Volkswagen have replaced the old Passat CC with a new badge, the Volkswagen Arteon. Taking styling queues from the Audi A7 and an interior from the Passat, the Arteon is one elegant looking saloon.
The Volkswagen Arteon is available with a range of 2.0TDI engines, no petrol is available yet. The entry level 2.0TDI has 150hp and is mated to a 6-speed manual. The top of the range is 240hp variant combined with a 7-speed DSG and four-wheel-drive. The mid-range 190hp is available from the Elegance trim level and can only be specced with DSG gearbox.
The Arteon is based off the Passat so shares a similar MQB platform. The comfortable ride is also shared with the Passat. However, space to the rear is more on par with the Skoda Superb. This was always the downside to the Passat that it didn’t match that of the Superb. The 19-inch alloys, standard on the R-Line, make the ride a little firmer than that of the standard 18-inch alloys on the regular Arteon.
The Arteon is available in three trim levels; Arteon, Elegance and R-Line. Standard on Arteon comes 18-inch alloys, heated seats front and rear, an 8-inch infotainment system and cruise control. Bumping up to Elegance trim and you get ambient interior lighting, rear view camera and half leather/alcantara seats additional to that on Arteon. Standard with R-Line, on top of what comes with Elegance, are sport seats, Dynamic light assist headlights and 19-inch alloys.
A downside to the Arteon is that it feels like a rebodied Passat with only the exterior taking you by surprise. No doubt the interior is very well specced, even in the starting trim level, but it isn’t exciting. Build quality is still good in that it’s a Volkswagen interior. Up front, the soft touch plastics are in all the right places. To the rear, there are some cheaper, harder plastics but this is not exclusive to the Arteon.
The Arteon comes standard with ISOFIX, three rear headrests, curtain airbags front and rear with knee airbags for the driver and pedestrian monitoring system. The Arteon scored five stars in the NCAP.
With a boot measuring 563 litres, it is more than 60 litres smaller than the Skoda Superb’s 625l. Although, 563l is nothing to sneer at. The rear legroom is much improved over the Passat with a 6-foot person sitting comfortably behind their own front seat driving position. There is plenty of storage on offer between spacious door bins, a central cubby hole up front, glove box and a rear arm rest with cup holders.
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