► The Volkswagen CC lives on
► Rivals 4er GC, A5 Sportback
► First deliveries in late 2017
Remember the Passat CC – the coupaloon whose name dropped the first word mid-way through its product cycle? Well it’s time to forget it as we welcome the VW Arteon – a poshly styled four-door priced to sit above the Passat.
Built on the ubiquitous MQB architecture that underpins the Passat, Skoda Superb and many other popular models – meaning it’s got a transversely mounted motor under the bonnet – it’s a rival to the BMW 4-series Gran Coupe and Audi’s A5 Sportback.
What’s under the bonnet?
Upon launch the Arteon will come with petrol or diesel power, with all engines having four cylinders. Petrol power comes courtesy of either the 1.5 from the facelifted Golf (featuring cylinder deactivation tech) with 148bhp, and from 2.0-litre units with 188bhp or a range-topping 276bhp.
They’ve stopped short of launching the Arteon R for now though, despite the press material outrageously claiming the Arteon has ‘the pure sports car doctrine’. It’s based on a Passat, for goodness sake…
The diesels are all 2.0-litres, with 148bhp/188bhp/236bhp.
Both of the most powerful engines get a seven-speed DSG and all-wheel drive, while the former is an option on the other powerplants in place of the standard six-speed manual.
Will there be a VW Arteon GTE?
However, if you consider VW’s newly enforced enthusiasm for electrification and the modular nature of the underpinnings, it wouldn’t be a momentous stretch to expect a plug-in version could be along at some point in the model’s future.
Based on the same kit as the Passat GTE, perhaps; we’re told it’s technically possible, but our sources remain tight-lipped about the existence of such a project.
And it’s no secret this car’s based on the plug-in hybrid Sport Coupé Concept GTE we saw at Geneva 2015…
Is the 2017 Volkswagen Arteon well-equipped?
Built in the firm’s Emden plant in Germany, you’ll be limited to two trims: Elegance (silver car) and R-Line (yellow car).
It doesn’t require a huge leap of imagination to work out that the former is the luxury version and the latter a sportier offering. There isn’t a lot of difference though – it’s mainly cosmetic exterior stuff.
Buyers will spec up their car with leather, a glass roof, infotainment. It’s the usual story. Wheels can be anything up to 20 inches in diameter, if huge hoops float your boat.
Driver assistance tech
Alongside that there’s a suite of driver-assistance tech, including headlights that use GPS to predict an impending bend and illuminate it before you turn in. The cruise control will automatically adjust your speed based on traffic sign recognition and sat-nav route data.
It’ll even slow you down and pull into the slow lane autonomously if it detects the driver has fallen ill. The rise of the machines continues unabated.
In more conventional news, VW promises genuine space for four adults and a usefully capacious boot.
Order books will open in third quarter of this year, with first deliveries occurring before the end of the 2017.
Click here for CAR magazine’s A-Z of Geneva 2017