By Christopher A. Sawyer
The Virtual Driver

(November 13, 2016) Volkswagen's MQB structure is gaining steam, underpinning not only the Golf, but he Euro-spec Passat and Tiguan as well. The next Jetta, which has just been shown to VW dealers and is drawing good reviews, will come in 2017 as a 2018 model, but the big news — and we do mean big — for the MQB is the recently introduced VW Atlas SUV.

This Ford Explorer-size crossover is built using the same building blocks, but has seating for seven. It is the largest vehicle VW has ever assembled in America, and is the production version of the CrossBlue concept that debuted — ironically alongside Ford’s aluminum F150 concept, the Ford Atlas — at the 2013 auto show in Detroit.

That vehicle, which was powered by a diesel hybrid powertrain, looked production ready but — according to VW personnel at the time — had yet to gain approval from top executives in Germany. It was a placeholder, and for good reason.

The America-spec Passat, which had entered production at VW’s Chattanooga assembly plant in 2011, is based on a stretched and widened Jetta platform. The MQB wasn’t much more than an idea when plans for the U.S. assembly plant were hatched, and building a lower cost mid-size sedan off the pre-MQB Jetta/Golf platform was the best way forward. Which meant that the plant in Tennessee couldn’t build an MQB-based SUV, and the CrossBlue, if VW was to rush it into production, would have to be based on the American Passat.

That meant accepting a plant that was out of synch with the corporate platform strategy for 10 years, and all of the costs this would entail. Though it would hurt marketshare and profits in the short term, the decision was made to pull the production CrossBlue off the MQB platform, modify the plant to assemble it, and launch an MQB-based U.S. Passat and smaller coupe version of the big SUV in 2019.

The Atlas is 198.3-in. long, 77.9-in. wide, and 69.6-in. tall, which makes it almost exactly the same size as the segment-leading Ford Explorers and very close to the CrossBlue concept. Unlike the Ford, however, the interior is enormous, and features a pair of third-row seats that are not only roomy, but can be easily accessed, thanks to a second row that folds out of the way. The second row, which tilts and slides forward even with a child seat in place, also slides fore-aft and reclines.

The driver faces an undeniably VW instrument panel, though upscale models will offer VW’s Digital Cockpit reconfigurable instrument display. VW Car-Net also is available, and integrates with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and MirrorLink.Vehicles fitted with the optional 12-speaker, 480-watt Fender Premium Audio System, undoubtedly will come bundled with Car-Net.

Available driver assistance features include Automatic Post-Collision Braking, Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Departure Warning, Park Assist, Blind Spot Monitoring with Rear Cross-Traffic Alert, and Forward Collision Warning with Autonomous Emergency Braking.

Under the hood, there’s a choice of two powertrains: a 2.0-liter turbocharged direct-injection four with 238 horsepower, or a 3.6-liter VR6 with 280 hp. Each is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. Unlike the 2.0-liter, which is available only with front-drive, the six-cylinder model offers a choice of front- or 4Motion all-wheel drive, the latter with a drive select button.

Prices and EPA mileage ratings have yet to be announced, though dealers are expecting the Atlas to carry pricing roughly equal to that of the Explorer. That means a starting price of $30,000, and a top trim level that is priced at $50,000-$55,000. The Atlas hits the market in spring 2017.

The Virtual Driver