Much presence VW’s new flagship saloon is a good-looking all-rounder, as reports

Jack Evan Volkswagen Arteon Elegance

Set to arrive in dealerships in September, the Arteon is a premium saloon car designed by Volkswagen to sit above its popular Passat as its new flagship. It offers a sporting drive coupled with an impressive amount of autonomous technology. There’s no denying the Arteon is a bit of a looker. With sculpted lines and a large chrome grille, it’s a distinctly premium vehicle, while large 20in alloy wheels, such as the ones fitted to our test car, increase its presence on the road. Inside, it’s business as usual for a Volkswagen product. It’s a solidly made cabin, with plenty of soft-touch materials giving the Arteon an upmarket feel. One of the Arteon’s trump cards is legroom. Up front and at the back, there’s an impressive amount of space, which makes it an ideal longdistance cruiser. The Arteon’s practicality levels are increased thanks to its accommodating boot. There are 563 litres of seats-up space to play with, and this rises to an impressive 1,557 litres with them folded down. The steering has a decent amount of heft to it (more so when sport mode is selected), though it can feel a touch light at higher speeds. The ride certainly errs on the firm side, no doubt a by-product of the large alloy wheels. Our test route took in a fair amount of rutted, potholed roads, and the Arteon dealt with them well on the whole, but felt a touch too stiff at times. The 2.0-litre diesel felt flexible enough for daily driving, and has a surprising amount of poke. Volkswagen has yet to reveal just how much the Arteon will cost, though it’s set to be between £35,000 and £40,000. UK customers will get just two trim levels to pick from – Elegance and R-Line – with the latter model benefiting from a lower ride height on top of the standard adjustable dampers. It is a price bracket that puts the car in line with some strong competition – the Audi A5 Sportback for one – and it means that the Arteon has a far harder fight on its hands than the standard Passat. Equipment levels for the Arteon are high, though as yet we are unable to tell what will come as standard and what will be an optional extra.

£40,000 (est) 2.0-litre turbocharged IN A NUTSHELL The Volkswagen Arteon would suit the driver who looks at all of the primary options in this segment and fancies something completely different. Yes, the predicted price tag is rather high – but the...