Volkswagen Arteon 206TSI R-Line 2018 Review

One point of difference to truly distinguish the new Volkswagen Arteon from the car it replaces – the (Passat) CC – is the Arteon's explicitly sporty manners. Whereas the CC retained the donor Passat's softer touring composure and cornering, the Arteon feels undeniably keener in terms of steering response and body control.

Such is the car's cornering prowess the Arteon feels half a size smaller than it actually is – more like a Jetta than a Passat-sized car. The VW turns in slightly slower than the similarly sized Ford Mondeo, as one example, but the Arteon is more poised than the Ford – another mid-sized lift-back sedan – with more consistent handling, better body control and higher levels of grip. The VW's steering is more communicative too.

Yet ride comfort in the Arteon was uncompromised. The Arteon featured as standard Adaptive Chassis Control (confusingly abbreviated to the same acronym as Adaptive Cruise Control) for manual or automatic adjustment of the car's dampers and powertrain. Around town the Arteon rode exceptionally well, considering how nimble it felt in corners.

It was very well damped in Normal mode, yet the springs were compliant enough for the Arteon to tackle some tough bumps and sharp-edged potholes without any crash-through. Even in Sport mode the Arteon didn’t feel harsh; it was a good calibration for touring, but didn’t drop the ball at lower speeds. In the Comfort, Normal and Eco modes it was softer-riding again, but not without an appropriate level of control.

Volkswagen has probably found the right balance of ride comfort and cornering ability by relying on the Arteon's all-wheel drive system to ensure strong grip and consistent handling without the need for nailing the suspension down hard.

In Sport mode the Arteon provided a deeper, louder exhaust note – and even some popping on the overrun. But overall, the engine remains subtle enough for those drivers yet to embrace their inner hoon.

Change to Eco mode and the Arteon was quieter still, without feeling emasculated. The flip side of the Arteon's effortless performance, however, was the car's fuel consumption. Arteon owners may struggle to see fuel consumption much below 10.0L/100km, depending on driving conditions. The best figure posted by the trip computer was 12.4L/100km during a week of summer commuting. On a test loop the consumption did fall below 11.0L/100km, but neither figure improved on the Arteon's urban-cycle consumption, let alone the combined-cycle number.

The fuel consumption would have been worse without the Arteon's idle-stop system, which was slow to respond when the driver lifted the foot off the brake. And even without the Auto Hold facility enabled, the Arteon's brakes dragged initially as the car moved away from a standing start. The way the idle-stop system interacted with the engine and the dual-clutch (DSG) transmission was probably the one significant aspect of the Arteon that lacked something in execution.

On occasions, furthermore, the DSG thumped when changing gear/releasing the clutch. It was a mild disappointment after recent evidence that dual-clutch transmissions were improving from the early days. Despite the apparent conflict between the DSG and the idle-stop system, the brakes did bring the Arteon to a halt softly and smoothly. They were powerful and progressive, with good pedal feel.

At touring speeds, the Arteon suppressed noise very well. There was the barest rumble from the tyres at open-road speeds and the slightest whisper from the wind.

For a car like the Arteon to negotiate most driveways without grazing the front valance is a credit to the car’s designers. Nevertheless, the front parking sensors still triggered the acoustic guidance when the approach angle from drive to road threatened to damage the car underneath. Curiously, also, there's no rear wiper for the large glass area in the tailgate.

As a package, the Arteon is fairly practical, given its lower roofline. Up front, the comfortable seats were well bolstered to hold the occupant in place and the instruments and controls drew on standard VW ergonomic practice, which means most people will make the adjustment to using them in just a short space of time. The Active Info Display was usefully informative and appealing, but I found the soft-glow lighting in the headlining was a minor distraction at night, although the blue ambient glow did complement the interior very nicely.

Infotainment functions weren't perfect. Unlike other cars, Apple CarPlay wouldn't immediately stream music in the Arteon from the device via the USB cable without manual prompting on screen.

Plugging a smartphone or other device into the USB port in the pocket ahead of the shift lever was a devil of a job. The port was just not easy to reach, but at least there was another USB port in the storage bin under the centre armrest.

Voice recognition was handy for entering a destination in the satellite navigation system.

Rear-seat access was better than we recall of the two previous generations of Passat CC. But headroom appears to have fallen victim to design, in the transition from boot to liftback. At least legroom in the rear of the Arteon remains more than adequate for taller adults. Adjustable rear vents are located in the rear of the centre console and there are power outlets below the vents for 230-volt, USB and 12-volt charging.

The boot was a handy size; not particularly deep, but long and moderately wide, with easy access to goods parked immediately behind the seat, due to the long liftback tailgate. And many will welcome the full-size alloy and P-Zero Pirelli under the boot floor.

While the Arteon consolidates Volkswagen's near-prestige aspirations, it's probably not going to draw buyers away from the A5 Sportback, simply because the A5 comes with an Audi badge. Hence the cleverness of Volkswagen's market positioning.

But has the company been too clever? When there's more prestige for not much more money, or similar packaging and comparable equipment (Superb) for significantly less, does the Arteon face its stiffest competition from its own stable?

2018 Volkswagen Arteon 206TSI R-Line pricing and specifications:
Price: $68,890 (as tested, plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 206kW/350Nm
Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch
Fuel: 7.5L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 170g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star (ANCAP, 2017)

Related content:
>> Volkswagen Arteon 2017 Review
>> Hot VW Arteon R to get 300kW twin-turbo V6