Tuner Gives Atlas A Powerful Personality Transplant

As it stands now, tuners are having a field day with VW products. Just last week, a tuner proved he could upgrade the Audi S5 and make it more powerful. Now, another tuning firm has decided to tune the Atlas SUV. The results are incredible as the engine turns out 350 hourspower and 350 pounds-feet of torque. The former torque figure from a curren SUV is 235 pounds-feet of power.

Within the mind of every tuner is a vehicle that could be the Holy Grail or something like it. It is the vehicle he or she would take put in some time and a few do-dads, and voila, it’s a fire-breathing monster.

Tuner Gives Atlas A New Personality

Take APR, for example. It is a tuning firm that takes nice, mild-mannered VW products and turns them into finely tuned machines. Or, let’s put it another way, it is the firm that has taken the Atlas, boosted its power and added some custom suspension arts so that the Atlas is an excellent combo of speed and off-road ability.

Starting with the Atlas’ turbocharged 2.0-liter engine, APR then installed a host of upgrades, including the turbo from the Golf R. It also fits a carbon fiber intake as week as revised turbo hardware that includes a custom-fabricated cat-back exhaust.

The result is a rather hefty increase in horsepower – 350 – as well as a massive increase in torque, 350 pound-feet. In comparison, the standard turbo engine delivers 235 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque.

The Brakes And Suspension Also Tweaked

Of course, the package wouldn’t be complete without a few tweaks to the suspension and brakes. To take care of the need for the tweaks, APR has milled new rear trailing arms, which lift the ride height by 1.5 inches. To take care of the rest of the handling piece, APR has fitted a set of 20-inch wheels and mounted Toyo Open Country M/T tires. Six-piston calipers haul the Atlas to a stop just a bit better. Here's a look at standard Atlas performance.

Mitch Williams, APR’s CEO, said that with the power and torque upgrades “we’ve surpassed the output from even the larger V-6 engine.” He continued that “we’re working to push the envelope even further in the future.” The combination of custom hardware and equipment from our product line has transformed the Atlas’ performance.”

It’s Only A One-Off Right Now

This only a one-off, at the moment. However, the APR is thinking of offering performance upgrades in the future.

Honestly, thinking about making components for the SUV line could be a smart business move. That said, Motor1 reports, that it wouldn’t be much problem to adapt them for the two-row, five-seat variant of the Atlas. In this way, APR protects its investment because multiple models can use it. VW could offer two-row, five-seat SUV

Source: APR, Motor1