Volkswagen Arteon arrives in Oz

The Volkswagen Arteon has landed in Australia priced at $65,490 (plus on-road costs) and it's got lofty goals to take on the likes of high-end BMW and Mercedes-Benz  models retailing for around three times that amount.

Available in just one highly specified grade, the new Arteon is being spruiked as the safest, most luxurious and smartest Volkswagen to date.

Standard features on Aussie models include automatic steering, braking and acceleration via lane keep assist, AEB and adaptive cruise control, 19-inch alloy wheels, all-wheel drive, a head-up display, traffic jam assist and an astonishing 43-mode adjustable suspension system.

Available in seven colours, including the searing Tumeric Yellow hero colour, Volkswagen Australia's corporate communications boss Paul Pottinger told motoring.com.au the Arteon has the potential to rival the Mercedes-Benz CLS ($140,115) and BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe ($189,200).

"They are more than the double the price, but those are cars to which you might aspire, but not be able to afford," Pottinger said. "This is the remit the Arteon fills. You can be an aspirational buyer without an aspirational wallet."

The Arteon is not about reaching sales targets like the Golf and Tiguan Pottinger explained. Instead, it creates a new luxury flagship car for the brand and will understandably take pride of place in dealership showrooms.

"It's a halo model, no doubt," Mr Pottinger added. "It's not about volume, it's a statement car as much for the brand as for the owner."

Aussie Arteon is the fastest
Built in Germany, the Volkswagen Arteon is offered in various model grades in Europe, with an engine lineup including a compact 1.5-litre 110kW turbo-petrol engine.

However the Australian-spec model gets the Volkswagen Golf R powertrain, comprising a powerful 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine (206kW/350Nm) mated to a seven-speed wet clutch DSG automatic transmission. This delivers a claimed 5.6sec zero0-100km/h sprint, which is rapid.

The all-wheel drive sedan (technically a lift back) offers "effortless performance" according to Volkswagen Group Australia, while delivering small-car levels of fuel consumption: 7.5L/100km.

"At a certain point in life, perhaps where you've outgrown a hot hatch, like the Golf R, it starts to make sense," said Pottinger.

"A number of Golf R owners have said to me personally that this would be a good segue way. This would be somewhere for them to go after a hot hatch or wagon, something a little more stylish."

More standard features than a movie marathon
The $65,490 Volkswagen Arteon includes a number of firsts for Volkswagen, all of which are fitted as standard.

For instance there's a head-up display with road speed and navigation data and the proactive occupant protection system which monitors cars behind the vehicle and pretensions the seat belts if it detects a crash. There's even a heart-attack mode.

OK, so it's officially called Emergency Assist with Emergency Lane Change Assist system, but it kicks in if the car thinks the driver has stopped responding due to a heart attack or seizure. Simply put, the car will pull to the left lane by itself, navigating around traffic, then come to a stop.

It can accelerate by itself with adaptive cruise control, it can steer itself with side assist, lane assist and lane guidance.

"It's actually quite hard to hit something in the Arteon," said Glenn Reid, Volkswagen Australia's product manager for the Arteon model, after explaining the car's enhanced autonomous emergency braking or AEB systems.

Volkswagen's new flagship saloon will automatically brake, without any intervention from the driver, between speeds of 5 and 250km/h – although the latter speed is a moot point in Australia.

Below 10km/h it has a manoeuvre braking system, which prevents you from bumping into objects in shopping centre car parks and the like.

Volkswagen has even included a Traffic Jam Assist feature which can semi-autonomously guide the car through slow moving gridlock, the only interaction required is the touch of a button on the steering wheel every 15 seconds.

Full size spare wheel
Despite all the semi-autonomous functionality, Volkswagen Australia had added a full-size spare alloy wheel in the boot, either 19- or 20-inch depending on buyer options.

The standard features list is extensive, including dynamic indicators that "…increase visibility and add premium touch," according to Reid, not to mention gesture control for the infotainment system and powered tailgate.

Keyless entry and engine start, electric windows, mirrors and park brake, automatic high beam LED headlights, heated front and rear seats, a fully digitised instrument display, carbon leather R-Line sports seats up front with massage functionality and a 9.2-inch touchscreen infotainment system are just a few of the highlights.

Based on the Volkswagen Group's MQB architecture, which also underpins many Audi cars, the Arteon is a large car, measuring almost 4.9 metres (4862mm) in length – similar to a home-grown Commodore. It's longer than a Volkswagen Passat by 95mm and has a 50mm longer wheelbase, which frees up more rear seat room.

However boot space is down slightly on the Passat's 650 litres to 563 litres, but Volkswagen Australia was quick to point out this is nonetheless more cargo room than the Mercedes-Benz CLS and BMW 6 Series Gran Coupe.

Only two options are offered for the Arteon, an electric tilt and slide panoramic glass roof and a sound and style package which adds larger 20-inch alloy wheels and a premium 700W Dynaudio sound system. Both are pegged at $2500.