Volkswagen threw a party in Tennessee, bringing together brand execs and local politicians to sign a commemorative hood, celebrating the start of assembly for the redesigned Atlas. The actual reason to care about said front-biased people carrier starting production isn't the corporate milestone, though.

         

After years of fielding a family hauler that felt designed and built to a strict rental-fleet budget, the German automaker from Wolfsburg appears to have finally dug into its pockets. The 2027 model abandons the older bones for the MQB Evo platform, trading vast expanses of shoddy interior plastic trim pieces for improved cabin materials. The stiffer chassis also deserves your attention.