Volkswagen Arteon: prices, specs and release date

The new Volkswagen Arteon five-door fastback arrives in VW showrooms from September, priced from £34,305. Sitting above the Passat in Volkswagen’s range, the Arteon promises five-seat hatchback practicality wrapped in a coupe-like shape.

Although cheaper models will follow in due course, initially the most affordable Arteon will come with a 148bhp 2.0-litre diesel engine and a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.

Read our full Volkswagen Arteon review here

The range kicks off with Elegance trim and this includes 18-inch alloy wheels, LED headlights, digital dashboard dials, adaptive cruise control, Napa leather seats and an eight-inch infotainment touchscreen complete with sat nav. A further £800 or so will get you sporty R-Line trim, which brings gloss-black air intakes, 19-inch alloys, a boot spoiler and sports seats.

Those after more power can choose, from launch, a 276bhp 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine, or a range-topping 237bhp version of the 2.0-litre diesel, both of which come with four-wheel drive.

0-62mph takes 9.1 seconds with the 148bhp diesel, 6.5 seconds with the twin-turbo 237bhp diesel and just 5.6 seconds if you specify the 276bhp petrol engine. Economy is officially pegged at 62.8, 47.9 and 38.7mpg respectively, while CO2 emissions of 116g/km mean the 148bhp diesel in Elegance trim attracts a Benefit-in-Kind rate of 25%.

All those engines are available from launch, though a 148bhp 1.5-litre turbo petrol and a 187bhp version of the 2.0-litre petrol are coming later, as is a manual gearbox; this will be available with the 148bhp petrol and diesel engines.

Volkswagen Arteon: design

The Volkswagen Arteon is an all-new design, but shares its outline with the sleek Volkswagen CC – VW’s first entry in the coupe-saloon market pioneered by the Mercedes CLS.

The Arteon has an unmistakable face, characterised by LED headlamps that merge with the grille for a full-width look. The grille slats are highlighted in chrome, with a prominent central VW badge. We expect to see a similar grille treatment on the next-generation Touareg.

The bonnet is of clamshell form, with pronounced creases that emphasise its curvature. It meets the sides of the car with a sharp character, which runs around the entirety of the car. This line becomes bolder over the flared front and rear wheelarches, where it casts a shadow accentuating the width of the car. This gives the Arteon a more muscular, hunkered-down look than the outgoing CC. The side windows are frameless in true coupe tradition.

Like those at the front, the rear lights are all-LED, and also recessed slightly into the car – not unlike those of the Porsche Macan SUV. The lamps are split into 10 active segments, with a narrow red LED strip underneath and a final lower strip that incorporates sequential indicators on higher trim levels.

The rear lights extend onto the bootlid, where they’re sheltered under a subtle ducktail spoiler formed by the curvature of the metal. An additional spoiler embellishes the flat surface above, picked out in a contrasting colour.

VW intends the Arteon to sell on practicality as well as style and its 563-litre boot is a lot bigger than the 480 litres of the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe and Audi A5 Sportback. It also uses a hatchback tailgate in the place of the CC’s saloon-type bootlid. This will improve access to a boot that expands to 1,557 litres when the rear seats are folded flat.

Interior

VW has worked to ensure that the Arteon’s interior isn’t a letdown after its expressive exterior styling. A key design feature is an interior ventilation outlet that expands the full width of the dashboard, defined by chrome strips that echo the car’s front grille.

Impressive rear legroom is assured thanks to the transverse-mounted engine being located so far forwards and passengers get foot space under the front seats. Despite the flowing silhouette of the Arteon, its long roofline is claimed to provide plenty of rear headroom.

While the Arteon is a five-seater, the three-person rear bench prioritises its two outer occupants. Contoured cushions make the form of two individual outer seats, while the central third seat is rather flatter.

Engines

Once the full Arteon portfolio becomes available, the range will kick off with the 148bhp 1.5-litre TSI petrol seen in the latest Volkswagen Golf. It uses active cylinder management, which can effectively shut down parts of the engine not needed when running at less than full power, reducing fuel consumption. Two 2.0-litre TSI petrols will also be offered, with 187 or 276bhp.

High-mileage users will prefer the 2.0-litre diesel, which will be available in 148, 188, and 237bhp power outputs. All but the 1.5-litre petrol will be available with VW’s dual-clutch DSG automatic gearbox, which will be standard on the two most powerful petrols and the 237bhp diesel.

The most powerful petrol and diesel engines are linked to VW’s 4MOTION four-wheel-drive system, while all other models are front-wheel drive. There’s no confirmation yet, but a petrol-electric Arteon GTE also seems likely.

Although it has been hinted that a six-cylinder prototype has been constructed, it’s not known whether this will lead to a production vehicle, nor which countries it would be available in.

Volkswagen Arteon driver-assistance technology

Interconnected systems enable the many sensors and computers in the Volkswagen Arteon to “think as one” rather than working independently as in the past. The cruise control, for example, can communicate with the navigation system and road-sign recognition systems, enabling it to adjust road speed automatically for oncoming corners and speed limits.

Not only does this offer convenience, but reduced running costs are promised thanks to a reduced need for heavy braking and sharp acceleration.

Even the Arteon’s headlamps are primed to take advantage of this connected technology – a predictive beam control system uses GPS navigation data to anticipate that a corner is approaching and can adjust the headlamps accordingly to optimise illumination of the bend.

The Arteon’s network of sensors pays just as much attention to things happening inside the car as outside. The Arteon looks for signs that the driver needs help by monitoring steering, brake and accelerator inputs, and if none are detected for a defined period of time, it’ll provide an initial audio-visual ‘wake-up call’. If this doesn’t stimulate the driver into action, it can automatically take over driving duties, warn other road users and safely bring the car to a standstill in the nearside lane.

Separate safety equipment includes 'Pre-Crash', which is able to sense vehicles approaching from the rear that are moving so quickly that an impact is likely. Active both when the car is stopped and in motion, it uses the same radar sensors that detect cars in the blind spots, and if a crash is likely, it’ll apply the hazard-warning lights, pre-tension the steering wheel and close the windows and sunroof – leaving an air gap to ensure the performance of the airbags. These precautions help to shield all occupants in the event of a rear-end impact.

Volkswagen’s Active Info Display takes the place of conventional instruments on upper models and a head-up display is also available. You can also choose the Discover Pro infotainment system we’ve sampled in the latest Golf. It has a 9.2-inch glass screen with capacitive touch control like a smartphone or tablet and replaces physical buttons with gesture recognition.

Volkswagen Arteon: price and on-sale date

The Volkswagen Arteon is available to configure now via VW’s online tool, and is expected to arrive in UK showrooms in September, priced from £34,305.

Volkswagen Arteon Shooting Brake estate

Speaking to our sister title Auto Express, Volkswagen head of product line for medium and full-size cars Dr. Elmar-Marius Licharz said “I would like to make an [Arteon] shooting brake – these plans are underway but it’s not yet final.”

The prospect of a shooting-brake version adds extra credibility to Volkswagen’s plans to take sales from the Mercedes E-Class and BMW 5 Series, while also drawing buyers away from the next-generation Mercedes CLS.