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VW drove the 2018 Atlas thousands of miles in America for testing

As we've already learned about the 2018 Volkswagen Atlas, VW specifically had the US market in mind when creating it. This required a shift in thinking regarding design, and as this video shows, testing.

As with many prototype cars, VW ran the Atlas through intense testing, which involved driving in hot and cold weather, as well as all variety of surfaces, as shown above. The company also made sure that the crossover racked up many, many miles on American roads to ensure it worked well in the country for which it was made. According to the VW technician the company had three shifts of drivers that put roughly 60,000 miles on a test vehicle. This was done to makes sure that the SUV doesn't have issues that crop up after a few years of use.

The end result is the 2018 VW Atlas that goes on sale in May with either turbocharged four-cylinder power or a naturally aspirated VR6. In our experience, we found the SUV to be very roomy, pleasant to drive, and handles rough roads admirably. It is expected to come with a starting price around $30,000 and to top out around $48,000.

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