1 year / 10k mile report - 2024 VW Atlas

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Dec 5, 2014
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Location
Toronto
Here is my one-year report for the 2024 VW Atlas Comfortline. We have put a little over 10000 miles (16500 km) in one year. It's our weekend family hauler and my wife's commuter on a weekday.

It's the Canadian "base" trim that's almost an SE w/Tech, with the SE rims, and missing a few SE Tech features like the sunshades, but much better equipped than the US base trim "SE". We did not want to get in white, black or gray, and red was the only "colorful" choice in 2024, for which we had to wait almost 2 months, but with no extra $$, unlike the States where you have to pay extra for it. All wheel drive is standard.

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We took the delivery on Dec 18, 2023, with 2 miles on it. As a person who is lucky enough to drive all entries in this class, all of the 3-rows are really good and extremely hard to choose the right 3-row SUV. So I decided to narrow it down based on my budget so that I could pay cash and not worry about high interest rates, that's why my budget was $60.000 CAD out the door, and ended up paying $58.500 OTD for it (around 41k USD last year) with 3-year free maintenance and no extra dealer BS fees.

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The good

- The engine. The Gen 4 EA888 is better than the outgoing VR6 in every way, except the sound. It sounds like a vacuum cleaner, but it offers more torque at lower RPMs, which is where most people use a lot more than the top end. No visible oil consumption, my OCI is 10k km.
- Fuel economy - It's great on highways. I drove from Toronto to NYC this summer, and my average was 8.5l / 100km (28 MPG). Impressive for a big 3-row all-wheel-drive SUV. Of course, if you are short-tripping, it will be much worse.
- Overall interior space - It is really spacious, the second row has more legroom than Honda Odyssey. Of course, the third row can't be compared to any minivan, but it is quite boxy and large compared to other unibody 3-rows.
- Towing - yes it's not meant for towing heavy stuff, but it is rated 5000 lbs, and comes with a hitch/wiring harness from the factory. I started towing lightweight stuff like 1 or 2 motorcycles and it feels totally fine.
- Features - Comfortline is the base trim here in Canada, but it still comes with ventilated seats, a digital screen/cluster, park sensors front and back, a power liftgate etc. I wish it had memory seats, but whatever. I may retrofit it in the future. I did not want a sunroof, and Comfortline was the only choice.
- Comfort / NVH - Overall noise, vibration and hardness levels are quite low, this is where you feel you didn't buy a Japanese car. It drives and feels more refined than a Honda Pilot. The updated interior is not everyone's cup of tea with the lack of physical controls, but the interior quality is a step above compared to all other non-premium entries (excluding CX-90).
(P.S. - The press car I drove was the top trim with 21" rims, and the comfort was much worse. I think 18" rims with giant sidewalls help)

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The bad

- Transmission tune - It is smooth and shifts relatively fast. However, the third gear is tuned for noise/EPA regulations, meaning that it wants to hang on the third gear almost until a complete stop. It results in sluggish acceleration when attempting to speed up after slowing down, as it refuses to downshift to the second gear.
- Windshield wipers - in typical VW fashion, they all suck.
- The infotainment screen controls - It's not the best way to implement it. Slider is something you can get used to, but not having a backlit is a big oversight. It feels like VW engineers punch out at 5 pm and no one tried it after 5 when it was dark. :LOL:
- The screen - it needs time to get used to. If you are only using CarPlay and Android Auto, I think it is fine. However, when you start it up, the screen has a static screen with distortions, which you need to reset the infotainment system. It only happened 3-4 times in total, but quite annoying. VW updated it once, which made it worse. I heard they are going to release another update, here is an example:


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Future plans

- Stage 1 tune - not because I want more power (I don't mind the extra horsepower), but because I would like to disable the auto start & stop permanently. The Auto start-stop function doesn't have physical control in 2024, so I cannot install a module that remembers your last choice. You have to disable it every time you start the car. My GLI has an APR Stage 1 tune, I'll probably go with APR for the Atlas as well.
- Auto brake hold retrofit - I have done this to my GLI, and will do it for the Atlas. For some reason, North American VWs and Audis don't come with it, but it is available in Europe and China, so it should just be as easy to retrofit.
- Memory seat retrofit - not sure if it is doable, but it's on my to-do list. Need to do a research.

