The four-door Volkswagen Arteon coupe has gained a sexy Shooting Brake sibling and a range-topping R model for 2021.
The updated Arteon will arrive in Australia early in 2021 “in familiar form”, meaning a high-spec four-door coupe is locked in. Previously, the only Arteon available was a 206TSI R-Line.
A Volkswagen Australia spokesperson said the company is “open to other variants depending on availability”.
Big news for 2021 is the addition of an Arteon R. Power comes from a 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine making 235kW and 420Nm, put to all four wheels through an all-wheel drive system. The claimed 100km/h sprint is around five seconds.
Volkswagen’s all-wheel drive system is coupled with something called R-Performance Torque Vectoring, capable of varying not only the amount of power sent to each axle, but also to which individual wheel it’s sent.
The R rides 20mm lower than the standard Arteon, and rides on 20-inch wheels as standard. It also packs adaptive dampers, and a more aggressive body kit than the regular car, with four chunky exhaust pipes.
Changes to the four-door coupe Arteon are subtle for 2021. The bumper detailing have been brought into line with the wider Volkswagen range, as have the details in the taillights. There are new wheel options, but otherwise it’s a subtle refresh.
As for the Shooting Brake, it deviates from the four-door coupe from the b-pillar back. It looks long and low, thanks to the sloping roof line and pinched glasshouse, and features a subtle roof spoiler.
Boot space is marginally improved compared to the four-door coupe. With the rear seats in place it has 565L, up two litres on the fastback, while folding them frees up 1632L, an improvement of 75L.
Volkswagen also claims there’s more headroom in the Shooting Brake, both front and rear.
Inside, the Arteon has followed in the footsteps of the Mk8 Golf with touch-based controls for the climate controls. It has also gained wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a revised design for the dashboard.
A new Travel Assist adaptive cruise control system capable of braking, accelerating, and maintaining the car’s position in its lane between standstill and 210km/h. It will also respond to speed signs, and adjust based on corners and upcoming junctions or roundabouts.
Europe will be offered a new plug-in eHybrid, however Volkswagen hasn’t confirmed its pure-electric range.
It’s unlikely to come to Australia, with Volkswagen instead focusing on pure-electric ID models to roll out electrification Down Under.
