Sleek new German sedan arrives in SA
VW in SA is adding the Arteon sedan to its line-up. This new sleek German sedan has yet to reach dealerships, but Midbay VW Sales Manager Chris Botha told Autodealer they expect the first Arteon sedan to arrive soon.
With the Arteon, VW is looking to lure premium sedan buyers away from Merc, Audi and BMW, something the brand tried before with the CC, but failed to achieve.
Three options
The saying, ‘A picture is worth a thousand words’ is so true in the Arteon’s case, so it’s hardly necessary to point out that this is an attractive car.
Size wise, VW’s latest creation can be compared to the E-Class and 4-Series.For now, VW SA is pushing three derivatives into the market offering a choice of petrol or diesel, and front-wheel or all-wheel drive.
Doing duty in two of the three cars is a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel.
In the base model, the Arteon Elegance, the turbo-diesel puts out 130kW and 350Nm and VW’s now famous dual clutch (DSG) box takes care of swapping cogs.
As far as features go, the Elegance comes equipped with the 6.2-inch Composition Media infotainment display, incorporating Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and USB, 18-inch alloy wheels, daytime running LEDs, keyless go and tri-zone climate control.
As part of the optional ‘Colour and Trim’ package come black nappa leather seats, titanium black instrument cluster and panels and a mistral grey headliner.
Next up is the Arteon R-Line which runs the same 2.0-litre turbodiesel as the Elegance and, of course, has the same DSG box changing gears.
Basically R-Line means ‘more features’ and on top of some kit the base model already offers, R-line offers bigger rims (19-inch Montevideo alloys), R-Line specific body kit, aluminium interior inserts, a 12.3-inch Active Info Display digital instrument cluster, R-Line interior detailing, the 9.2-inch Discover Pro infotainment system with gesture control and featuring a glass face, black boot spoiler and a full titanium black interior as per the Colour and Trim pack with the heated front seats.
Notable driver assistance systems, either standard or optional, includes Adaptive Cruise Control with front assist and city emergency braking, 360-degree park assist, heads-up display and driver alert.
The flagship in the three-model Arteon line-up is the 2.0 TSI R-Line 4Motion.
This derivative is powered by a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol plant which sends 206kW and 350Nm to all four wheels through the same DSG box.
The 2.0 TSI R-Line 4Motion, as far as kit goes, mirrors the specification levels of the R-Line diesel derivative.
Pricing
• Arteon 2.0 TDI Elegance DSG R599 900
• Arteon 2.0 TDI R-Line DSG R649 900
• Arteon 2.0 TSI R-Line 4Motion DSG - R699 900
VW says its new Arteon sedan is sold with a three-year/120 000km warranty, and a five-year/90 000km maintenance plan is standard across the range