VW Atlas first look: A new entry into the family SUV segment

The LA Auto Show is a great way to see the latest and greatest sports cars you’ll one day buy. It’s a nice fantasy, but the reality is, you’re probably going to need a family vehicle first, and there are plenty of those at the Auto Show as well. This year, Volkswagen is introducing the Atlas, a three-row SUV that is squarely aimed at people looking for a big family vehicle.

Volkswagen already offers a pair of SUVs, but the Atlas surpasses both of them in size and space. This is a family vehicle, inside and out. It looks to take on the big SUV segment occupied by the Honda Pilot and Toyota Sequoia. For a family car, it does look pretty slick if a bit boxy. The available Kurkuma Yellow Metallic paint job does make it stand out from the sea of generic black and white cars out on the road.

The Atlas offers a ton of tech options like available 12.3-inch cockpit Active Information Display, 8-inch center console display and different sensors like Pedestrian Monitoring, Front Assist and Blind Spot Monitoring.

VW Atlas enters the niche market of family-focused cars

For the all the cool tech the VW Atlas offers, the main selling point is lots and lots of space. Along with the easy access of the third-row seats, folding the second and third row of seats will get you an additional 96.8 cubic feet of space to fit whatever you want back there.

VW is marketing this vehicle as the “family SUV,” and that’s exactly what you get with the car. Nothing too flashy. It’s not a Golf R with 292 horsepower, but it’s also not a minivan. It’s a compromise many families can live with happily.

Check out the gallery to see more of the VW Atlas.