Car reviews
VW’s Arteon makes a grand entrance
In an age when motor companies are sometimes accused of designing cars that lack excitement and creating templates that copy one another, Volkswagen (VW) has boldly created a masterpiece as their top passenger model in the Arteon.
Designed as an avant-garde five-door fastback, the new car exudes elegant lines combined with sophisticated styling to produce a thoroughly modern and classy shape that stands out from the herd. Thanks to its long wheelbase, stretched roofline, coupé-style fastback design and a large rear hatch, this gran turismo provides more space and flexibility than conventional saloons.
Sophisticated styling
The gran turismo will be available in two exclusive equipment lines – the Elegance and R-Line. The name says it all. The standard configuration of the Arteon Elegance is focused primarily on the fusion of sophisticated styling and premium luxury.The Arteon R-Line, meanwhile, puts sportiness and premium class equipment at the heart of the vehicle's configuration, as is typical of all VW R-Line models.
Inside the Arteon boasts a clean design, with typical VW high quality and ergonomic efficiency.VW has developed new infotainment systems (6.5 to 9.2inch). The new top system, the Discover Pro, has a tablet-like glass surface. It manages its tasks efficiently and entirely without analogue buttons.The 9.2inch display is also equipped with intuitive gesture control.
In front, the driver and front passenger benefit from the excellent package provided by the Modular Transverse Matrix and a lot of space is created by the transversely mounted engine and the front axle that is forward positioned.
The colour and trim design area features coordinated materials and colours in the interior of this gran turismo.Two interior colour themes (black, dark grey and a combination of dark and light grey) match the range of exterior colours. In the Elegance, you get titanium black seats, instrument panel and carpets with a mistral grey headliner.The R-Line offers titanium black seats, instrument panel, carpets and headliner.
Needless to say, the Arteon comes with a host of passive and active safety features too numerous to mention, but designed to make the driver's job easier, safer and much more comfortable.
The new Arteon comes in two turbo-charged direct fuel injection engines. All of the engines have four cylinders including a diesel
2.0 TDI with 130kW power output with 350Nm of torque that kicks in between 1 608 and 3 500rpm. The combined fuel consumption is 5.6l per 100km. The engine is available with a six-speed dual clutch gearbox (DSG) transmission.
Top of the range
The top of the range petrol engine is the 2.0 TSI with 206kW power output. It has 350Nm of torque that is available from 1 700 up to 5 600rpm. The 0-100km/h sprint is achieved in 5.6 seconds and has a top speed of 250km/h. The combined fuel consumption is 7.3l per 100km. The 206kW engine is only available with a 7-speed DSG transmission.
All of the engines are only available with an automated DSG.The TSI engine also has 4MOTION all-wheel drive as standard and the diesel models have front-wheel drive.
With this new model, VW has expanded on the fastback, five-seater sedan segment. Having offered the CC before, the Arteon follows that trend but significantly builds on that image.The car oozes sophistication and looks unlike anything else on the market. Although pricey, it will do well considering its brand heritage and will appeal to people who want that ‘something special'. Priced from R600 000 to R700 000, it cuts deep into the compact executive German trio territory but given its impeccable credentials, promises them some sleepless nights.