The Volkswagen Arteon is one of those vehicles that, no matter how few we see on our roads, we want them to stay on it. Its elegant and avant-garde gran turismo silhouette won us over in 2017, when it was presented as the alternative to the Volkswagen Passat . With a sportier cut and a coupe roof, it came to compete against alternatives such as the Audi A5 Sportback . Three years later it is time to update, with slight aesthetic modifications and the introduction of the new Shooting Brake body to its range. There will also be a sports variant R, unprecedented in this model, and a plug-in hybrid version that signs 218 CV and that already mounts the Passat.
The aesthetic changes are not remarkable so we will have to make an effort to differentiate them. The grille has one less slat, so that they both coincide with the LED daytime running light lines of the headlamps. These headlights are still integrated into the grille, a harmonious and visually futuristic solution that did not need to be modified. R units have specific front and rear bumpers to accentuate their sporty character. What is really new is the Shooting Brake or family bodywork, a variant that does not exist to date. Its appearance does not imply a significant improvement in load capacity, so the choice, between one option or the other, will be aesthetic. The family model has a capacity of 565 liters compared to 563 for the fastback .
With the facelift, the initial equipment of the range improves, with a digitized interior from the access model. The central screen continues to maintain its location below the vents, but the air conditioning is now controlled by capacitive touch buttons. In the mechanical section, the plug-in hybrid mechanics presented in the Passa GTE and the 320 hp R version are introduced. Both are alternatives to the 2.0 gasoline engine of 190 and 280 hp or the 2.0 diesel engine of 150 and 200 hp. The blocks will be, obligatorily, linked to the automatic transmission and the all-wheel drive (if they exceed 200 hp). It will arrive during the second half of this chaotic 2020 of COVID-19 but we still have no information about its price or the electric autonomy of the eHybrid variant.
