(By Tom Lohnes) – The Volkswagen Arteon is probably a car you don’t know existed. Released to most of the world in 2017 and then in America in 2019, the Arteon is a good-looking fastback sedan that has some fairly average numbers and interior materials. This year however the flagship VW gets a update, and a new R version, which also comes in a shooting brake wagon version. Count me in.
The normal Arteon is powered by a 2.0-liter Turbocharged Inline-4 with 220 horsepower and 178 lb.-ft of torque, with the upgrade option of a 3.6-liter VR6 with 280 horsepower and 260 lb.-ft of torque, and is basically an Audi A5 Sportback with a cheaper interior. The new R version however, is far from a basic Audi. With a 2.0-liter Mild Hybrid Turbocharged 4-pot making 325 horsepower and the same in torque, this baby should be fun.
Power is routed through an 8-speed DCT sourced from none other than Porsche. AWD is standard in sedan and wagon forms. The shooting brake body style looks amazing. It’s kind of like those fastback SUVs, except it actually pulls it off. Offered in R exclusive Blue paint with 21 inch wheels, the Arteon is for sure a looker, and I desperately wish we had it here.
Pricing for the Arteon R in the US will be about $45,000 for the sedan, which is sadly the sole body choice for us, and the wagon will likely be around $50,000 in Europe.
How would the sedan stack up againist the Honda Civic R, which has 2.0 Turbo & 305 HP?
completely different segment, the Civic R would be more inline with the Golf R. I believe this is a replacement for the CC which is basically a nicer and sportier version of the passat.
I’ll never buy anything Volkswagen since their lil’ FRAUD case.
it wasn’t fraud, enron was a fraud, bernie maddof was fraud, this was just cheating the system. besides while it may have been against the rules, it was an impressive bit of engineering.
What is a “shooting brake” body style? (a wagon?) And where did that term come from?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shooting-brake#:~:text=Shooting%2Dbrake%20is%20a%20car,1900s%20in%20the%20United%20Kingdom.
Hell, I’m more likely to buy a Volkswagon because of “their lil’ fraud case!
I actually did – picked up a TDI Passat just last week as my next daily driver. There’s some screaming deals to be had on the cars that VW had to buy back. Now I just need some Captain Planet villain stickers for it.
Volkswagen is , at least for some , still surfing from a reliability reputation made in the 70’s when they had simplier , less powerfull cars , now it’s all overated . They can burn to the ground I wouldn’t mind .
I get that everyone points the finger @ VW for the “diesel gate” scandal, but if you look @ how many other manufacturers have been found guilty of the same thing, either in the same era as VW or earlier based on investigation after diesel gate. VW was the one doing it in the biggest “known” numbers & got caught first.
I am not solely attracted to any one type of car, american or otherwise, muscle to tuner. Just so happens I grew up around a lot of them (VW) along w/ others, mostly 60’s to present, air & water cooled, all types.Bottom line is they have always produced, for the most part, a decent & reliable car for the money that are fun to drive from many perspectives.