hayde_bre

Is that what they are doing with rest of the SUV lineup? I always had a soft spot for Tiguan and Toureg, but now tiguan looks like a baby Atlas. Not a fan since those bold lines don't go well with smaller SUV.

RJC 1

The Atlas just looks/will always look cheap compared to the Q7 (no matter how loaded).
Both are 2.0's so no gain there. Some options om Atlas may be standard on q7

jlc

When we started looking for a kid+cat-hauler, we initially refused to consider the Q7, since the 3rd-row seat seems practically useless. I preferred the more kid-tolerant interior of the Atlas (my kids track sand and mud everywhere, and the Q7 feels a little too nice for that), as well as the brilliant 2nd-row tilting seat design, and the acres of storage space. But after a couple of test-drives, I was fairly unhappy with how the Atlas drove--steering and handling felt sloppy to me, and the acceleration wasn't great. Plus my kids had to really haul themselves up to get into the car (they're still in car seats, so it's an extra climb). In the end, we ended up with a 2.0 Q7--so the acceleration still isn't great, but the handling is far superior. (And, if you believe the marketing mumbo-jumbo, the Q7 is welded to survive a 100-mph crash, as opposed to 50-mph on the VW. Given that I crested 90 mph this weekend and still had to get out of the left lane when I realized I shouldn't try to keep up, this kind of thing matters to me.)

mynewq7

Do you want your German SUV made in Europe (Q7), Tennessee (Atlas) or Mexico (Tiguan) ?

hayde_bre

You mean Bratislava

Kidding aside, I drove two different $70k+ German SUV's made in USA for 6 years, and neither had a single problem (BMW). So don't dismiss a nice vehicle only because it wasn't built in Europe. WV is a fine vehicle. Most of the assembly is done by robots these days anyway.

xfirechief

Looks like the Tennessee (Atlas) is 1st on my list right now.

Wisconsin Q7

I think Motor Trend needs to make a decision and not play the party line - at the end of the day there's a comfort factor that is not quantified.

I'll stick with my Q7 and it's V6.

BigKutta

Neither does it factor in the luxury factor. Yes, if you want "wash and go" its the VW all the way. I wont be hosing down the interior of my Q ever, LOL

neilsakaitis

Not sure if people are still following this thread, but wanted to add my 2 cents, since I am living thru this choice right now. I am way overdue to change out my 2009 Q7. Loved it while I owned it, but ready for something new and fresh. Went to the car show, and really only 3 vehicles impressed me, newly redesigned Buick Enclave (in avenir finish), Volvo XC90, and surprisingly VW Atlas. Wife did not like the Volvo seats, narrow design, and less space than the other 2. So from there, we booked a test drive of both the Enclave and the Atlas. Now before I give you my final thoughts and decision, allow me to talk about the new Q7. The redesign is a love it (if you are into wagons) or hate it, My wife and I both fall into the hate it category, the design in our eyes is a downgrade to the previous gen, so no matter how much luxury is inside, or HP under the hood, if you can't appreciate the design it will be painful to own, hence why the Q7 was never on our list.

While we loved the interior of the Enclave, we had a slightly harder time loving the look overall (definitely improved from previous gen). We took the Atlas for a drive and fell in love with it. Our list was long with requirements, and the Atlas check off almost every box. Let me tackle the points people seem to have issues with, which I think, is what will make Atlas a huge hit.

1) Engine - sure it will not break speed records for 0-60, but who cares, it is a family/grocery hauler, not a track car. Furthermore, my current Q7 does 0-60 in 8.5 sec at best, 10 sec on average. The Atlas will now get me to 60 in 7.6 sec, fantastic !!
2) Interior - seen so many people complain about plastic panels and interior of the Atlas. My wife pointed out every single plastic panel we have in our Q7, just as many folks. Could the interior design of the Atlas been better, sure. But the 2-tone leather in the SEL Prem/Execline is beautiful, tons of handy USB ports and cupholders, amazing captain seats that you cannot get in most SUV's, and a great digital cockpit to boot. So while I won't give the Atlas a 10/10 for interior design, it sure matches and even beats our current Q7.
3) Handling - found nothing wrong with it at all, took it on 2 test drives, handled great as far as I am concerned. Will a truck that size be taking corners at 120, nope. So as long as the ride is comfy, and accommodate a nice long road trip on vacay, then good enough for me.

In the end, I guess it all depends on what you are looking for, but for me/us personally, we thought the Atlas was the TOP truck of the entire car show, including 2 test drives, and will be replacing our current Q7. So if people like us are buying it, and walking away from Audi/Q7, then they definitely did something right. I will say this, only time will tell about reliability and repairs, but at least we are covered by a 4-year warranty (here in Canada), so at least we know we have 4 years of trouble free driving.

Our order is for a white Execline (SEL Prem), with R-Line pkg and Captain Seats, arriving in May. At that price point, it is $10-$12K CAD cheaper than the Buick, and depending on new or used, a lot less money than the Q7. Will we own this truck forever, probably not. My heart likes with the Jag F-pace, but the trunk space is just too small for us (comparable to Q5). So will wait for the longer 2019 J-Pace to come out and depreciate a couple of years, before making another change again.

ttusomeone

Sorry to revive an old thread but I'm curious how you've ended up liking the Atlas. I'm in the market for a Q7, and we looked at the Atlas and it's definitely #2 on the list.