Size Matters

Volkswagen Jumps Into the Three-row-suv Fray.

- Jason H. Harper

SO YOU’RE THE TYPE whose cockles grow warm at the mention of a first-gen GTI. Whose first thought when you hear “Volkswagen” is 16-valve Sciroccos, not cheating diesels. You’re a “people’s car” person. But if you’re old enough to have owned an original Rabbit, a Corrado, or a GTI with the VR6, there’s a good chance you’ve lived enough life to have accumulated stuff. Like a kid or two. If that’s the case, car shopping is more likely to result in a large crossover than a Golf R.

Perhaps the indignity of piloting a seven-seater would be lessened if it were fronted by a VW logo. That is the embattled automaker’s sincerest hope as it joins the three-row fray with the Atlas.

The Atlas is a brand-new vehicle built in America, expressly for Americans. The company needs a win here—even before the diesel imbroglio, Volkswagen was falling short of its internal growth targets for the U.S. market. The Atlas, a clean-sheet design with a friendly starting price of $31,425, is its attempt at a fresh start.