Volkswagen Arteon Review - 2.0TSI 4Motion R-Line

This isn’t your generic three-box saloon is it, the Arteon? Volkswagen seem to have done the bare minimum to pour their metal into a conventional sedan mould, opting instead for an organic blend of swathed surfaces over hard points.

It’s the complete package exhibiting masculine and feminine identifiers - effeminate, curvy yet all at once draped across broad shoulders and swollen granite hips, punctuated with striking brightwork and lamp-jewellery fore and aft. A bold VW emblem is emblazoned across a dominating grille.

The design is still wholly Germanic and looks exactly as it should when you consider what has come before. This is the ‘new CC’ - a Passat with a coupe-saloon profile, but thanks to VW’s strong new design signatures (seen in everything from the Tiguan to the Touareg) now has some serious road presence to boot. And yes, it most definitely can hold its own against in-house rival, the Audi A5 Sportback too especially when you consider what lay beneath its resplendent in white bonnet.

The heart of an animal

Yes, nothing less than the same blown four pot that powers the Golf R. That makes for 206kW and 350Nm, with respectful fuel sipping habits at 7.3l/100km.

Our test unit is the range-topping 2.0TSI 4Motion R-Line

So obviously it is quick, in fact VW claims a mid-5 seconds sprint from standstill to 100kph. Such is the creamy nature of the power delivery via its 7-speed DSG auto however that it never feels quite that quick – velvet glove and all that. But this isn’t necessarily meant to appeal to the boy racer. This is an executive performance barge and I approve wholeheartedly.

In the belly of the svelte beast

Drop into its leathery cabin and you’re met with a sumptuous sport-oriented cockpit, practical but coming at no cost to luxury. Whilst all occupants are catered for, there’s no doubt that you’re at the leather helm of a driver’s car, with a variety of driving options and settings to enthrall.

As good as the ‘Teutonic Three’? Oh yes!

Sports seats and aluminium pedals do much to enforce this. Very many tactile surface add to the sense that you’re piloting something very special indeed, and there are plenty of visual treats as well such as that copious multimedia display with full connectivity, heated seats, paddles to command the dual-clutch transmission, climate control and more.

It is practically inviting me to rev it up, thumb it into gear and steer it onto the mountain roads. To which I say, sure.

Handling with care

Point it at your favourite length of asphalt and it immediately rewards with a pin-sharp steering and a refined ride quality. It’s a finely-balanced sporty coupe-saloon, four wheel-driven for handling dynamics that will keep you engaged and entertained from the moment you pick up the keys till the moment you put them down again.

It’s the kind of car you’ll stare at long after you’ve parked it. And then some. And yet, this is not where it shines.

Living with it

Is easy. This is what this car is all about if I’m honest. It reopens that old debate about a one-car-garage. This is that – a miracle whip that ticks the button marked ‘performance’ very quickly, then moves on to everything else with just as much conviction.

It’s supremely comfortable, achingly attractive, comes with all the technology you could hope for and that naturally includes all the connectivity you could chuck a smartphone at.

Okay, let’s wrap this up

Now, I’m not going to pretend that R699,000 is cheap, but for an executive saloon that can challenge the (far pricier) Teutonic Three (I’m looking at you BMW 3 Series, Audi A4 and Mercedes-Benz C-Class) with ease, it’s more than justifiable. And I know that I really should be comparing it to its more direct rivals (the A5 and so on) and it does well there too, but my point is, while the boxy Passat struggled to get noticed in this crowd, the crowd-pleasing Arteon won’t.

In fact, don’t even look at it as a bargain, the price doesn’t even factor into my verdict. This is just one fine automobile and I’m struggling hard to fault it. In fact I could drive this thing every day. Except they’ve taken it back.

Volkswagen Arteon 2.0TSI 4Motion R-Line Specs: