I wrote recently about Volkswagens Passat. I said it was a nice car. Indeed it is. Nothing nasty about it. All quite nice.
I almost mentioned that what Passat had done to offend the UK buyer was delete the hatchback option. Unlike our European cousins, we Brits do love a hatchback. So when it was discontinued in 1988 many suburbs of England tutted loudly with disgust. The result was those who wanted a hatchback for tip runs and garden centre expeditions went over to Ford and Vauxhall to get their fill of the lift back.
VW now want to rectify that by giving us the Arteon. Is that how you say it? Art-e-on? Ar-Teon? Air-ton? It was said to me in as many different ways as there are languages in the world. How ever you pronounce it, it is a car to puzzle over.
Inside the cockpit it is pretty much pure Passat. The usual 3 time clocks to look at in the front, none in the rear. Switch gear and controls etc are all pure Passat. Even on the move it is Passat with that nice feel about it.
THANKFULLY it is a little more than Passat nice. For a start the designers have given it pillar-less doors. For some reason a pillar-less door adds some sex appeal. And the front has been given a more purposeful look with both upper and lower grills integrated into one massive mouth. Sadly from some angles it can look a little Audish.
All the fun for the British buyer is at the back. Forget the massive amounts of legroom you now get over the Passat sibling for the moment. Your prayers have been answered, you have a boot that lifts up high. High up into the sky to reveal a load capacity of epic size and all in a hatchback style body that VW would rather you refer to as an avant-garde fastback saloon style. It is deceptive. Design wise you do expect it to be another saloon. It was only when l went to lift the boot that l realised something was wrong. It’s a big heavy door to lift. It took me by surprise at first. The ‘nice’ was being eroded.
That erosion continued when you head for the open road. This R-line 4Motion was top of the petrol range. The title itself gives a clue to what we have here then. Add that to the smoothness of the 280ps engine and you soon get no doubting that from its humble beginnings VW have given the Arteon some drama that the brand needs.
It certainly throws you into your seat when you plant the accelerator into the floor. The 4motion drivetrain keeps it planted firmly to the ground. It’s all very fast and sticky. Trying to unstick it halfway around a roundabout and into the exit does nothing to slow your progress or scare you out of your pants. It might shake up the odd passenger in the commodious rear cabin area but turning up the stereo can drown them out. And to be fair, they sit so far back that there is very little chance of them slapping you on the shoulder. If that were to happen, a quick jab on the throttle and you’d only thrown them back into their seat anyway. 0-60 comes up in 5.6 seconds and VW’s suggested top speed of 155mph is l fear not to be doubted.
It’s all adding up to be quite a rebel then. Not exactly. Slow things down a bit to enjoy the scenery and the fiery monster upfront becomes no more than a subdued kitten after the visit to the vets for “that operation” It all becomes cute, calm and cuddly. OK not quite cuddly but you can leave your children with it safe in the knowledge that it won’t bite.
Luxury then is where this flagship model is. Should you wish to be ferried around in the rear like a stately man or woman of the land then this is a place that you can extend your entire body. There is little intrusion in the rear except perhaps for some road roar. VW have though missed a trick. There is nothing to do in the rear except play with some heater controls or sleep. What it lacks over its Audi stablemate in badge prestige snobbery, it will more than make up for with its total price. At £44,465 as tested it makes a good case for itself. It should be more expensive than others in the range, it is the flagship after all. That said l can spec up a Golf R-Line to £46,540 with a selection of choice options to match the Arteon.
That in itself shows you just how much of a bargain the Arteon is or how expensive a Golf can become. Either way over the choice for the money one or two things will need to be considered. Will it fit on the drive and are you naughty enough to drive the Golf like a juvenile all the time to get the while value of pounds and pence from it? I’d say you wouldn’t. There ends the case for the Arteon. I’ll have the bigger car please.
Love
Practical
Space
Speed
Loathe
Passat layout
Weight of the rear door without the auto option
Bit too bland in the rear
The Lowdown
Car – Volkswagen Arteon R-Line 4Motion 280hp
Price – £44,465 (as tested)
MPG – 38.7 (combined)
Power – 280hp
0-62mph – 5.6 seconds
Top Speed – 155 mph
Co2 – 164 (g/km)