Volkswagen Arteon
FIRST REPORT New four-door coupé makes a great first impression Special Issue
WINTER is finally over, and now that the weather is improving in the UK, we’ve got a new model to brighten up our fleet.
This is Volkswagen’s new flagship car, the Arteon. It’s a four-door coupé that takes on the Audi A5 Sportback and, as you can see, it’s a beautiful thing.
Our car’s Chilli Red metallic paint (£595) looks stunning in the spring sunshine. It’s got my creative juices flowing, and I’m looking forward to photographing it for Auto Express. For now, though, I’ve just been enjoying driving it instead.
Unlike my old Peugeot 3008, the driving position feels very low and quite sporty, and the experience so far backs that up. The 148bhp 2.0-litre diesel engine is really punchy, and the steering is direct and well weighted. It makes for a great companion on a long trip: at motorway speeds the Arteon is refined and comfortable, but it’s also quite fun to drive once you leave the main road.
The seats are comfortable, too, and are of a high quality. It’s a similar story with the rest of the interior as well, because the materials used around the cabin are classy and give it an upmarket feel.
Crucially for me, though, is that the Arteon is still really practical, despite its stylish looks. There’s 563 litres of space in the boot with all the seats in place, and 1,557 litres when the rear bench is folded down. That’s more than enough for all of my photography gear.
Unfortunately the tailgate is giving me a headache – not because I’ve bumped my head on it, but rather because it never seems to behave as I want it to. Often when I’m loading up the boot with my gear, there might be a cleaning cloth or a soft bag sticking up. In any other car I’d shut the boot and it would squash down without issue, but the Arteon’s automatic tailgate is so sensitive that it seems to need constant attention in order to get it to close.
Still, it’s a small issue and just requires a bit of extra care on my part when using the boot. We’re still looking forward to seeing how well the Arteon shapes up over the coming months.