Volkswagen says the 2019 Arteon is its flagship, and the non secular successor to the lately departed CC. That’s all true, do not get me mistaken, however calling the Arteon an costly Vee-Dub sells this automobile brief.Instead, consider the Arteon as an Audi A7 for half the worth. It provides nice model and premium lodging, and it ain’t too shabby to drive, both. Wrap all that up in a bundle that begins underneath $40,000, and you will find the Arteon is a severe luxurious discount with little or no in the way in which of compromise.
Don’t name it a sedanThe Arteon makes a killer first impression. We’re residing within the age of the large, non-functional grille, however the Arteon wears its large, slatted mug with pleasure. I like how the LED working lights are built-in into the design of the grille’s horizontal bars. And whereas the automobile you see right here makes use of the Arteon’s commonplace front-end design, R-Line fashions convey bigger air dams that add purposeful aggression to the decrease sides of the entrance fascia.
With wheels pushed out to all 4 corners and an arched roofline, the Arteon strikes a pose much like its CC forebear, however one which’s extra grown up. Even the Arteon’s smallest 18-inch wheels look good on my SEL-trim take a look at automobile, although the optionally available 19s and 20s positively give this svelte four-door an enormous enhance of curb attraction.
Unlike the CC sedan, the Arteon makes use of a liftback design, that means this VW backs up its kind with some significantly helpful operate. Open the hatch and you will find 22.7 cubic ft of cargo area, which is bigger than most sedans of this dimension. Fold the rear seats and the usable space swells to 55 cubic ft, which is similar to many compact and midsize SUVs. Of course, the equally formed Buick Regal provides a whopping 60.7 cubic ft of area beneath its hatch, however the tradeoff there’s having to cope with General Motors’ drab, dingy inside.The good-looking, snug inside provides a ton of area for each front- and rear-seat passengers.
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Top-notch trimmingsThe Arteon, in the meantime, provides plush lodging for 4 adults, with a few of VW’s greatest inside trimmings thus far. You’ll discover the occasional strip of onerous plastic on the underside of the transmission tunnel or under the steering wheel, however 95 % of the surfaces you are truly going to see and contact daily really feel nice.The two-tone Nappa leather-based seating surfaces of my SEL tester are cozy, although I would not thoughts slightly extra love-handle assist. Heated entrance seats are commonplace on each Arteon, although niceties like ventilated and massaging entrance seats, in addition to heated rear seats, can solely be had on the range-topping SEL Premium.Speaking of the rear seats, they’re surprisingly spacious. With the entrance chairs slid way back to they’re going to go, I can comfortably stretch out within the second row. Granted, I am of common top, however taller buddies who’ve frolicked within the Arteon say they don’t have any points with rear-seat legroom, both. That mentioned, the tapered roofline means rear headroom is not a robust level, however solely probably the most gigantic of passengers will really feel that penalty.Volkswagen’s infotainment system is housed on an 8-inch show, and the piano black trim round it’s going to present each one among your greasy fingerprints.
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Lots of tech, however it’ll price youAll Arteons include an 8-inch touchscreen show, with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto alongside for the trip. Volkswagen’s infotainment interface is tremendous easy to make use of, with giant tiles for foremost automobile capabilities, and secondary menu buttons that solely seem as your finger approaches the display screen. Volume and tuning knobs, in addition to flush-mounted buttons, are situated on both aspect of the display screen, set in fingerprint-revealing piano black trim.
Step as much as the Arteon SEL and you will unlock a variety of extra tech goodies, beginning with embedded navigation in VW’s multimedia system. Choosing the SEL additionally will get you Volkswagen’s glorious Digital Cockpit gauge cluster, with its crisp, high-resolution, reconfigurable display screen.Spec the SEL and you will additionally get adaptive cruise management, which comes along with the Arteon’s commonplace rear visitors alert, backup digicam and ahead collision warning with automated emergency braking. Unfortunately, superior driving aids like lane-keeping help, parking help with entrance and rear distance sensors, automated high-beams and an overhead digicam can solely be had on the top-shelf SEL Premium 4Motion.Even on its smallest 18-inch wheels, the Arteon has a wonderful stance on the highway.
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Controlled and composedRegardless of trim, each Arteon sports activities the identical powertrain: Volkswagen’s 2.0-liter, turbocharged I4, with 268 horsepower, 258 pound-feet of torque and an eight-speed automated transmission. Both the SE and SEL fashions may be had with 4Motion all-wheel drive for an extra $1,800. Adding all-wheel drive additionally reduces the EPA gasoline financial system estimates barely; with front-wheel drive, the Arteon is claimed to return 22 miles per gallon metropolis and 31 mpg freeway, whereas AWD fashions are rated at 20/27 metropolis/freeway mpg.
There’s ample turbo energy for each preliminary and midrange acceleration, and the eight-speed transmission largely fades into the background whereas commuting. Stomp the throttle and the transmission wants a sec earlier than it will activate a downshift. And oddly, steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters are optionally available on each Arteon however the prime SEL Premium 4Motion (the place they’re commonplace). I am unable to think about willingly paying for them — simply depart the transmission alone, and if you happen to actually really feel like being the grasp of your individual future, use the toggle operate of the PRNDL shifter.I would not precisely name the Arteon a thrill to drive, however it strikes down the highway with satisfying poise and confidence. Volkswagen’s XDS cross-differential system is commonplace on all Arteons, which helps ship torque appropriately between the entrance wheels. Eco, Normal, Comfort, Sport and Custom drive modes change the expertise barely, and the DCC adaptive damping system permits for 15 levels of suspension firmness adjustment which, frankly, seems like overkill, because the precise distinction between every particular person stage is barely noticeable.In its Comfort and Normal modes, the Arteon provides a luxurious trip that does not translate most pavement irregularities into the cabin. (The taller sidewalls of my tester’s 18-inch wheels absolutely assist right here, too.) Dial up Sport and the transmission is each extra hesitant to upshift and extra desperate to downshift, and you will really feel extra weight within the steering. Honestly, I discovered the most effective factor to do was to make use of the Custom drive mode, with the steering set to Sport however the suspension set to Comfort. And hey, level to the Arteon, if you happen to select the Custom drive mode, it will default to that each time you get within the automobile.Thanks to its liftback design, the Arteon provides as a lot as 55 cubic ft of cargo area.
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Really, the Arteon is not all that far off from a lot of its luxury-brand rivals. The steering is comparatively gentle however fast and responsive, and the trip high quality is great — you would actually pile on the miles on this factor. Combine that with a quiet cabin and nice visibility from all angles, and the Arteon is a automobile that goes down the highway with a correctly premium demeanor.A severe luxurious bargainAs far as conventional rivals go, the Arteon’s closest rivals are the Buick Regal and Kia Stinger 2.0T. I am unable to think about shopping for a Regal, interval, not to mention over the Arteon. And whereas the Stinger is a rewarding automobile to drive with bangin’ model, the VW provides higher luxurious and tech.Really, the Arteon is greatest considered as a less-expensive various to issues like Audi’s A5 and A7 Sportback, or the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe. No, it does not deal with in addition to these class-above Germans, and its badge does not fairly carry the identical provenance, however the Arteon can actually maintain its personal in a variety of areas. Combine that with the truth that the VW begins at $35,845 (not together with $995 for vacation spot) and tops out in SEL Premium 4Motion R-Line spec at $46,710, and that is one luxurious discount you would be silly to disregard.
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