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Issues

The only issue was one of the LED license plate bulbs that wasn't installed correctly, and water got into it. I pushed it back firmly and let it dry, and it works just fine.

Would I buy it again?

Yes. There was no better 3-row SUV for the price. If my budget was around 70-80k, I would have considered more premium/ performance-oriented options like the CX90, Durango R/T or Explorer ST. Despite its deficiencies, 2024 Atlas offers the best value proposition in its segment. The EA888 engine is one of the smoothest 4-cylinder options available. Widely used in many Audi and Porsche models, that engine has big shoes to fill.
 
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28 MPG is pretty impressive. I had rented a 2022 Atlas and only averaged 13 MPG doing all highway during a 1900 mile road trip in the winter of 2022. We were loaded down with three adults and luggage and the cold weather probably didn’t hold. I second your transmission tune observations.
 
Thought this may have been a UOA report, but it turned out to be a really good, concise review. Thought about a Cross Sport next year, but think I'll wait for the 2025 Tiguan to see how much more upscale they went. Since I thought it was about oil, what are your intervals and what are you using?
 
28 MPG is pretty impressive. I had rented a 2022 Atlas and only averaged 13 MPG doing all highway during a 1900 mile road trip in the winter of 2022. We were loaded down with three adults and luggage and the cold weather probably didn’t hold. I second your transmission tune observations.

Thanks, my trip was 2 adults + 1 kid and a lot of luggage as we were going for a cruise ship. The traffic wasn't too bad and the weather was around 50-60F.

Our 10k mile average is 20.5 MPG, which includes pretty much everything, a 13-mile commute one way 3x a week, some short tripping, and some weekend (longer) trips.

Your loaner must be the VR6, they aren't the best when it comes to the fuel economy.
 
Thought this may have been a UOA report, but it turned out to be a really good, concise review. Thought about a Cross Sport next year, but think I'll wait for the 2025 Tiguan to see how much more upscale they went. Since I thought it was about oil, what are your intervals and what are you using?

Thank you for the feedback!

I haven't driven the Cross Sport, but I assume it would be very similar to the 3-row Atlas.

I'm using OEM 508.00 oil, and 6300 mile OCI (10k km). It's easier to remember every 10k km and much safer than the recommended 10k mile OCI, especially considering the fact my wife loves short-tripping.

I have a 3-year free maintenance and got the first maintenance done at 10500 km in August, it didn't burn any oil.

I will continue to use OEM 508.00, we do not have a lot of alternatives locally, and OEM 508.00 is a pretty stout oil. I have done several track day sessions with my GLI and 0w20 508.00 oil was fine (verified it with UOAs).
 
Good notes on your annual post. Looks like you're putting it right to work. How long do you plan to keep it?
As long as possible. Not sure how long it will last, but I am very happy with it so far, not planning to replace it with anything else.
 
Just because I'm curious, when you say the wipers suck, what do you mean by that? Great review btw!
 
Thanks, my trip was 2 adults + 1 kid and a lot of luggage as we were going for a cruise ship. The traffic wasn't too bad and the weather was around 50-60F.

Our 10k mile average is 20.5 MPG, which includes pretty much everything, a 13-mile commute one way 3x a week, some short tripping, and some weekend (longer) trips.

Your loaner must be the VR6, they aren't the best when it comes to the fuel economy.
It was the four banger; gutless little thing with the people and cargo that we were carrying. The heavy load, high elevations, headwinds, cold weather, and Utah’s weird 85 octane “regular” gas didn’t do our Atlas any favors. I did reset the meter for the AZ side of our roadtrip and we did get a bit better, around 19 MPG.
 
When the weather gets cold, they get very noisy. Not just the Atlas, my GLI is the same too.
Get some Bosch Aerotwins from FCP Euro. Not only are they superior to the OE ones in every way, they are usually cheaper. Plus, with the Lifetime Replacement Guarantee, you only "buy" them once. I replace mine once a year and have saved a ton.
 
I had that Winshield issue. In 18 months, I replaced five windshields. It seems some people are affected by it, some not. But, put that on the side, there is no SUV in that category as good as Atlas. I checked Pilot and Grand Highlander, and they are not even close to Atlas. Atlas is a full-size SUV in clothes of a mid-size SUV.
 
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