Is Volkswagen on the wrong track with the idea of a luxury sedan? No, we think everybody else may be.
What you need to know: If you call Namibia your home and are interested in this car, you live on the wrong continent. Large Volkswagen sedans never do well in southern Africa because everyone just buys Audis, Bee-Emms and Mercs. And the tragic irony is that almost every large Volksie saloon I’ve driven was better.
Perhaps not better in brand status or performance (bar the CC V6) but always better equipped, better value, and easier to retrieve in a crowded parking lot. Be it Passat, CC or this Arteon, they all matched the others for ride, space and comfort; often trumping them in build quality. I can only imagine how amazing the Phaeton must have been…
More facts: The first thing to strike me like a wooden plank is that the Arteon is actually a lift-back (or fast-back) so the whole boot lid and rear window lever skywards. This means you can simply chuck bulky cargo like a mountain bike, pram or yoga ball into the back without more effort than flattening the 2/3-split rear seat-backs.
Straight after that I gawked and mouth-breathed my way around this golden press car because – my word – this is a striking automobile. There’s so much exquisite detail to drink in but my firm favourites are the “naked” front headlights, swooping LED lights and chrome bars, the many panel creases, plus those gigantic turbine wheels.
Where we went: My tenure behind the wheel included a leisurely trip into the city and its southern suburbs, flanked by relaxed drives on the highway. Its low-profile tyres produce the usual low-speed stiffness one may expect but Arteon handles everything else with aplomb. Except in Sport/Dynamic mode, where its ride feels wooden.
Watch out for: While we got plenty of clandestine and unashamed looks, some observers just had to give their two cents about this colour and its relation to baby diarrhoea. Although the Arteon doesn’t look bad in white or silver, I would recommend the combination of its avant-garde looks with a striking colour like this.
The sporty R-Line goodies you see on this vehicle come standard with this N$650,000 TDi DSG model or you may opt for a non-R-Line TDi DSG at 600k. For those wanting all-wheel-drive, there’s a dearer TSi 4Motion Arteon at N$700,000. That isn’t exactly affordable so it’s with a very heavy heart that I predict the following…
Why you’ll want one: Only hard-core VW fans and those close to the company will buy one. Every now and then someone may have a seat and marvel at the digital dials or amazing infotainment system but when it comes to signing on the dotted line, it will probably have a three-pointed star or blue propeller in close proximity.
FULL SPECLIST
Engine: | 2L i-4 turbo-diesel |
Transmission: | 6-speed DCT, FWD |
Max. Power: | 130kW |
Max. Torque: | 350Nm |
Avg cons.: | Approx. 8L/100km (claimed 5.6) |
0-100km/h: | 8.40 (claimed 8.7) |
Top Speed: | Claimed 220km/h |
List Price: | R649,900 |
Performance:
0-10km/h: 0,44 seconds
0-20km/h: 1,04 seconds
0-30km/h: 1,75 seconds
0-40km/h: 2,38 seconds
0-50km/h: 3,02 seconds
0-60km/h: 3,81 seconds
0-70km/h: 4,81 seconds
0-80km/h: 5,90 seconds
0-90km/h: 7,04 seconds
0-100km/h: 8,40 seconds
0-110km/h: 10,05 seconds
0-120km/h: 11,81 seconds
0-130km/h: 13,67 seconds
0-140km/h: 15,82 seconds
0-150km/h: 18,52 seconds
0-160km/h: 21,67 seconds
0-100m: 6,96 seconds @ 89,31km/h
0-200m: 10,49 seconds @ 112,61km/h
0-300m: 13,47 seconds @ 129,01km/h
0-400m: 16,13 seconds @ 141,37km/h
100-0km/h: 2,85 seconds @ 37,40 metres (once-off)
Maximum deceleration G-force: 1,11G
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0-10mph: 0,81 seconds
0-20mph: 1,88 seconds
0-30mph: 2,89 seconds
0-40mph: 4,25 seconds
0-50mph: 5,95 seconds
0-60mph: 7,88 seconds
0-70mph: 10,50 seconds
0-80mph: 13,43 seconds
0-90mph: 17,03 seconds
0-100mph: 21,99 seconds
1/4 mile: 16,19 seconds @ 87,99 mph
Maximum acceleration G-force: 0,56G
Altitude: 60m
All data captured by Racelogic® Performance Box
interesting