Owner Review: 2019 Volkswagen Atlas

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Wes Jantz’s first car was a used 1959 Volkswagen Beetle. Two years ago, he returned to the German brand when he bought a new 2019 Volkswagen Atlas. What a difference 60 years makes.

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“We were driving a 2010 Audi S4,” Jantz explains. “And with eight grandkids, we wanted something a little bigger in an SUV that could carry more people, and it had to have all-wheel drive.”

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Jantz drives a 2018 Audi Q7 for work as a maintenance man. The family owns a small chain of coffee shops in northwest Calgary, and the Audi carries all his tools and various parts and pieces. While they owned two Audis, Jantz has a beef with the automaker.

“They don’t want you do anything for yourself,” he says. “For example, the windshield washer fluid reservoir is in a difficult place to access, and when I complained to the dealer, they said ‘bring it in, we’ll do it’. Well, I like doing things for myself, including topping up the washer fluid and swapping summer tires to winter tires. And, my Q7 doesn’t have a spare tire, which I can’t stand, either.”

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Volkswagen launched the three-row Atlas crossover vehicle in 2017 as a 2018 model year vehicle. In 2019, the Atlas was available in Trendline, Comfortline, Highline and Execline trims. The first two were equipped with four-cylinder turbocharged engines, and Jantz prefers a six-cylinder powerplant. Both the Highline and Execline feature a 3.6-litre V6 that makes 276 horsepower, and it’s paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. Jantz doesn’t appreciate CVT transmissions – that put the Subaru Ascent, a vehicle they cross-shopped, out of contention.

“In the fall of 2019, Volkswagen offered a $5,000 rebate and the dealer gave us $1,000 during a late model year push,” Jantz says of the sales incentives that encouraged him to buy a Highline-trimmed Atlas in Deep Black Pearl paint. He opted for the 20-inch Mejorada black alloy wheels and the Captain’s Package, which adds second-row heated bucket seats. And it came with a spare tire.

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“I like the Atlas over other crossovers such as the (Honda) Pilot because it’s boxier,” Jantz says. “The Pilot looks kind of like an updated minivan, in my opinion, and the Atlas is squarer and looks more like a truck.”

At six-feet-one-inches tall, Jantz finds he’s comfortable in the power adjustable driver’s seat with three memory positions. He doesn’t need the seat pushed back to its limit, and there’s legroom behind him for a rear seat passenger. The Atlas also offered an eight-way power adjustable passenger seat, another feature that was important to Jantz. The interior is finished in Titan Black Vienna leather, and the seating surfaces are perforated.

Power from the V6 is more than adequate, Jantz says. He has no issues when on the highway and needs to pull out to pass. It is geared well with the eight-speed transmission, he adds, and the shifts are always smooth and happen when he expects they should. Under normal driving conditions, Volkswagen’s 4Motion all-wheel-drive system delivers power to the front wheels. But, when things get slippery, the system can redirect up to 50 per cent of available torque to the rear wheels.

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“It always feels planted and goes where I want it to go, and I haven’t spun out or slid out in an icy corner,” he says.

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The Jantz’s use the Atlas around town for running errands and general chores. When COVID restrictions allow, they also travel frequently into B.C. In the Atlas, the ride, Jantz explains, is not as nice as that in his Audi Q7.

“But, for the price difference of almost $25,000, I’m willing to give that up,” he says, and adds, “It’s a pleasant ride, and it’s not too noisy. That being said, however, I’ve never experienced anything else like an Audi for a quiet ride.”

Overall utility of the Atlas is greatly appreciated. With the third-row seats upright, there’s 583 litres of space in the cargo area that’s accessed by a power liftgate. With the third-row bench folded, capacity increases to 1,571 litres. That’s enough room, Jantz says, to carry four bags of golf clubs, plus extras. With both second and third-row chairs folded, there’s 2,741 litres of available room.

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It’s a very solid vehicle.

“I took the pedals off of our e-bikes and turned the handlebars so the bikes would lay down flat and put two inflatable kayaks on top of them and that load didn’t stick up above the window line,” Jantz says. “It’s got plenty of cargo capability. In fact, a year from now, I’m going to take over the Atlas as my company vehicle and try and find something else for our second car.”

Since owing the Atlas for almost two years, more than 18,000 kilometres have been added to the odometer. It’s not presenting any squeaks or rattles, and Jantz can look after many of the maintenance items.

“It’s a very solid vehicle,” he says of the Atlas, and concludes, “we’re very happy with it.”

Other Owners’ opinions

Reviews found on Edmunds.com are mixed. With 63 reports, 54 per cent gave the vehicle a five-star rating, with an overall score of 3.8 stars. Here’s what two owners said about the 2019 Atlas.

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On March 6, 2019, a reviewer gave the Atlas a five-star report and echoed many of Wes Jantz’s comments. They said, “I’m 6’4” and can comfortably sit behind myself, don’t know any other car or SUV where that is possible. Bought it on the spot just because of this. I’ve carried 8 people comfortably and loaded cargo that I couldn’t believe it could swallow. Fully loaded it’s every bit as good as an Audi and $20k less, so it’s a bargain.”

However, another reviewer on Jan. 15, 2020, felt completely opposite to Wes Jantz’s opinion, and said, “We have owned our 2019 Atlas V6 for 13 months and 35k miles. This is by far the worst auto purchase of my adult life. We purchased this over the Explorer because of the 72k warranty. Pros: Ride quality, good visibility, good interior layout and third row is spacious. Cons: Terrible quality and I question the longevity of this auto. We have had ours in the shop 7x in 12 months [including three times to address a coolant issue that resulted in an engine teardown to find warped cylinder heads].”