MOVING THE
GOALPOSTS
Volkswagen can raise its expectations as it
cracks open the premium sedan market
BY JOHN PAIGE
Volkswagen’s range,
priced and sized, at the
premium end of the
sedan market is
evidence that new-car
purchases have nothing
to do with brand loyalty
or ‘staying in the
family’. If that were the
case, all the (many
thousands) existing
Polo and Golf owners
would trade their keys
for a Passat or CC.
Instead that slice of the
pie belongs to
Mercedes, BMW and
Audi with the CLA,
4-Series and A5
respectively with too
few believing that
mainstream VW has
the know-how to build
a credible challenger in
the luxo-sedan
market. Nobody sees
the point of a
fancier Jetta.
Yes VW doesn’t
know the meaning
of failure and don’t
want your platitudes sothey’re at it again,
pushing the stylistic
envelope a little further
to have its product
noticed; frameless
doors, taut lines, a wide
shallow grille and
thickly spoked alloys as
part of the R-Line
package drew an
outpouring of curious-
ness and attention
wherever it went from a
most diverse audience.
During its time with
Fitness Hers I kept
assuming its sporty
looks – like the BMW 4
Series and Audi A5 –
belonged to a coupe but
the relief thatArteon has the
practicality to match
the way it looks is part
of the car’s ingenious
packaging. A real
duality infused with its
character, in typical
VW fashion that never
loses sight of function-
ality.
With a powerful
2.0-litre 4-cylinder
turbocharged engine
and all-wheel drive
fitted to this R699 000
Arteon, VW has built a
suave, sophisticated
performance sedan
capable of covering vast
distances effortlessly.
Or autonomously, once
you enable the surfeit of
systems like adaptive
cruise control while
away the kilometres.
An equally well-
rounded take applies to
the interior which
happens to be extra
roomy. We were
constantly baffled by
how you can have somuch legroom and a
boot this big – it’s in
another league, pointing
towards a 5 Series or
E-Class. At this price
you can’t expect a lot in
the way of personalisa-
tion or uniqueness but it
sure fits the billing as
VW’s most expensive
sedan when you see the
list of standard stuff. I
like the hugging seats
and the way the
touchscreen gets
straight to the menu you
want. There’s enough
Audi in here from the
airvent design to the
adjustable info display.Anyone will tell you
how sparse an entry-
level 4 Series is – the
frustrations of buttons
that lead to dead ends
compared to the
Arteon’s sense of
completeness.
You’re also promised a
dose of exclusiveness an
irrepressible sense of
individuality, even
though very little about
the Arteon hasn’t
actually been used
elsewhere before in
VW’s catalogue But it’s
attractive and brilliant,
able to upset the status
quo if given the chance.PULSE MOTORING52 | M&F HERS | JUL/AUG 2019