I know there are a couple owners on here, thoughts/feelings, pros/cons? Would you buy again?

We've had my wife's Atlas for about 5 months now. So far we both really like it. Taken it on a couple of road trips and it was comfortable for 4 full sized adults plus stuff. No problems with it so far but we're still in the honeymoon phase as far as reliability goes. Some of the reviews I read before I bought it claimed they were under powered but I haven't found that to be the case. It's plenty quick for a grocery getter. The only thing I don't like is the automatic engine stop/start can't be permanently disabled (as far as I know).

521_Ag said:

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We've had my wife's Atlas for about 5 months now. So far we both really like it. Taken it on a couple of road trips and it was comfortable for 4 full sized adults plus stuff. No problems with it so far but we're still in the honeymoon phase as far as reliability goes. Some of the reviews I read before I bought it claimed they were under powered but I haven't found that to be the case. It's plenty quick for a grocery getter. The only thing I don't like is the automatic engine stop/start can't be permanently disabled (as far as I know).

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https://www.cartervw.com/blog/how-to-turn-off-the-start-stop-feature-on-your-volkswagen/


do you not have this button?

You have to hit that button every time you start the car. Also, not sure what motor they are talking about that has a lack of power. I had a 6 cyl model for a couple of weeks and it was great.

Ah, gotcha. Not too worried about that, but I hate the shut off "feature", it's annoying as hell in Houston traffic.

Probably the 4 cyl turbo is what they are talking about.

It looks like you can permanently disable start/stop with a VCDS tweak, at least for some VW vehicles.

If you have VAG-COM, you can disable it.

I actually dont find mine auto start/stop annoying (yet).....

The Atlas and upcoming Kia Telluride/Hyundai equivalent are on our short list for a car in the next 2-3 years or so as our kiddos get bigger. I'm hoping the Atlas proves itself as does the Kia/Hyundai. Also gives enough time to shake out any early bugs.

Worst case, both come with great warranties. We've had our Kia 6.5 years and have used the warranty only a handful of times.

I know this isn't fair, but the Atlas looks so bland and boring.

1agswitchin4lanes said:

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I actually dont find mine auto start/stop annoying (yet).....

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You will in August!

My neighbor has one. Blaher in person.

VAG = Volkswagen Auto Group

Its the same tweak that I referred to w/ VCDS. Essentially a programming cable that plugs into your car and computer to allow you to adjust vehicle programming. I used it to tweak settings on my GTI.

Nope...still makes a Honda Accord look like a jet fighter.

If there is a car company that is known for bland and crap styling it's VW. This SUV is the best thing they've done in years on that front.

pdawg10384 said:

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The Honda Pilot is the main competition, which is much more bland and minivan looking to me...

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What about the highlander, explorer or Acadia?

521_Ag said:

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I'm not sure what that is but I'm a little hesitant to google VAG-com on my company cell phone.

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Search VCDS instead. It's a godsend if you own anything VW or Audi, it talks to all of the different modules so you can quickly sort out issues. You also need it to change the rear brake pads if you have an electronic parking brake.

JesusQuintana said:

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pdawg10384 said:

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The Honda Pilot is the main competition, which is much more bland and minivan looking to me...

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What about the highlander, explorer or Acadia?

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Yea but the Highlander is too boring because it will be much more reliable and not have as many problems.

You don't even need VCDS anymore.

https://obdeleven.com/en/

This little dongle lets you change VAG coding without needing to use a computer, get a cable from RossTech, etc.

Volvo XC90 - T6

Turbo charged, and super charged. Leave the dial on "Dynamic" drive mode.

Done


Moms VW Tourage got bought back b/c dieselgate, she switched to the XC90 over the Atlas and says she loves it. Some of the upper trim levels are pretty darn nice too, but takes some coin.

locogringo said:

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Volvo XC90 - T6

Turbo charged, and super charged. Leave the dial on "Dynamic" drive mode.

Done


Moms VW Tourage got bought back b/c dieselgate, she switched to the XC90 over the Atlas and says she loves it. Some of the upper trim levels are pretty darn nice too, but takes some coin.

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Sister got a XC60 and likes it, but then again, she likes every new car she gets every ~3 years. I test drove an XC90 with a friend (who later bought) and we both thought it was great. The turbo+super charger adds some nice grunt.

locogringo said:

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Volvo XC90 - T6

Turbo charged, and super charged. Leave the dial on "Dynamic" drive mode.

