

People will disagree with me, but the 2.0T is the better engine. My dad got the SE V6 with 4Motion. The engine is reliable and smooth. I tried telling him to get the 2.0T and just get a set of wheels and tires for winter. But, the 2.0T seems almost non existent here in upstate NY. Our winters are worse than yours, last year we had 126” of snow I believe. Personally, I believe you can easily go without AWD and have FWD with snow tires work just fine. The gas mileage in the 2.0T will be almost 2x that of the V6 as well.


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## Mrprice (Jul 30, 2013)

I don’t think anyone would disagree with you on that statement. I think VW is making a mistake by limiting the 2.0T to the base trim and front wheel drive. I would have ordered one a year ago if you could get it in SEL Premium with R line package and 4 motion. Add an APR tune and it far outperforms the V6.


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## BigBadBull (Aug 20, 2004)

If there was a USDM 2.0T with 4 motion in the higher trims I would have likely gotten that living so close to APR and having had both vr and 2.0t apr tunes.
That being said Ive owned an R32 and loved that motor and 4 motion, just the Atlas is caring around a lot more weight.


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## RotationalAth (Jul 3, 2018)

BigBadBull said:


> If there was a USDM 2.0T with 4 motion in the higher trims I would have likely gotten that living so close to APR and having had both vr and 2.0t apr tunes.
> That being said Ive owned an R32 and loved that motor and 4 motion, just the Atlas is caring around a lot more weight.


15000 miles into the 2.0T SEL. It is a great engine. I still have not APR tuned it yet, but I will get around it once I am less anxious about warranty issues. Gas mileage was about 23-24mpg on average. Didn't seem much improvement in city gas mileage over the last 15000 miles. But where it has significantly improved is highway mileage. I am routinely now hitting 29-30mpg on the highway in hot florida AC blowing in a black SUV, which is super impressive. What is more impressive is I am doing this in a nearly fully loaded care with 4 adults and a child in a car seat, and usually stuff in the trunk. We primarily use the Atlas for 1-2 hour trips around central florida. A full tank routinely nets >400 miles of range.

I drove the V6 and thought it felt slower to me. I also am obsessed about getting the most gas mileage for whatever reason. I really think it was a mistake limiting the 2.0T to only the S trim in 2019. Not sure why VW would do that. Glad I got the 2.0T SEL I have while it lasted in 2018.


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## Ssowinski (May 19, 2019)

Not to ruffle anyone's feathers but since I keep my vehicles 10-15 years on average I'd much rather be left with a 10 to 15 year old VR6 than a 2.0T when the time comes. I don't drive alot so the fuel costs are negligible (6K kms a year). The fact that 4 Motion only comes with the VR6 is the icing on the cake as far as I'm concerned. If the 2.0T came with 4 Motion, it surely would be a combo to avoid after the factory warranty was up.


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## audifan22 (Jul 22, 2009)

Ssowinski said:


> Not to ruffle anyone's feathers but since I keep my vehicles 10-15 years on average I'd much rather be left with a 10 to 15 year old VR6 than a 2.0T when the time comes. I don't drive alot so the fuel costs are negligible (6K kms a year). The fact that 4 Motion only comes with the VR6 is the icing on the cake as far as I'm concerned. If the 2.0T came with 4 Motion, it surely would be a combo to avoid after the factory warranty was up.


I dont think you're ruffling feathers but the 2.0t engine is proven and very solid. I would not be concerned with it after warranty whatsoever


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## Ssowinski (May 19, 2019)

audifan22 said:


> I dont think you're ruffling feathers but the 2.0t engine is proven and very solid. I would not be concerned with it after warranty whatsoever


It's solid yes, but not suited for this application especially with the added burden of 4 Motion. Has there ever beer a heavier VW made using either of these engines and drivetrain? I'm not up on my VW history.


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## G60ed777 (Sep 27, 2004)

Wife loves our VR6


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## nowosun (Dec 28, 2012)

Ssowinski said:


> It's solid yes, but not suited for this application especially with the added burden of 4 Motion. Has there ever beer a heavier VW made using either of these engines and drivetrain? I'm not up on my VW history.


Yes. Audi Q7 2.0TFSI Quattro - and it's longitudinal engine layout with full time AWD.


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## Andre VW (Dec 12, 2018)

Both solid engines. There is no right or wring answer.

I prefer the NA VR6 for long term robustness and maintainibility. Just easier to self maintain an NA motor than a turbo motor. Right or wrong Im more confident I can hit 200k miles with the VR6 but not so confident with the EA888 2.0T without heavier maintenance etc. The EA888 is not as bulletproof. And with south florida summers, the VR6 will handle the heat just fine without detonation risk or boost issues.

Yes you can get some tuning mods to get more power out of the 2.0T than the VR6 but that is now stressing the oil temps, cooling system, PCV system, etc. Nothing is free in life.

Need something I know my wife can start everyday reliably and last a long time and tow decent weight and the NA VR6 was it. Since this was a long term purchase for me and not a lease, went with the least riskiest Atlas powertrain configuration...The VR6 FWD in SEL.

Great throttle response, and lots of driveable around town torque. 



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## MK7_JSW (Jun 10, 2015)

Id chime in here, i rented a 2019 Atlas SE VR6 4Motion and not entirely impressed, my main complaint is the transmission constantly hunting for gears and very abrupt shift in gears 1-2-3 it shifts very harsh. The huge annoyance is in slow moving traffic, if i take up and i let off the gas to coast a little it bangs into the next gear like really hard. Fuel economy is meh, avg 26MPG avg over the course of 2700 miles mainly highway road trip from Socal, Oregon to Washington. The engine is kinda noisy and idles a little lumpy, not sure if this is my particular rental unit (only had 6900 miles on the ODO). If i were to buy the Atlas id pick a left over 2018 2.0 SE trim for $31k and flash a tune, i bet it would run circles around the VR6. (the SE 2.0 not available no longer in 2019)


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## MK7_JSW (Jun 10, 2015)

Andre VW said:


> Both solid engines. There is no right or wring answer.
> 
> I prefer the NA VR6 for long term robustness and maintainibility. Just easier to self maintain an NA motor than a turbo motor. Right or wrong Im more confident I can hit 200k miles with the VR6 but not so confident with the EA888 2.0T without heavier maintenance etc. The EA888 is not as bulletproof. And with south florida summers, the VR6 will handle the heat just fine without detonation risk or boost issues.
> 
> ...



It does have "great throttle response" however it goes in too abrupt, i feel like the one i drove just yanks too hard at take off, the tires sometimes squeals off the line, when i take off from a light i literally had to feather the pedal like a Prius driver to take off smoothly. I had lots of luggage (my niece college dorm stuff and i was trying to drive without everything flying around).


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