MOTORING


Stylish and comfortable, the VW Arteon raises the bar


Sleek Arteon takes VW more upmarket


Volkswagen’s Arteon is essentially a posh Passat. It’s longer, lower and wider, with a distinctive coupe-like taper towards the boot, giving it a glitzier, sleeker profile. Motoring journalist Nick Jones found out how this upmarket addition to the stable will perform against some tough rivals.


There’s something imposing about VW’s new Arteon, something more svelte and polished than the Passat on which it’s based. The Passat, in various guises, has


been a best-seller for the German carmaker since its launch in May 1973 – rapidly approaching half a century of continuous sales. I really liked the Passat CC, the


model’s latest iteration, but the Arteon raises the bar many notches. As you can imagine, coming


from the VW stable, there is a plethora of engines from which to choose. My test car was fitted with what


I suspect (despite diesel-gate and the potential fall-out therefrom) will be the most popular for the model, the 150bhp 2.0-litre TDI, which proved to be a very relaxed tourer.


Despite being a long-legged, mile-munching motorway cruiser, the combination of the torquey


72 business network July/August 2018


engine and proven DSG seven- speed automatic gearbox offers plenty of mid-range punch for overtaking prowess. But if you want more bang for


your bucks, or more bangs under the bonnet, there are 190bhp and 236bhp versions of the 2.0-litre TDI available, the latter boosted by the addition of a second turbo-charger. If concerns over diesel as a fuel


drive you to a petrol power unit then you can have a 1.5-litre TSI with 150 horses or two 2.0-litre


versions producing either 190bhp or 280bhp. You can also specify 4Motion (VW’s four-wheel-drive option) with the higher-output engines across the range. Ride quality, which also equates


to comfort, is compliant enough to cope with many of the undulations on the roads – but it loves smooth motorway tarmac. The seats are supportive and


comfortable and from two lengthy trips I returned with no hint of a twinge.


FACTFILE


MODEL Volkswagen Arteon 150bhp


PRICE OTR £33,840


PERFORMANCE Top Speed: 137mph 0-60 mph: 9.1 seconds


CO2 EMISSIONS 116 g/km


COMBINED MPG 62.8mpg


Entry-level Elegance Trim is


impressive, with lots of standard kit – too much to list in the space available here and more than enough to avoid dipping into the options bin to have a well- appointed luxury motor. If I wanted something slightly


different, however, I would stick with the Elegance Trim and personalise with a few extras rather than splash out on the higher spec R-Line. Visibility is good from the driving


seat and as the Arteon shares the Passat’s dashboard and instrumentation, everything is logically placed and is easy to see and use. The Arteon’s infotainment is


cool. The menus are easy to scroll through and the 12.3-inch TFT screen has VW’s Active Info Display as standard. Satnav maps and radio icons,


together with phone contacts, are comfortably pleasing on the eye.


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