Volkswagen Arteon 2018 Review

One size fits all

If the role of a halo model is to shift perceptions of a brand, and etch an indelible mark in the process, Volkswagen has struck success in the form of the new Arteon.

As the designated flagship of the German marque's passenger line-up, and a replacement to the so-so Passat CC, the Volkswagen Arteon has unmistakable presence on the road.

Proof, you ask? Anecdotally there has been plenty, thanks to the delivery of a long-term Volkswagen Arteon in the motoring.com.au garage. This visually arresting sedan has the unwitting ability to turn heads in traffic and at the same time give a sophisticated middle finger to Mr Jones and his Audi up the road.

Our Pure White Arteon rides on 20-inch black wheels. Gangster-spec window tint along its sinewy sheets of glass underline the car’s purposeful look, punctuated by bold creases and LED lights front and rear.

Subjectively, the Volkswagen Arteon has to be one of the most striking new models on dealer lots. The off-hand reactions say as much, from “flash ride” and “wow, that’s upmarket,” to “a panel beater’s delight with those lines”.

More than that, this five-seater arrives at an interesting time in the mid-size passenger car landscape, fending off renewed offerings from Kia (Stinger), Holden (imported Commodore) and Toyota (Camry).

The Volkswagen Arteon is also a welcoming antidote to the SUV. At 4.86 metres long, the Arteon’s rear seat space and 563-litre boot (accessed via a liftback-style tailgate) extend it to family buyers too.

Priced at $65,490 (plus on-road costs) and offered in a single, highly-specified trim, the Arteon blends the Volkswagen Group’s latest infotainment and in-car technology with a willing and punchy 206kW turbo-petrol engine.

The result is an engaging and enjoyable car, one that aims to draw buyers from luxury brands but is also capable of playing family hauler. A jack of all trades if there ever was one – on paper at least.

Our long-term test aims to test the claim.

Baptism of fire

We’ll get to the finer details of the Volkswagen Arteon in the coming reviews, specifically its infotainment system and packaging (review two), long-term prospects and servicing (review three) and safety and fit and finish (review Four).

This first review covers our opening couple of weeks with the Arteon, which includes a loaded-up-to-the-hilt road trip along the NSW south coast. In short, it’s all about the drive,  some 1500 kilometres worth.

What’s clear about the Arteon is that the foundations are rock solid, in a number of ways.

On one hand, it borrows underpinnings from the Passat, a proven and well-received wagon in its own right. The engine is also a familiar, having done service in the Skoda Superb 206TSI and the Volkswagen Golf R, among others.

Elsewhere, the Volkswagen Arteon takes fruit from Audi, with the likes of its fully digital instrument cluster (dubbed Virtual Cockpit in the land of the Four Rings), semi-autonomous driving features and renewed gesture control.

It all sounds a bit starship command, and it presents as such thanks to clear and concise instrumentation and a 9.2-inch central display, but equally, the tech and underbody nous helps imbue the Arteon with a genuine sense of occasion each time you jump into its massaging driver’s seat.

Sydney to Ulladulla, the back way

Ah, Easter. A time for family, a time for chocolate. A time for traffic. In Sydney, the translation is closer to bedlam. Absolute bedlam.

This year, we chose not to join the thousands of other holiday makers en route to the south coast on the eve of Good Friday. Rather, we took a casual run down on the Easter Saturday, stopping in at the Burrawang markets, in the picturesque Southern Highlands south of Sydney, before continuing along a ribbon of bitumen that dissects Fitzroy Falls and Kangaroo Valley.

The Arteon thrives. Among the good and proper folk of Burrawang (and presumably half of Sydney), it turns heads among a car park full of Range Rovers and BMWs. Then, loaded with more paraphernalia than any small family should know what to do with, the VW makes light work of two mountain passes, along with the varying roads in between.

The driving position is spot on in these scenarios, low-slung and with access to a range of storage options, from the centrally-mounted cupholders to the generously sized door pockets. Vision is also well thought out, with excellent openings front and rear, and the use of gesture control inside the cabin tends to keep the car one step ahead in your thought process, which is nice.

