VW’S 2024 ATLAS SEL PREMIUM SUV
Designed For Comfort & A Crowd
Standing beside the Volkswagen Atlas SEL Premium SUV, you first realize how big this vehicle is. Like the much more expensive Cadillac Escalade, the Atlas is so tall that talking across the roof is challenging, even for tall people. Then, when you climb inside and take the wheel, you’ll discover how wide this mid-size SUV is, mimicking the Escalade in taking up most of a standard lane.
The version we tested is the most expensive of the Atlas’ iterations (the SEL Premium package starts at $52,890 MSRP, while the bottom-of-the-line Atlas SE can be had for $37,995); it’s a far cry from the Escalade’s top-of-the-line V-Series listing at $152,295. So, while the Volkswagen Atlas may not carry movie stars to galas and premieres, it is undoubtedly an SUV designed for comfort—and a crowd!
SUPERB INTERIOR
The interior boasts three rows of seats, allowing seven passengers to ease on down the road, sitting on soft Vienna leather (only found in the SEL Premium) as they go. There’s a lot of legroom in the rear rows, and the first—and second-row seats heat, a much-loved feature in the dead of winter.
The Atlas SEL Premium features a Harmon Kardon premium audio system, six USB charging ports to keep you juiced up on the go and connectivity to curate your music experience.
The large console display is where you find an essential element of the Atlas, what Volkswagen calls its “4MOTION” engine control panel. The SUV features Eco, Comfort, Sport, Offroad, and Snow drive modes, including four-wheel drive on the SEL Premium. That’s a good thing, as driving this vehicle in Eco or Comfort mode means too much slip-sliding away when negotiating turns or lane changes. Move into Sport mode and find the control you need while negotiating city traffic, windy mountain roads, or high-speed highway driving.
The Atlas engine is the same no matter which iteration of the SUV you choose: a turbocharged four-cylinder model that puts out 269 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque. It has good pickup and will tow five thousand pounds behind it. This gas-powered machine gets 19 mpg in the city and 25 mpg on the highway.
THE EXTRAS
This SUV is clearly designed for people with families that need to be shuttled around, which makes the safety features extra important to those loading kids into the car.
Excellent driving aids like the adaptive front lighting LED system (AFS) take night driving to another level by automatically switching from brights to dims, sensing darkness levels and oncoming vehicles. The rain-sensing front windshield wipers help you concentrate more clearly on the road.
Also, add rigid “safety cage” construction designed to protect passengers by distributing crash forces away from the seats and the ICRS. This crash response system automatically turns off the fuel and the pump unlocks the doors. It activates hazard lights, in addition to the six protective airbags, and it’s no surprise that the 2024 Atlas was designated an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Top Safety Pick.
Plus, there’s a front assist, which warns of collision and automatically brakes if a pedestrian or cyclist suddenly appears, as well as a parking assist and lane change side assist (avoiding blind-spot errors), all combining to make the Atlas an extra-safe and family-friendly vehicle.
DRIVE CAREFREE
To sweeten the deal, Volkswagen also includes its “Carefree Coverage” on all Atlas models. This coverage features two years or 20,000 miles of free standard maintenance, three years or 36,000 miles of roadside assistance at no charge, and four years/50,000 miles of limited new vehicle warranty coverage. Overall, the Volkswagen Atlas is an SUV that does the job, whether filling the car with a kids’ soccer team, towing the boat to the lake, or loading a gal pal’s ski weekend group and gear quickly. Admittedly, it’s not quite as bling as an Escalade, but it is easier on the pocketbook and does pretty much everything you ask it to do, with extra safety built in at every turn.
For more information on the 2024 Volkswagen Atlas, visit vw.com/en/models/atlas