VW Atlas Wins Wards Smart, Safe, Connected Vehicle Award

At one time, Wards was one of the better industry trade papers, rivaling others such as Automotive News in providing information to those in the automotive industry. That has changed in the last 30 years or so as the information-provider has gone on to become a premier vehicle for providing valuable consumer information.

Quite naturally, over the long haul, it makes sense for Wards and other similar outfits to look more deeply at vehicles, setting up award programs. So, Wards has established Best User Experiences for Smart, Safe, Connected Vehicles to provide consumers with information on, among other things, the user-friendliness of a car’s controls as well as the effectiveness of advanced driver assistance technology.

Technology is easy to use

The new Volkswagen Atlas was named one of the 10 winners Wards Smart, Safe, Connected Vehicle awards. The three-row crossover, built in the automaker’s Chattanooga manufacturing plant will receive the honor at the second annual WardsAuto User Experience Conference. The award highlights vehicles like the three-row crossover that feature efficient and easy-to-use technology and driver assistance solutions.

The program, now in its second year, saw WardsAuto editors evaluate 22 vehicles, selecting the winners based on the overall user experience, including the user-friendliness of the controls and the availability and effectiveness of advanced driver assistance technology. Each vehicle or user-experience had to be either all new or updated.

Tom Murphy, senior editor, said the Atlas “delivers the user-experience attributes Americans demand. Phone-pairing is quick, and the first-rate touchscreen is simple to navigate. The available navigation system is easy to program, and available driver-assistance features brake smoothly and steer confidently.”

Hendrik Muth, senior vice president, product marketing, and strategy, said the Atlas was “built specifically with the American consumer in mind. It offers a host of available technology and driver assistance features designed to make people’s lives easier. We're very encouraged to be recognized with the Wards 10 Best UX (User Experience) award – it means we’re getting it right.”

MIB II infotainment system standard on all models

VW’s advanced MIB II infotainment system is standard on all Atlas models. It not only creates the foundation for the next generation of VW’s Car-Net connected vehicles services platform but also offers one of the most complete suites of connected vehicle services in the auto industry today.

When it comes to safety, the Atlas is the only crossover in its class to offer an Automatic Post-Collision Braking system, standard on all models. This system, says VW, builds on the idea that a collision is rarely a single event. Instead, it is a series of events that follow the initial impact – the most significant of which can cause other crashes. The braking system applies the brakes when a primary collision is detected by the airbag sensors, thus helping reduce residual kinetic energy and, in turn, the chance of more damage.

Among the other features offered on the Atlas are:

• A rearview camera
• Forward Collision Warning and Autonomous Emergency Braking
• Pedestrian Monitoring (Front Assist)
• Adaptive Cruise Control
• Blind Spot Monitor with Rear Traffic Alert
• Lane Departure Warning (Lane Assist)
• Front and rear Park Distance Control with Maneuver braking (ParkPilot)
• Parking Steering Assistant (Park Assist)
• High-beam Control (Light Assist)
• Overhead View Camera (Area View)

Volkswagen will officially receive the award Oct. 5 at the 2017 WardsAuto User Experience Conference, Novi, Mich.

Source: Volkswagen