New Volkswagen Arteon
From £38,660
The New VW Arteon brings luxury and style to the Volkswagen range
Interior of the Arteon
Looking for a vehicle that is spacious yes luxurious? The latest VW Arteon could be for you.
With controls that can be adapted to your requirements, while the coordinated colours and materials create a fantastic ambience within the cabin, giving off a very exclusive feel.
No matter which trim level you choose: depending on the equipment line you have a variety of seat covers to choose from, from fabric to ArtVelours or even Nappa leather. Aluminium or fine wood inserts round off the stylish impression of the interior.
The New Volkswagen Arteon affords an incomparable field of vision. The optional panoramic tilting/sliding sunroof teamed with the pleasant ambient lighting inside are certain to brighten your day, whatever the weather.
Exterior of the Arteon
One thing the Arteon has always been commended for is its handsome good looks, so the external facelift was nothing more than a slight nip and tuck, with revised lighting, matrix lamps, scrolling indicators and a strip of daytime running lights across the car’s front. The rest of the Arteon looks little different to the previous model, but that’s really no bad thing.
This new sporty saloon is bound to make a statement. If style is a key part to play in your next vehicle purchase take a look at the Elegance or R-Line variants, that include many additional features.A wide range of sporty and elegant alloy wheels emphasises the Arteon's attractive design.
Technology
The Arteon has a sophisticated nine-inch touchscreen, which it shares with the very latest versions of the Passat. It incorporates smartphone mirroring compatible with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, while it also has VW’s own WeConnect app, which (via Android) allows you to open and start the car using your phone rather than your key and also pre-programme the climate settings and audio choices, among others. Voice command is also standard.
Performance
There are three petrol, two diesel and one plug-in option on offer at present. The daddy of the bunch is the Arteon R’s 2.0-litre turbo, with 320bhp and all-wheel drive. There’s a tamer 190bhp 2.0 as well, along with a 1.5-litre 50bhp 1.5 petrol that’s more than capable enough for most. Diesel options are a 2.0-litre with either 150bhp or 190bhp, with four-wheel-drive an option on the 190bhp model. New with the 2020 facelift was the Arteon Plug-in Hybrid, which uses a 1.4-litre petrol engine and an electric motor to produce 218bhp. It comes with a 13kWh battery giving around 33 miles of EV-only driving, making it BIK-efficient and congestion charge exempt as well as emission-free on most commutes. It’s the same plug-in powertrain as found in the Passat GTE.
What trim levels are on the VW Arteon ?
Volkswagen Arteon Elegance
Features include:
- Alloy Wheels 8J x 18 'Almere Adamantium Silver'
- Heated front seats
- Leather multi-function steering wheel rim temperature controlled
- Keyless entry and hands free boot opening
- Travel Assist - Lane keeping system and traffic jam assist
- Rear-view camera
Volkswagen Arteon R-Line
Features include:
- Alloy wheels 19" Montevideo
- Rear tinted glass from B-pillar backwards, approx. 65% tinted
- Panoramic sunroof, tilting and sliding, including intetrated roller blind
- Interior Ambient lighting with 30 colour options
- Leather multi-function steering wheel rim temperature controlled
Volkswagen Arteon R
Features include:
- Alloy wheels 8J x 19 "Adelaide" Black diamond-turned surface, Volkswagen R
- Sports seats in front
- Leather-wrapped multifunction sports steering wheel w/ tiptronic, heated
- Disc brakes in front, with blue brake callipers, and 'R' logo
Search VW Arteon
What is it?
Volkswagen is well-known for models like the Polo, Golf and Passat, but in more recent years it’s aimed to inject some extra style and elegance into its line-up. A great example of this is the Arteon, which was introduced in 2017 as a more glamorous model designed to sit above the Passat in the VW range.
Bringing a stylish design, well-built interior, it was designed to compete with premium executive cars like the Audi A5 Sportback and BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe, it was a very tempting proposition. Now Volkswagen has lightly revised it, but should you consider it?
What’s new?
The Arteon formula was already a good one, so not all that many changes have been made. The main change is the addition of a more practical Shooting Brake model, but here we’re focusing on the regular Fastback bodystyle.
Changes include light front-end revisions, additional technology – including Travel Assist and Matrix LED headlights – along with redesigned climate settings and a new more frugal plug-in hybrid model.
What’s under the bonnet?
With a choice of petrol, diesel and hybrid models on offer with the Arteon, there is certainly no shortage of versions available.
Let’s start with petrols, with a 148bhp 1.5-litre petrol kicking off the range, and being the only version available with a six-speed manual gearbox, as all other models get a DSG automatic transmission as standard. If you want more power, a 197bhp 2.0-litre TSI engine is available, while a full-fat 316bhp ‘R’ model uses a more powerful 2.0-litre petrol unit.
Moving across to diesel engines, all models use a 2.0-litre turbocharged TDI unit. Outputs of 148bhp or 197bhp are available, with the latter also getting the option of 4Motion all-wheel-drive, as the rest of the Arteon range (with the exception of the R) are all front-wheel-drive.
Plug-in hybrids are proving popular in the executive car class, and in the Arteon the combination of a 1.4-litre petrol engine and electric motor produces 215bhp. Once the battery is fully charged, Volkswagen says it can travel up to 35 miles, with Volkswagen claiming up to 217.3mpg, with CO2 emissions of just 30g/km.
What’s it like to drive?
The Arteon is a very solid choice behind the wheel. Refinement is very important in this class, and this VW’s quiet engines and lack of road and wind noise are impressive even at higher speeds. If you value comfort, it’s worth choosing an Elegance car too, as this is equipped with slightly smaller wheels and a more comfort-focused suspension setup.
Down twistier stretches of road, the Arteon might be the most fun car to drive in its class, but the well-weighted steering and punchy engines still make it a respectable choice in this class.
How does it look?
One of the best things about the Arteon is the way it looks, and it remains a stunning piece of design. With its sharp lines, intricate chrome grille and almost coupe-like profile, it’s one of the most stylish cars in its class, and arguably more attractive than many German rivals that might be considered to be ‘more premium’.
A new LED light strip that runs between the standard lights and central VW badge at the front adds to the appeal too, while the sportier-looking R-Line version continues to bring additional street cred to the Arteon with its larger alloy wheels and more aggressive bodykit.
What’s it like inside?
There’s plenty to like about the Arteon, and with a large level of seat and steering wheel adjustability on offer, it’s very easy to get comfortable. The basic interior design is borrowed from the Passat, which is no bad thing, as it means you get a very smart and intuitive layout, with easy-to-use technology, though some of the haptic buttons on the steering wheel do take a little bit of time to get accustomed to.
The Arteon is also a very practical choice, with adults still able to get comfortable, though taller adults might find their head close to the roof lining. But there’s a very generous amount of legroom, while the 563-litre boot is a great size, if slightly smaller if you go with the plug-in hybrid, due to their batteries.
What’s the spec like?
The regular Arteon is available in two trim levels – Elegance and R-Line. There’s no shortage of standard equipment, either, with even these ‘regular’ versions coming with 18-inch alloy wheels, heated front seats, a reversing camera, large touchscreen and digital instrument cluster.
The R-Line model adds even more to the table, including its more aggressive body kit, large 19-inch alloy wheels, 30-colour ambient interior lighting and a panoramic sunroof.
Verdict
The Volkswagen Arteon is a very appealing model in the executive car segment. Though the Volkswagen badge might have quite the same allure as some German rivals, this model’s combination of quality, technology and style really help it excel.
Add in the Arteon’s great line-up of engines, pleasant driving experience and practical cabin and it makes it a great choice.