On a double demerits weekend, with traffic and a spike in highway patrol, the Arteon’s head-up display spares us from unknowingly speeding through the dozens of changing signposted limits along the south coast.

Ambient lighting is another nice touch, though not all appreciate the white light that hums above the centre fascia at night time.

Moreover, a cabin cosseted from excess wind and road noise enriches the driving experience. However, a small bugbear is beginning to emerge in the form of a faint rattle behind the instrument cluster. We’ll be keeping close tabs on this throughout the loan.

One observation not noted in earlier reviews is that it is possible to ask questions of the Arteon’s suspension travel with a full load on board. On larger washouts, for instance, the car tends to wallow at the low point of an undulation – to the stage where the vehicle feels as though it will almost belly out.

We’re still tinkering with the Arteon’s 43-mode (for real) suspension adjustment settings and have found that with some tailoring to the roads, it is possible to find a middle point, often with added stiffness. It’s clear that in firmer settings, the Arteon’s cornering ability sharpens markedly, with terrific turn-in response and outright grip.

Smaller pitter-patter style bumps tend to be mildly accentuated with a load on board, too. Hardly a deal breaker, but something to keep in mind if you’re contemplating five-up on holidays with a boot full of bags and some surfboards on the roof. We did some digging and the car’s payload of 600kg reflects some limitations, while the maximum roof load resides at 100kg and braked towing capacity at 2200kg.

What the added weight doesn’t impact is the Arteon’s 2.0-litre turbo four. Power is plentiful and tractable, the peak 350Nm chiming from 1800rpm, and maximum 206kW available from 6500rpm.

It translates to a smooth and generous wave of useable power from low in the rev range, an added spike in power truly materialising once the car has hit its meaty mid-range, about 4000rpm. Officially, nought to 100 takes 5.6 seconds – plenty fast.

The caveat is a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic that is still prone to some hesitation upon taking off. Granted, this DSG is much more refined than earlier units. But it’s still not perfect.

On the fuel front, our consistent reading tends to hover on 8.0L/100km combined; on the road trip the figure amounts to 8.5L/100km.  That’s marginally above the claim; we have seen as low as 6.2L/100km on a strict highway run.

The Arteon, like most German-derived offerings, uses 98 RON fuel, though a 66-litre tank ensures about 900km between fills.

Load lugger

Arriving at our destination some three-and-a-half hours south of Sydney, it becomes apparent just how much gear the Arteon can swallow.

The car’s 563-litre boot enables plenty of space for bags, while split-folding seats are a boon for the Tetris-minded, allowing you squeeze surfboards and the like into the equation.

The boot height has its own limitations: we’ve already had several occasions where the automatic tailgate has gently recoiled because it has sensed an object in its way upon closing. But otherwise the mix is strong.

With our arsenal of gear now strewn out across the driveway of the holiday house, the Arteon resumes its place as an assumed executive express. At least to the people around.

Treating Volkswagen’s new flagship as such probably doesn’t do it justice. Our first impression is that it is much, much more – European badge or not.

Long-Term Tests

From time to time we also take the opportunity to spend even longer with a vehicle. These longer-term tests can be as short as a couple of weeks, but more recently we’ve settled on a three-month period as indicative of ‘normal’ ownership.

Long-term tests give our staff writers and contributors a chance to get to know a car as an owner would. While the car is with us, we pay for fuel, the servicing, and generally use and live with the car as a new owner would.

We believe long-term tests give car buyers a deeper insight into the vehicle on test, but also the qualities behind the brand and nameplate. The extended period also allows us to touch base with the dealer networks in question.

It comes as no surprise that manufacturers tend to have a love-hate relationship with long-term tests. Three months is plenty long enough to fall out of love with the latest and greatest, and start to nit-pick — just like real owners do.

How much does the Volkswagen Arteon cost?

Price: $65,490 (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