I'm sure this too will be a stinking pile that is aimed at the American masses. I despise the direction that VW North America has gone over the past decade. The only cars that I would even remotely consider is GTI, Golf R, and maybe the GLI (but it's getting a bit old as well). Literally everything else they make is subpar and not even remotely worth test driving to compare with competitors.
I spent a good bit of time in my Mom's Atlas while we were in NB - she let us borrow it for our trip to Quebec City, so I got a ton of seat time in it. I would certainly call it lackluster in almost every way. The only redeeming features were the amount of space (it is quite large - 2nd row space is exceptional), and it had a fairly decent 'solid' feel to it.
Aside from that, the interior materials were mediocre, and the drivetrain was a letdown. Hers had the VR6, so the 'good' engine, and at no time did it ever feel like it had an abundance of power. Contrast the VR6 to the 3.5L that I drove in my brother's Odyssey - the Honda has a TON of midrange power, and the thing scoots from 60 - 120kph. The VR6 in the Atlas, on the other hand, felt strained, dull, and managed to sound quite gruff most of the time. On the highway, at 110kph, my brother was able to return an average of about 8 - 8.5L/100km in the Odyssey, and that's with a roof box on top. The Atlas? A solid 9.5 - 10L/100km, despite not feeling anywhere near as powerful as the minivan.
The Atlas certainly wouldn't be on my shopping list at all if I were shopping in the segment.