Done


Moms VW Tourage got bought back b/c dieselgate, she switched to the XC90 over the Atlas and says she loves it. Some of the upper trim levels are pretty darn nice too, but takes some coin.

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I love LOLvos technology of Turbo and Superchargers but interested to see the long term reliability of the engine.

Any personal insight or feedback regarding Ford's 2.7/3.5L EcoBoost? I've read quite a few things about turbo seals needing to be replaced around 125-150k, which is more or less the issue that plagued my 300zx.

evan_aggie said:

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Any personal insight or feedback regarding Ford's 2.7/3.5L EcoBoost? I've read quite a few things about turbo seals needing to be replaced around 125-150k, which is more or less the issue that plagued my 300zx.

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Depends on many factors, the way you treat the vehicle, maintenance etc.

I lunch with a customer yesterday that has a 2012 XLT 4x4 Ecoboost with 309,000 miles on it (oilfield guy). Looks brand new. He changes the oil religiously every 7500 miles (and uses 'them red Ford Jugs you can get at the Wal mart'), plugs and trans service every 60K, and keeps his filters changed as needed. I asked him what his secret was and he said "I drive the hell out of it every day and work the hell out of it on the weekend at the farm..." He said he'd drive it to the end of the year and give it to his kid and buy a new one.

Then I see some that have less than 100K that leak like a sieve and run like crap, but those are the trucks that people change oil on every 12-15K on when they remember and neglect the hell out of them.

I believe OnlyForNow has over 100K on his truck and the last time I drove it, it ran pretty good, and I didn't see any leaks under it.

I just picked up a new F150 with the 2.7L and will average around 2500-3000 miles a month for work, so we'll see how it holds up over time. The 2018 has both Direct and Port injection and is rated 325hp/400tq and moves itself down the road quite nicely.

locogringo said:

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Volvo XC90 - T6

Turbo charged, and super charged. Leave the dial on "Dynamic" drive mode.

Done


Moms VW Tourage got bought back b/c dieselgate, she switched to the XC90 over the Atlas and says she loves it. Some of the upper trim levels are pretty darn nice too, but takes some coin.

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Yeah, those are a completely different price point though.

$35K versus $55k.

dubi said:

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1agswitchin4lanes said:

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I actually dont find mine auto start/stop annoying (yet).....

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You will in August!

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Never had a vehicle with this feature. Does the engine shut down and shut off your a/c?

Greener Acres said:

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dubi said:

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1agswitchin4lanes said:

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I actually dont find mine auto start/stop annoying (yet).....

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You will in August!

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Never had a vehicle with this feature. Does the engine shut down and shut off your a/c?

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IMO the AC compressor would shut off while you are sitting at the light and I'd get hot.

It did not seem to bother Mr Dubi.

I believe some modern vehicles with start/stop also use electric AC compressors, so they should run @ some capacity for a length of time. Having said that, I also read they tend to use a lot of juice, so these may be more common in high-end EV.

https://www.greencarreports.com/news/1066686_five-things-you-need-to-know-about-stop-start-systems/page-2

My car has start/stop and I hate it. I at least have a button to disable it but have to hit every time I drive.

My wife's suv doesn't have the button (unless I just haven't found it yet) so hers is permanently on. I don't care on that car though because it's mostly unnoticable on her car. It's jarring on my car though when engaged.

dubi said:

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Greener Acres said:

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dubi said:

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1agswitchin4lanes said:

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I actually dont find mine auto start/stop annoying (yet).....

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You will in August!

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Never had a vehicle with this feature. Does the engine shut down and shut off your a/c?

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IMO the AC compressor would shut off while you are sitting at the light and I'd get hot.

It did not seem to bother Mr Dubi.

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It shuts off and lowers the fan speed. However, if it senses that its extremely hot or cold inside, it will keep the vehicle running. Or if you're sitting at a light for an extended period of time it will crank back up to both charge the battery and run the HVAC.

So far it doesnt bug me, but if you're in stop and go traffic, it may be worth disabling. Most of my running around the past week has been in light city traffic, and it seems bearable to me.

521_Ag said:

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I'm not sure what that is but I'm a little hesitant to google VAG-com on my company cell phone.

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It was renamed to VCDS: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VAG-COM

First thing I bought after purchasing my VW, and well worth the money. It's every bit as capable as the dealer scan tool. I wish I had such a tool for other brands of cars, but those tend to cost a lot more money...

Yay VW reliability