VW’s Braking with tradition

THE NEW ARTEON MIXES STYLE WITH PRACTICALITY, WRITES

TRADITIONALLY known for practical, sensible styling, Volkswagen, it seems, has stepped outside its comfort zone with its latest creation.

With its traffic-stopping looks the new Arteon Shooting Brake is like no other VW before it. It’s sleek, elegant and eye-catching with frameless windows and a rakish body which seems to go on for ever.

The stunning Arteon Coupe Hatchback was launched in 2017 and was dynamic in the extreme but its estate car sibling has definitely eclipsed it.

But it’s not a matter of style over substance. Remember, this is still a Volkswagen, so while it has the looks you can be very sure it also has everything else you need for sensible family motoring.

There are a variety of engines available but the one driven here is the e-Hybrid, which has a 1.4-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine linked

to an electric motor to give a generous 215 bhp.

That’s enough to shoot it from zero to 52 miles per hour in a very sharp 7.8 seconds and on to a top speed of 138mph. But as this is a plug-in hybrid that’s always assuming that you have power in the battery to operate the electric motor. When the battery is drained things start to slow up because you don’t have that backup punch.

But unlike with fully electric cars you always have the 1.4-litre engine, so no range anxiety here.

VW says the car will operate on electric power alone for up to 38 miles and obviously when working in conjunction with the engine – which is the idea – for much further. The super smooth, six-speed dual clutch automatic gearbox is a delight to use and you get paddles behind the steering wheel, too, for when you want to try more handson motoring.

I liked the interior, which is well thought out, and, as to be expected with VW, has perhaps more practicality than panache but is none the worse for that.

Comfortable, full leather seating with part electrical adjustment on the driver’s seat, a steering wheel with touch sensitive controls, an eight-inch colour touchscreen for on-board features and a digital cockpit with a variety of views available for the driver all help make this a very desirable car. And it’s nice to see the use of wooden detailing again – in this case Eucalyptus – on the dashboard and doors. By any standards the Arteon Shooting Brake is a long car and that means that rear seat passengers can comfortably stretch out. There’s no problem when it comes to parking, however, thanks to a very efficient rear view camera whose lens is always kept clean because it sits behind the rear VW badge which pivots upwards as you engage reverse.

On the road you have a choice of four driving modes: Eco, Sport, Normal and Individual. You can also press the GTE button for even sportier motoring so the engine and gearbox react faster and you get a sportier engine sound.

Handling is spot on thanks to the dynamic chassis control and the steering is pin sharp. Welcome additional features on our car included a head-up display at £550 and a full panoramic opening glass sunroof at £1,145.

The Arteon Shooting Brake is definitely a car that your neighbours will notice but more importantly it’s a genuinely nice car to drive, and with 455 litres of luggage space before you fold the rear seatbacks down its also a very practical choice.

Handling is spot on thanks to the dynamic chassis control and the steering is pin sharp