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Faceoff

Two vehicles whose designs are moving toward a more rounded look share distinct attributes and deficiencies

The Honda Pilot moves away from its boxy past with a slicked-back silhouette, more in-tune with its sibling crossovers.

Volkswagen enters the three-row mid-size SUV segment with the all-new 2018 Atlas, one of its largest SUVs yet. Unlike its Greek mythological nameplate, the Atlas doesn't have to bear the weight of its SUV segment, but it has to do battle with a plethora of reasonably priced competitors. For this instalment of Faceoff, we've pitted it against the long-standing and reliable 2017 Honda Pilot (2018 is a carry-over). Both are produced for the North American market with plenty of passenger and cargo space, driving dynamics and connectivity; yet, both share distinct attributes and deficiencies.

2017 Honda Pilot Touring

$51,490 (as tested)

Engine: 3.5-litre V-6

Transmission/drive: Nine-speed automatic/all-wheel

Fuel economy (litres/100 km): 12.4 city, 9.3 highway

Alternatives: Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, Chrysler Pacifica, Dodge Durango, Hyundai Santa Fe XL, Mazda CX-9, Nissan Pathfinder, Toyota Highlander, Volkswagen Atlas

Looks

The Honda Pilot moves away from its boxy past with a slicked-back silhouette, more in-tune with its sibling crossovers. Its rounded shape doesn't distinguish itself from the competition, but perhaps that's what Honda was aiming for. Compared with the Atlas, the Pilot's front end sits lower and slopes downward featuring standard projector-beam LED headlights on the Touring trim; while height is gained in its body with a marginally higher roofline. Its backside continues the rounded look, but lacks in excitement.

Interior

The styling is catered to its clientele being simple, sophisticated and organized. The amount of space is noticeable with ample headroom and legroom for six-foot-tall adults in the first two rows and decent space for third-row occupants. Entry into the back row could be better, but the process is aided by an easy-to-use push button on the back of the chair that slides and tilts the seat forward, negating any pulling or yanking of straps. Honda offers up captain's chairs or bench seating in the second row, except for the top-of-the-line Touring trim, where the seven-seat captain's chair configuration is the only choice. For this test model, both first and second rows were more than comfortable with heated and ventilated bolstered leather seating, along with armrests and an abundance of cup holders and cabin storage compartments.

The amount of space inside the Honda Pilot is noticeable with ample headroom and legroom for six-foot-tall adults in the first two rows and decent space for third-row occupants.

Performance

The Pilot is a people mover and its engine lives up to that billing with an effective 3.5-litre V-6 with 280 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque matched to a nine-speed automatic transmission. For its size, it pushes forward smoothly with little to no road noise, especially at mid-level speeds. Steering only becomes tricky when going fast or trying to execute sharp turns, such as a U-turn, where it's in need of major space due to its wider turning radius. For its segment, the Pilot offers up respectable fuel-economy numbers with a combined observed rating of 10.5 L/100 km.

Technology

Technology is crucial for these family haulers and the Pilot excels in this department with a Honda Sensing Suite of safety technology, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, five USB device connectors, Siri Eyes Free compatibility and a nine-inch rear Blu-ray entertainment system featuring wireless headsets with personal surround sound. The fun meter may be up for second-row passengers between the amounts of buttons and connectivity, but it's a different world up front with a more conservative approach of blocky, large-font icons emanating from its upgraded eight-inch touch-screen display. The famous volume knob that was eliminated from Honda products and brought back into the fold after much criticism didn't make its way back into the Pilot. Consumers will have to deal with a volume slide scroll for at least one more year.

Cargo

Drop down the third row and 1,557 L of flat cargo space come into play. Whether it's four sets of luggage, boxes for a move, hockey or golf bags, the Pilot has the family covered with tons of space, totalling 3,072 L behind the first row. If the back row needs to be filled by occupants, the mid-size ute still possesses 510 L of space.

The Verdict

The 2017 Honda Pilot has all the interior volume and cargo space one could ask for in a mid-size SUV, not to mention reasonable fuel economy for its size. Its optional captain's chairs add a new dimension of comfort to the second row, even though its infotainment unit could use a boost, as well as additional space in the back row for entry and exit.

As the Pilot moves away from boxiness, the Volkswagen Atlas embraces that design language, and it does it well with a rugged, chiselled frame that stands out from the crowd.

2018 Volkswagen Atlas Execline

$52,540 (as tested)

Engine: 3.6-litre V-6

Transmission/drive: Eight-speed auto with Tiptronic/all-wheel

Fuel economy (litres/100 km): 13.7 city, 10.1 highway

Alternatives: Buick Enclave, Chevrolet Traverse, Chrysler Pacifica, Dodge Durango, Honda Pilot, Hyundai Santa Fe XL, Mazda CX-9, Nissan Pathfinder, Toyota Highlander.

Looks

As the Pilot moves away from boxiness, the Atlas embraces that design language, and it does it well with a rugged, chiselled frame that stands out from the crowd, built off of Volkswagen's new MQB platform. Its front fascia is reminiscent of its bruising Ford Explorer rival and is complemented by standard LED headlights for all trims and standard LED taillights for this top-of-the-line Execline model. Its aggressive tone becomes more subdued throughout its body and wide rear taking on a more traditional SUV look with a touch of chrome at the bottom.

Interior

Inside, the Atlas falls in line with many of Volkswagen's other cars and SUVs. That aggressive tone switches from rated R to PG with a more organized and clean environment that attempts to be premium through its plush heated and ventilated leather seating and faux-wood accents. However, it doesn't seem to go far enough to justify its price tag. A notable advantage comes in ease of third-row access. Even though the second-row bench still needs a yank from a strap to slide forward, it can be pushed further into the first-row seating to maximize its space on entry and exit. In addition, it provides a touch more legroom than the Pilot. Second-row passengers can opt for captain's chairs for an additional $625.

Inside, the Atlas falls in line with many of Volkswagen’s other cars and SUVs.

Performance

Under the hood is a 3.6-litre V-6 that makes 276 horsepower and 266 lb-ft of torque matched to an eight-speed automatic transmission with Tiptronic paddle shifters. The size and numbers are almost spot on with the Pilot, but the Atlas showed more engine responsiveness thanks to its additional torque. Like most Volkswagens, the Atlas's handling is precise and balanced without feeling the girth of the vehicle. Drawbacks are found in a slightly jumpy ride at times and higher fuel economy that achieved a combined 12.2 L/100 km.

Technology

The centrepiece is its upper-tier, eight-inch infotainment unit, also containing Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It's full of colour, knobs and buttons with extra climate-control buttons situated below. The Atlas doesn't contain as many USB ports in the front, but two key ones remain for second-row passengers. Similar to the Pilot, the Execline has a lot of safety equipment including adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring with rear-traffic alert, automatic post-collision braking, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection and park-distance control.

Cargo

Volkswagen must have benchmarked the Pilot, as it made sure the Atlas would come close in size throughout. It bests the Pilot behind the second row and in the trunk with 1,572 L and 583 L, respectively, but the Pilot stays champ in cargo space behind the first row with the Atlas totalling 2,741 L. Consumers will endure little effort in dropping or bringing up the seats manually and a 60/40 split allows families to carry longer items such as bikes or skis.

The Verdict

The 2018 Volkswagen Atlas comes into the market at a great time for SUVs. The Atlas will suit those into bold designs and driving dynamics, and is well equipped to hold families up to seven people comfortably, but falls a touch short on storage compartments, entertainment and fuel economy when compared with the Pilot.

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