2018 Volkswagen Atlas first drive: American-style family hauler done right

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Volkswagen, at last, has a serious midsize SUV player: The new Chattanooga, Tennessee-built Atlas has learned the lessons of the two generations of the still-very-European Touareg; more importantly, it's an all-new SUV designed from the ground up for American tastes and notions of size and price, one that arrives right in time for an unexpected SUV boom.
The long and wide VW Atlas is designed to offer plenty of space for seven while saving just enough room for basic cargo. When it goes on sale this spring, the Atlas will be offered with a choice of a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine producing 235 hp or a 3.6-liter V6 good for 276 hp. Full specs for the two units have not been revealed yet, but both will be coupled to an eight-speed automatic transmission. With the smaller engine, Volkswagen's 4Motion all-wheel-drive system is an option; the V6-equipped Atlas will have AWD standard.
Speaking of 4Motion all-wheel drive: The fifth-gen system is far smarter than the old version of Audi's Quattro tech. 4Motion now stays in front-wheel-drive mode to save fuel until all-wheel drive is truly needed, then engages clutches that bring the rear axles into action. This is a system that debuted in the latest generation of the Golf, with the Atlas being the second VW to receive it. Along with 4Motion, the Atlas will offer four distinct driving modes: onroad, snow, offroad, and a custom mode controlled via rotary dial behind the automatic gear selector. Within the default onroad mode, the Atlas will offer eco, normal, sport and individual modes, which can be selected by the driver.