Due in October: Volkswagen's Golf R-engined Arteon GT beauty
VOLKSWAGEN has just got a whole heap sexier.
This is the Arteon five-door fastback - the brand's new passenger car flagship - and it's coming to Australia this October.
More upmarket than the Volkswagen CC it replaces (a model no longer for sale in Australia), the sleek Arteon is based on the Passat four-door sedan but with a 50mm longer wheelbase thanks to the versatility of the Volkswagen Group's MQB platform.
See it therefore as a posh Volkswagen, but a cut price alternative to premium sister brand Audi's new A5 Sportback.
It's quick too. Featuring VW's 206kW/350Nm 2.0-litre turbo petrol four-cylinder (as found in the VW Golf R hot hatch) the Arteon gran turismo will hit 100kmh in just 5.6-seconds.
The attractive yet practical five-door Audi version starts from $70,000 before on-roads, but VW Australia has yet to reveal a price for the Arteon.
With the top-spec Passat sedan in 206TSI R-Line trim costing $57,990 before on-roads, we can expect the graceful all-wheel-drive Arteon - which will be available in Australia in single 206TSI R-Line guise - to be priced in the $60k+ region.
Volkswagen Australia says it will reveal pricing closer to the car's on sale date.
VW is targeting the premium segment with this high-spec-only Arteon, suggesting that its standard inclusions would be "expensive optional bundles" in prestige brands.
"Democratising German technology is the key to fulfilling our target of being the Premium for the People brand," said Volkswagen Australia's General Manager of Marketing and Product Ben Wilks.
The specification list does look exhaustive, and the only options for the Arteon will be metallic or pearl effect paint, panoramic glass sunroof, premium sound system and 20-inch alloys (as seen in the pictures).
Cherry picking some delights from the inclusions, buyers will score a seven-speed DSG gearbox, 4MOTION all-wheel-drive, Nappa leather seating (heated front and rear), head-up display, tri-colour ambient interior lighting, 19-inch alloys, Active Info digital display, adaptive cruise control, adaptive chassis control, 9.2-inch infotainment system with gesture control and keyless entry and start.
Occupant protection is also excellent with a full suite of active safety kit and driver aids.
This liftback gran turismo is a welcome new halo model for Volkswagen, and priced correctly could easily ruffle some prestige feathers and give interesting competition to Kia's forthcoming 272kW Stinger liftback.
Exciting GT times indeed.
