[Kamron]

There's a new article from the U.S News & World Report that gives a quick look at the new 2019 Atlas. Discusses pricing, features, how it compares to rivals as well as its safety and crash tests results. Worth a read if you are considering the new model. https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/reviews/2019-volkswagen-atlas-what-you-need-to-know/ar-BBSrwwt

 

[northstar]

Not a fair mention of the RDX which is sportier and has its own pros and cons. Quite frankly it shouldn't have been included.

Atlas is an entirely different beast. Would you compare a highlander to a BMW X5.... of course not.

 

[hfqkhal]

Not a fair mention of the RDX which is sportier and has its own pros and cons. Quite frankly it shouldn't have been included.

Atlas is an entirely different beast. Would you compare a highlander to a BMW X5.... of course not.

I have seen their reviews last year and again this year. Somehow with that site I never felt that they have a good handle on the process and every year the review process changes. Let take an example for 2018 they gave a reliability score of 3 stars while this year they say TBD. Then in 2019 their safety number was 9.7 vs 9.8 for 2018 and performance for 2018 was 8.0 vs 7.8 for 2019. This only tells me that their numbers are not adding up from one year to the next and are failing to keep continuity So if the old numbers held up the Atlas points would have been 8.7 instead of 8.4 which would have mean that the atlas would be either in 1st in 2 categories and 2nd in the 3rd.

 

[hfqkhal]

Well here something from an area I always liked for a long time

 

[Simeon]

The new Rav4 is a big step forward for Toyota, glad to see them making giving their long running models some much needed updates. I think the main reason why the RDX is being brought up in these comparisons is because its been priced so reasonably compared to other premium SUV's.

 

[Titanus]

It's hard to ignore the fact that's its nearly $10k less fully spec'd than anything you'd get from a German brand. I've heard mixed things about the new powertrain though, in particular the new 10 speed gearbox that's been found to be poor during hard acceleration. Odd that so few reviews mention the new Ascent as a rival.

 

[hfqkhal]

It's hard to ignore the fact that's its nearly $10k less fully spec'd than anything you'd get from a German brand. I've heard mixed things about the new powertrain though, in particular the new 10 speed gearbox that's been found to be poor during hard acceleration. Odd that so few reviews mention the new Ascent as a rival.

In many reviews I have seen where the Ascent went head to head with the Atlas (2 new comers against each other). The Atlas has won in what I have seen. Ascent is a good Cross over but looks like the current models of other Subarus but the main sticking point for it is the CVT. I believe that any manufacturer that putsch CVT in their SUVs those are going to suffer a bit. At the time the Pathfinder was the thing to compare to but now it lost that privilege since the last make over as Nissan went the CVT rout with it. personal after owning the Murano, I will never own a CVT equipped car. For mine it had transfer case seepage and the cost to fix was close to a hefty $3,000 bill with the part being just over $150 only. My advise for new car buyers is to ask simple questions when it comes to AWD and 4WD for things like transfer case service costs and so on for Long term ownership. this is one of the things that the Atlas won me over and bought it. Some people complain about it having an older engine (VR6) but for that alone, makes me more comfortable as it is a proven and solid engine

 

[Kamron]

Its getting more and more difficult to avoid CVT's with how common they are becoming in this segment. I know its being done for emission and fuel economy reasons, but it really does take the joy out of driving imo. Even when they try to simulate gear changes, it just never comes off feeling all that natural to me. I was a bit skeptical of the small 2.4l engine that Subaru decided on for the Ascent, but it looks like its been well developed.

 

[northstar]

I think it just depends on how certain brand approach their CVT. Toyota and Lexus have done well at meeting customer needs especially with the new LC500 coupe.