THE ALL-NEW Volkswagen Arteon is finally here, aiming to compete in the premium saloon segment against the likes of the Audi A5 Sportback and BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe.
It is based on the Sport Coupe GTE concept that was shown off during the 2015 Geneva Motor Show and it replaces the CC and Passat CC before that. Built on Volkswagen’s Modular Transverse Matrix (MQB) architecture it sits above the Passat in the range.
It is longer, wider and taller than the CC and its wheelbase is longer than the Passat. It has a decent sized boot which has a capacity of 563 to 1,557 litres – an improvement over the 532 litres of the CC and 586 litres of the Passat saloon, but less than the Passat estate at 650 to 1,780 litres.
From launch it will be available with an all-diesel engine line-up; a 2.0-litre 150hp TDI with six-speed manual or optional seven-speed DSG, a 2.0-litre 190hp TDI with seven-speed DSG and a 2.0-litre 240hp TDI with seven-speed DSG plus 4Motion all-wheel drive.
It is available in three trim levels, Arteon, Arteon Elegance and Arteon R-Line. These trims are offered in a Y structure with Arteon as the entry level and Arteon Elegance and R-Line offering comfort and sporting dynamics respectively.
The interior isn’t dissimilar to the current Passat and entry-level models come with a leather multi-function steering wheel, leather gearshift knob, centre armrest, heated front and outer rear seats, three-zone Climatronic air con with controls in rear and an eight-inch ‘Discover Media’ sat nav system.
Standard safety features include predictive cruise control, park distance control, Hill Start Assist, lane changing system Side Assist Plus, lane keeping system Lane Assist and Rear Traffic Alert. Also as standard is electric stabilisation control with driver steering recommendation, ABS, ASR, EDL, EDTC and trailer stabilisation.
Standard models come with 18-inch ‘Almere’ alloy wheels. Elegance models get 18-inch ‘Muscat’ alloy wheels and R-Line models get 19-inch ‘Montevido’ black alloy wheels. Optional 20-inch alloys are also available.
Pricing for the Arteon starts at €43,295 for the Arteon 2.0-litre 150 hp with a six-speed manual transmission and there is a €2,200 price walk to the DSG version. The 2.0-litre 150hp Elegance model with a manual transmission starts at €45,995. The 2.0-litre 190hp Elegance model comes with the 7-speed DSG transmission only and costs €50,195.
The top-of-the-range R-Line Arteon starts at €47,795 for the 2.0-litre 150hp with the six-speed manual transmission and rises to €49,995 with the DSG transmission. The Arteon R-Line with 190hp and DSG costs €51,995 and at the 240hp 2.0-litre TDI R-Line, with 7-speed DSG and 4MOTION all-wheel drive costs €55,895.
The new Arteon is available to order now.
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