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4
Handling
5
Performance
Usability
Feelgood factor
Readers' rating
3.5
By Georg Kacher
First Drives
09 September 2008 09:50
The new Artega GT is a Porsche Cayman S rival at 911 money from a brand new German manufacturer. Delusions of grandeur? Perhaps not, because the chief advisor to the project is Karlheinz Kalbfell, an ex-BMW man who helped launch Mini and Rolls-Royce under German ownership, before moving onto Alfa and Maserati. And the VW Group supplies the engine and transmission – the last car luckily enough to get such a privilege was the KTM X-Bow, and that turned out to be rather good. Has VW backed another winner?
In Germany the 296bhp Artega starts at just under €75k (c.£60k), €15k (£12k) more than the a 295bhp Cayman S. But once you cast your eyes over the spec sheet it’s not too bad – the GT comes with bi-xenon headlights, proper bucket seats, sat-nav, 19-inch wheels and a twin-clutch gearbox. Spec a Cayman S to that level and the Artega is only ten percent more expensive, and it might just summon up more emotion than the comparatively common Porsche.
Our lime green test car looks stunning. It might be a shorter than a Ford Focus, but it’s nearly as wide and as low as a Lamborghini Gallardo. Add in the labels that the fashonista love – Brembo, Michelin, Eibach, Bilstein – and you’ve got pretty decent ingredients for a sports car.
Click 'Next' below to read our driving impressions of the Artega GTFor our full drive of the new Artega GT, buy the latest October 2008 issue of CAR Magazine. Click here for a digital preview
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ga41 says
RE: Artega GT (2008) CAR review
Thanks for posting your impressions Lexi999R!
29 August 2011 09:14
Lexi999R says
I test drove one of these at Artega's HQ in Delbruck last week, what a car! The light weight construction of the car really shined through, 296 BHP seems plenty with acceleration being delivered violently in sport mode. The DSG box was sublime (typical VAG), the cabin fresh and comfortable and the build quality was clearly evident with a wide variety of entertaining drivers controls available to play with. By way of criticisim I thought the steering a little vague but when you look at the whole package this is a true supercar with reasonable running costs and as such the Artega GT is a beautiful, rare alternative to anything made by Porsche. I want one.
29 August 2011 09:10
Vilagos says
Mr. Kacher makes no mention of air bags, other safety passive equipment or crash test rating for the Artega GT. Is Artega considered a manufacturer by TüV in Germany, or is it built under some kind of single vehicle type approval? All well and good to claim you aren't a kit car, but if you haven't jumped all the hurdles the big boys have to, then it's just hot air.
15 September 2008 18:21
jl123 says
All the GARBAGE that has been fed to us by the CAR media and the major manufacturers that support the media; that Porsche and Ferrari spent millions upon millions of man-hours developing their cars to hone them in a way nothing but geniuses with massive experience can, is total BS! Plenty of people and companies can make great cars and give us customers plenty more choice than the same same same...
10 September 2008 23:34
PT100 says
The specifications sound interesting. Just hope they do not forget to have the proper back up (eg servicing, parts, etc) in place when sales begin. That is almost always the bug bear of limited or small scale production models. Hence, many prefer to continue to buy from known producers.
09 September 2008 17:22
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