The 2019 Volkswagen Arteon. Go to Germany and store for the all-new Volkswagen Arteon sedan, and you’ll be spoiled for alternative: completely different engines, completely different trim levels - it’s all the time the way in which. Not in North America, although. Apparently, we’re too impatient to want a selection. “In Europe, you’re okay to wait six weeks and perhaps longer, but right here, you purchase it right now,” says VW North America’s product manager Kai Oltmanns. He’s speaking a few potential buyer strolling into a dealership to purchase a automotive. “If we give too many decisions, the shopper might not be able to get the correct car right now. We’re good with this one alternative. The R-Line bundle consists of 20-inch wheels. Volkswagen Canada expects to sell possibly 1,000 of the new flagship Arteon sedans, the successor to the mid-sized CC, each year. CC consumers virtually at all times opted for the loaded editions, so that’s what is on the market this time around.
All singing, all dancing, and all constructed on VW’s new MQB platform, which additionally underpins the Jetta, Atlas and Tiguan. “There was nothing wrong with the CC, however it runs on the old platform,” says Oltmanns. The brand new Arteon is completely up to date with main-edge technology and a modern Gran Turismo design. Fuel economic system (litres/100 km): 11.8 City, 8.7 Hwy., 10.2 Comb. The Arteon has a fastback design that’s low and sleek. It looks good - not a lot a boring sedan as an tried coupe, which is at all times more exciting, for higher or worse. It’s not significantly memorable in a parking lot, however drivers will notice these swivelling LED headlamps coming up in their rear-view mirrors, shrouded beneath the clamshell hood. Certainly comfy, and everything falls to hand because it ought to, however again, not particularly memorable. I had to have a look at a photo to remind myself what it was like, and that’s after spending all day within the automobile.
It’s spacious inside, with enough area in the rear for a pair of six-foot passengers to be comfy, though their hair will brush the headliner. Since Canadians only get the highest-end trim level, the seats will likely be Nappa leather and both heated and cooled in the entrance, heated in the rear. A heated steering wheel is normal, as is a massaging driver’s seat, though it’s not likely a massage - the lumbar assist band pushes in and out towards the small of the driver’s again. Yes, the only engine accessible in North America is probably the most powerful one, with 268 turbocharged horsepower and 258 lb.-ft. German rocketship. Overtaking is still a manoeuvre to be planned effectively in advance. More impressive is the dealing with. The Arteon’s dimensions are very similar to the CC, but while the new sedan is about 5 cm longer, it has an extra 12 cm of wheelbase.
This provides it a much bigger overall footprint. There are five totally different drive modes - Econ, Comfort, Normal, Sport, and Custom - and there are lots of settings inside every that are simply adjusted by the driver. The computer will even set the lively cruise management to stick extra aggressively to a specific distance behind the car in front, or swivel the headlights more shortly around corners. But when you select Sport and the Dynamic Chassis Control adjusts the damping and rebound of the shocks, the Arteon modifications immediately right into a well-planted, aggressive car that tracks flat by way of curves with no surprises. Or select Comfort and wallow alongside the interstate with everyone else. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto - verify. Blind-spot monitoring and active cruise control - verify. That is a significant jump from the CC, which may fit 374 litres of stuff within the trunk. The Arteon advantages from its fastback design, which allows the rear door to be basically a hatch.
There’s now 643 litres of room behind the 60/forty break up rear seats, and if they’re folded down, that bumps as much as a really impressive 1,558 litres. That is on a par with the Buick Regal Sportback - once more, not a hatch in response to the maker, however every bit as spacious as one. A properly rendered automobile, with all of the benefits and breakthroughs that you’d count on from an organization that employs 44,000 engineers. Ultimately, although, it blends into the crowded background quite than stands out, and at this price, a purchaser should anticipate simply a bit of more pizzazz. The Arteon doesn't stand out as a lot as a automobile in its price vary should. The writer was a guest of the automaker. Content was not subject to approval. Shopping for a brand new automotive? Take a look at the new Globe Drive Build and Price Tool to see the most recent discounts, rebates and rates on new automobiles, trucks and SUVs. Click right here to get your price. Stay on high of all our Drive tales. We have now a Drive newsletter protecting automobile evaluations, revolutionary new vehicles and the ups and downs of on a regular basis driving. Sign up for the weekly Drive newsletter, delivered to your inbox for free. Follow us on Instagram, @globedrive.
