2018 Volkswagen Atlas Review: A Big Deal
The last time Volkswagen sold a vehicle in the U.S. that was capable of carrying more than five people, it was the Routan. Sold from 2009 to 2014, the Routan was a lightly rebadged version of the Dodge Caravan minivan with a little Fahrvergnügen from Wolfsburg mixed in for good measure.
Minivans, though, have been waning in popularity since their heyday in the ‘90s, and the Routan ultimately proved to be a waste of time. The Routan simply delayed what the company should’ve built back in 2009 – this, the three-row Volkswagen Atlas SUV.
Like Volkswagen’s current Jetta and Passat sedans, the 2018 Atlas has been designed with American appetites in mind, which means its special ability is size. Inside, it offers space galore for growing families, including a genuinely useable third row. Being built in 2018 rather than 2009 has also given this SUV the latest technologies of our time, both to entertain and keep everyone inside safe.
Being a family vehicle, the Atlas won’t win you over with poshness or its ability to induce a grin in turns, but it’s remarkably skilled at the things we used to buy minivans for without any of their stigma.
