Does looking at the Volkswagen Artlas make you want to punch it in the face? Well, you're in luck, as the IIHS has just performed a bunch of satisfying crash tests on it.
The bigger they are, the harder they crash. And when it comes to 3-row crossovers, it doesn't get much bigger than the Atlas. Despite Volkswagen's reputation, however, it failed to secure the Top Safety Pick Plus rating due to the usual reason: headlights.
Volkswagen's biggest car yet has earned “Good” scores in all five crash tests, including the small overlap, which is usually the hardest to pass. It also scored a “Superior” rating for front crash prevention technology, which basically means it's good at keeping its eyes on the road when you don't.
To be more specific, the Atlas was able to completely avoid the crash at 12 miles per hour while significantly reducing the impact at 25 mph. But to get the maximum score, every car must earn a score of at least “Acceptable” for the headlights.
It's quite surprising when you consider that the Atlas was designed specifically for the American market, and a top IIHS rating is usually good for sales. But this is the first model year, and it's not like every car in this segment has a top score.
The 2017 versions of the Honda Pilot, Mazda CX-9, and Toyota Highlander all match the Atlas, but there's a top-spec Mazda SUV with "Acceptable" headlights.
A couple of months ago, the IIHS released its findings on 37 SUV headlights. Only 14 of them were capable o lighting the road without producing too much glare. Still, the safety body noted that this segment is performing better than others.
The Atlas also failed to perform in the Latch ease-of-use evaluation. The IIHS noted that on the second-row outboard seats, the anchors required too much force to attach a car seat.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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