Volkswagen Removes 2.0T From Most Trims For 2019

Little Big Four

Despite being down 41 horsepower to the V-6, the Atlas 2.0T SE tested here was surprisingly quick at the track. The little forced-induction four pushed the hulking Atlas from zero to 60 mph in 7.2 seconds and through the quarter-mile in 15.6 at 91 mph. Both figures bettered the results we recorded for an all-wheel-drive Atlas V-6, which needed 7.9 seconds to hit the mile-a-minute mark and 16.0 seconds to cross the quarter-mile at 89 mph.

Credit the Atlas 2.0T’s peppy performance to its comparatively low mass, which, at 4268 pounds, was 460 pounds lighter than the all-wheel-drive Atlas V-6. Additional accelerative assistance comes courtesy of the Atlas 2.0T’s wealth of low-end torque. With 258 lb-ft available from 1600 rpm, the 2.0T offers similar punch to the optional V-6, which produces 266 lb-ft at 2750 rpm. This Atlas 2.0T’s passing times were similar to those of the all-wheel-drive V-6 model. The four-cylinder needed 4.1 seconds to accelerate from 30 to 50 mph and 4.9 to get from 50 to 70 mph, whereas the AWD V-6 performed those tasks in 3.9 and 5.2 seconds. In other words, the story has a much happier ending this time than when Ford tried stuffing a 2.0T in its portly Explorer, where buyers were forced to pay extra to opt for its terminal lagginess.

With less weight to haul around and two fewer cylinders to feed, the Atlas 2.0T was notably thriftier than its V-6 stablemate at the pump. The 2.0T’s EPA estimates of 22 mpg city and 26 mpg highway better the V-6’s 18/25 mpg city/highway ratings (17/23 with all-wheel drive). In our hands, the Atlas 2.0T returned 23 mpg over nearly 2000 miles of driving, while the V-6 managed only 19 mpg. It also sipped fuel at a rate of 27 mpg on our 75-mph real-world highway fuel-economy test, as opposed to 24 mpg for the AWD V-6."