Volkswagen Atlas SEL 2018

Volkswagen is dressing up the 2018 Atlas with its ubiquitous R-Line trim, which adds interior and exterior upgrades over the more basic models. The features include: 20-inch aluminum alloy wheels, snazzier bumpers, side skirts, and R-Line badges. The cabin gets stainless steel pedal covers and an R-Line steering wheel piece. The Atlas R-Line will be revealed next week at the Detroit Auto Show, and its features build on the SE and SEL trims.

The Atlas sport utility vehicle is VW's most anticipated vehicle in years. It goes on sale this spring and offers a 3.6-liter V6 with 276 horsepower or a turbo four-cylinder making 235 hp, which are each paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. Volkswagen's 4Motion all-wheel-drive system is also an option.

The three-row SUV is the linchpin of VW's plans to move beyond its diesel-emissions scandal and capture new customers in the United States. It takes aim at entrenched competitors like the Ford Explorer, Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, and others.

The Atlas is based on VW's MQB architecture and will be built at the company's Chattanooga, Tenn., factory. The R-Line will be available in late 2018, and pricing has not been released for any of the Atlas trims.

There's a lot riding on its burly shoulders.

It is fitting that the all-new Volkswagen Atlas takes its name from the Greek god tasked with keeping the sky from falling on mortals. Coming off the hugely publicized diesel-emissions scandal, VW needs an emotional win. Despite the media and consumer kerfuffle, sales for the people’s brand are actually up so far in 2017, but that is mostly due to the arrival of the Golf Alltrack, a boomlet that eventually could fizzle. Hence the need for the Atlas to prop up the brand.

Riding on the same flexible architecture that underpins the Golf, the Tennessee-built Atlas is a medium-large three-row SUV that fills a major gap in VW’s portfolio. Not since the Routan—a rebadged Dodge Grand Caravan that VW last sold in 2013—has there been a Volkswagen with more than five seatbelts. Buyers have been forced to look elsewhere for their family-hauling needs.

The Atlas struts into dealerships this June, fully capable of shouldering the responsibility of transporting families and all their stuff as well as a big chunk of VW’s future in America. Like its namesake, this VW is strong enough to handle heavy lifting.