Volkswagen is not on a bed of roses in the USA. The Dieselgate case has hit it hardest just across the Atlantic. The financial implications are astronomical. But even before that, his sales didn’t turn out the way he imagined. Somehow he couldn’t tune in to the tastes of Americans. He always missed what they liked. Large SUV, large MPV and pickup. The Touareg was small and expensive by local standards and the “rescue” MPV Routan, derived from the Chrysler Voyager, was a flop. Americans preferred the original. And the Amarok pickup? Ironically, Volkswagen didn’t import one across the Atlantic. A new product called Atlas, developed specifically for the US, is set to change all that.

And since MPVs are no longer in vogue, it takes the form of a large crossover. A really big one. The Atlas measures 5 037 mm in length, 1 979 mm in width and 1 768 mm in height. It is therefore approximately 25 centimetres longer, four centimetres wider and six centimetres taller than the Touareg. It is the largest model Volkswagen has ever offered in the US. And he wants to kill two birds with one stone. It will represent both SUVs and MPVs. Despite its generous size, however, it will stand between the Tiguan and the Touareg in the Group’s hierarchy. Especially the price. The Touareg will simply still retain the hallmark of a sophisticated, almost premium SUV for off-roading, where the Atlas isn’t quite going.

The basis is the extended and extended MQB platform, which underpins everything from the Golf to the Skoda Superb and Kodiaq. The design, which was preceded by the CrossBlue concept, features the simple horizontal lines typical of VW’s new SUVs. That’s why the front grille with a pair of slats extending into the headlights, the angular cutouts of the fenders or the rear section with a practical hinged lid and lights connected by a chrome bar are not surprising. The role of the Atlas is to reach families in particular. That’s why it will offer a spacious interior to rival any MPV. That means three rows of variable seating for seven people. The latter will be both foldable and demountable.

We can expect huge luggage space, but also plenty of comfort, which Americans are loaded for. The instrument cluster can be replaced by a 12.3-inch display. The Car-Net internet connection allows you to use various services. The Atlas will communicate with smartphones via Android Auto, Apple CarPlay or MirrorLink. For an additional fee, you’ll be able to treat yourself to a powerful Fender stereo. There are assistance systems ranging from autonomous braking and multi-collision braking to adaptive cruise control, lane monitoring and forward collision warning. A new version of the parking assistant will help with parking.

The absence of a diesel engine in the US is certainly not surprising. Americans will have the choice of a turbocharged 2.0 TSI four-cylinder (178 kW) or the larger 3.6 VR6 six-cylinder (207 kW), which ended its career in Europe with the departure of the last-generation Passat and Superb. Both engines get an 8-speed automatic and the more powerful of the two gets 4Motion two-axle drive via a Haldex electro-hydraulic clutch. Don’t count on something like a reduction gear or air suspension like the Touareg has. This is neither an SUV nor an off-roader, but a practical crossover albeit in an unusually large format.

The Atlas will debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show in November. Alongside the Passat, it will be produced exclusively at the US plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee, which Volkswagen recently poured 900 million euros into modernising. He hopes to improve sales figures from Atlas. Crossovers, referred to in the US by the term midsize, where it is headed, have up to a 10 percent share of the market there. The German carmaker will start sales next year. However, he does not foresee Atlas being sold in Europe at all. And maybe that’s a shame.

CRASH TEST

VW ATLAS vs VW TOUAREG COMPARISON