Audi might have a reputation for producing some of the most advanced cars on the road today, but it’s coming under increasing competition from Mercedes, BMW and now its Volkswagen sibling. Announced earlier this year at the Geneva Motor Show, the Volkswagen Arteon features a range of cutting-edge tech that means it’s going to be the best VW yet. To find out exactly how good it’s going to be, how much it’ll cost and what it can do, keep reading.
Release date and styling
Although it was announced at the Geneva Motor Show fairly recently, the new Arteon is going to be in the UK very soon – by this autumn, in fact. When it does arrive, it will look unlike any VWs on the road today, and that’s because it’s introducing Volkswagen’s new, edgier design language.
A quick look around the Arteon reveals it to be a sharper, more aggressive car than the Passat it sits above, and LED rear lights and bold day-running lights make it look far more modern. While it’s not as stylish as something like the BMW 5 Series or the Audi range, it’s certainly an improvement over the Passat.
Interior
For the past few years, Audi has made the best interiors out of any VW Group brand, but it seems as though VW is finally catching up. Just like most Audis nowadays, the Arteon’s interior is stylish but also devastatingly simple, and even includes a single long air vent across the dashboard – just like the latest A5.
The in-car tech will be impressive, too. Volkswagen’s Active Info Display – similar to Audi’s Virtual Cockpit tech – is present, and there’ll also be a range of infotainment packages on offer. According to Volkswagen, the Arteon will be available with a standard 6.5in display all the way to a 9.2in Discover Pro setup with gesture control, so there’ll be a range of packages to suit different users.
Driving Assistance
The Arteon is being released in a few months’ time, but Volkswagen has been keen to show off some of its new car’s driverless functions. So far, we know that the Arteon will have adaptive cruise control, and that’s great, because it’s one of the most useful features on a car today. The ability to set your speed and forget about everything else is extremely useful for modern driving, especially if you have to use congested motorways such as the M25.
In addition to making your life easier, the Arteon also uses its autonomous tech for safety. Emergency Assist 2 can work out when drivers are unwell and will take control of the car instead.
Using all the features of the Arteon such as Adaptive Cruise Control, Lane Assistance and Parking Assistance, this feature monitors input from the driver at all times, and then autonomously takes the car to safety in a crisis – but only as a last resort. Before taking the wheel for itself, the Arteon will use stimuli such as braking, visual signals and sounds to wake up the driver – and only after that it will go driverless.
The Arteon lights have a neat trick, too. By using GPS and road data, the Arteon’s new dynamic cornering lights can sense bends before you turn into them, lighting them up before you approach them. Not only is that pretty cool, but it’s also an important safety feature.
Price and engines
According to Auto Express, the new Arteon will use a 1.5-litre TSI petrol engine with cylinder capable of 276bhp and prices should start at around £30,000.
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