- The high-performance Arteon R likely to put out 350bhp
- Arteon Shooting Brake nears production
The Volkswagen Arteon was introduced in 2018 as a stylish and upmarket sedan positioned above the Passat. Its intriguing styling and familiar powertrain didn’t help it set the sales charts on fire, yet the Arteon soldiered on as an understated German saloon. Now, Volkswagen is working on a souped-up Arteon R. Along with it, a Shooting Brake (station wagon) version is long overdue too. Both these prototypes were recently spotted together on the Nurburgring wearing scanty camouflage.
Contrary to earlier reports, the Arteon R will be powered by the same 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder from the Golf R which should be good enough for 350bhp of power sent to all four wheels via a seven-speed DCT automatic. However, we loved the idea of the 3.0-litre V6 under the hood of the R making 400+bhp, but that is most likely not happening.
Making the Arteon R stand out from its run-off-the-mill counterpart are the aggressive body kit including front splitters and side skirts, large low-profile wheels and sporty trapezoidal exhaust at the back. We could also see a petite boot-lid spoiler to be a part of the package. The test prototype was pushing its limit at the German race track and was looking quite good while punishing those slim tyre walls pushing in to the corner.
Moving on to the Shooting Brake, the long-roof version of the Arteon has been rumoured a long time back. Now, we can finally see how good looking the Arteon Shooting Brake is with its sparse taping on the body. What catches attention is its flowing window line and sharp shoulder crease which meets the pretty handsome rear. Although the taillamps are taped, for now, we reckon it will carry the same design as seen on the sedan. And in addition to the standard model, the Shooting Brake is also expected to get the R treatment.
We expect the Arteon Shooting Brake to hit the showrooms later this year. Meanwhile, the Arteon R looks production-ready as well. It won’t come as a surprise if VW launches the Tiguan R and Arteon R together in the coming few months.
