Volkswagen Arteon is Revealed

Volkswagen has been mak- ing a big push to reinvent itself in the past year with new models or concepts arriving at Los Angeles， CES， Detroit， and Chicago. At Geneva， the automaker is set to debut the Volkswagen Arteon， the premium midsize sedan that will slot above the current Passat. The new model is the replacement for the handsome but aging CC fastback.

Volkswagens first teaser gave few details and just a couple of closely cropped photos， but we still make out a few new details. The Arteons LED headlights now flow into the chrome on the grille， similar to how the red pinstripe on the Volkswagen GTI carries through the lights. The entire front fascia follows the new design language set by the Volkswagen Atlas， with small VW badge and horizontal black and chrome bars across the width of the car.

Arteon 2017

Volkswagen Arteon is revealed with autonomous driving functions and host of safety features.

The car initially made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show 2017 in March.

Technically the new Arteon replaces the CC four-door coupe in VWs lineup， but it takes a noticeable step up in size and prestige. It offers the style and charisma of an Audi A7 or BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe but with pricing that will undercut the newly introduced Audi A5 Sportback hatch.

Based on the 2015 Geneva-show star Sport Coupe Concept GTE， the Arteon production car ditches the concepts electrification and arrives on the MQB platform with an overall length that is 2.0 inches longer than the CC on a wheelbase that stretches about 5 inches longer.

Indeed， the 191.1-inch length falls almost halfway between that of Audis A5 and A7 hatches. The dimensions pay big dividends in rear-seat space， proportion， and stance. Style-wise， the Arteon is also revising the face of the brand with a more horizontal look that merges the grille bars with the headlamp LED graphics. In the back， theres a nod to Audi in the dynamic sequential amber turn-signal bars. Itll be the first VW to get this Audi hand-me-down.

Inside， the horizontal theme continues with a narrow band of genuine wood wrapping around the interior. A 9.2-inch touchscreen incorporates elementary gesture recognition， where an approaching hand expands the bottom row of control icons to better describe each buttons function. A virtual cockpit–style instrument cluster like youd find in a modern Audi or Airbus provides lots of customization options.

Emergency Assist 2.0

One of the most interesting features on the new car is a driver assistance systems which includes an autonomous function that could potentially save your life.

Emergency Assist 2.0 combines four different driver assistance systems to prevent an accident in a ‘worst case scenario.

If a drivers for example blacks out at the wheel， the sensors of the Emer- gency Assist system kick in and take over， where it will warn other road users and automatically steer to the nearside lane and stop.

To make the system work it com-bines Adaptive Crusie Control， Side Assists， Lane Assist and Park Assist.

These systems can all also be used separately and will be available alongside Predictive cornering lights with predictive control， Proactive occupant protection system and Sign Assist.

Premium Class Model

Volkswagen Arteon is a premium class model in the VW range that sits above the VW Passat.

It shares the same platform， engines， chassis and interior as the Passat but has more dynamic styling and power.

The five-door gran turismo is however bigger than its younger sibling sitting at 862mm in length， 1871mm in width and 1427mm in height.

Volkswagen says that Arteon com- bines the design elements of a sports car and elegance and space of a fastback.

Its standard LED headlights merge with the radiator grille and narrowed bonnet， reminiscent of a sports car， to form a compact and muscular frontend.

Klaus Bischoff， Volkswagen Head of Design， “The Arteon combines the design elements of a classic sports car with the elegance and space of a fastback. An avant-garde business-class gran turismo， it speaks to the heart and the head alike.”

Given its fastback proportions， it has relatively good practicality too， and its flexible luggage compartment has a volume of 563 expandable to 1，557 litres when the seats are folded.

Prices Starting at ￡30，000

There are six turbocharged engines（TSI und TDI） available on the Arteon when it goes on sale offering a power output range from 110 kW/150 PS to 1206 kW/280 PS.

The range-topping TSI and TDI engines come with a dual clutch gearbox（DSG） and all-wheel drive （4MOTION） as standard

A planned petrol-electric hybrid is due to go on sale later in 2017， which is likely to be based on the Passat GTE variant， and an option worth considering when purchasing due to the lower tax.

Arteon is also available as both a front-wheel or all-wheel drive， with the latter likely costing a little bit more.

Inside the car， there is a range of tech on offer， to enhance the driving experience.

Optional digital instruments including the dynamic Active Info Display（AID）， a driver head-up display and 9.2-inch infotainment system with gesture control （Discover Pro） can all be customised.

The AID provides digital information directly into the drivers cockpit， for example the reversing camera， speed， rev counter or navigation.

There are two trim options to personalise the Arteon - the ”Elegance”and “R-Line.” The Elegance focuses on luxury and comfort whilst the R-Line is the sportier option.

Prices for the Arteon are expected to be in the region of ￡30，000 when it goes on sale in the UK later this year.

In Germany， range topping variants are already on sale - the 276bhp 2.0-litre TSI Arteon is priced at the equivalent of ￡43，000.

Its a lot of sporty-looking car for a 2.0-liter turbo to tug around. With four adults onboard， the performance didnt quite deliver on the baller looks. Frank Welsch， VWs board member responsible for car development， noted that improving the launch feel of the automatic was among the assignments his team was taking home from this sign-off drive. But even with a harder launch， the overall acceleration left us longing for V-6 oomph to justify the price premium VW is likely to ask relative to a Passat V-6. Any VR6 in the portfolio would fit， and those include a 2.5-liter single-turbo（rated at 300 hp but tunable to between 350 and 380） going on sale in China， a 3.0-liter unit that could do up to 400 hp， and a widely rumored 500-hp 3.0-liter twin-turbo.