Well then, do it. Where the Passat is simply the philistine car, VW allows itself a little cockiness with the Arteon. Previously this only applied to the appearance as a coupé sedan or shooting brake, now R GmbH is also adding to the drive.
At VW, frequent drivers and kilometer eaters are now experiencing their blue wonder. Because this spring the Arteon will also be available as an R model: ideally painted in the deep dark blue of R GmbH, the sedan and Shooting Brake then drive up with the most powerful version of the 2,0 liter TSI engine that the group has to offer has, and then with at least 320 hp will become the hero of every traveling salesman. After all, that's 40 hp more than the previous top model.
Rear-wheel drive possible up to halfway
And it's not just about engine tuning. For the currently most seductive VW in the car range and the flagship of the now quite active R GmbH, there is not only the usual sports badge from the design, but also a tighter set-up for the adaptive chassis, a differential lock for the front axle and a new transfer case on the rear axle . This not only shovels up to 100 percent to the front or a maximum of 50 percent of the drive power to the rear axle. In the rear, up to 100 percent of the torque arriving there can also be directed to the outer wheel, which is why the Arteon is even better at scraping corners.
“The all-wheel drive on the one hand, then the electronic differential lock on the front axle, the torque vectoring - these are all things that give the Arteon R stability. If you drive fast highway curves, you can drive them very precisely. The car doesn't move. And if you then need traction out of the curve, the power on the rear axle is always directed to where it is really needed, ”says PS veteran and works driver Hans-Joachim Stuck, praising the new top model and calling it“ a car for all situations - regardless of whether you want to be sporty now, whether you have to drive long distances or whether you have family with you. "
Lightning fast at the push of a button
Above all, however, the Arteon R is one of the few VWs that wants to be a real driver's car. Especially when you press the blue illuminated R button in the steering wheel and it switches to attack in the sharpest driving profile. As if the clerk were determined to tear his tie off his neck, open the top button on the collar and storm out of the building society's office furiously, the Arteon chases across the country road as if someone had called “Nordschleife”. And it only takes two or three curves to learn that even a philistine and nerd can go overboard. It's good that the new seats then offer enough lateral support and the assistants of common sense come to the rescue. Because no matter how passionate the Arteon is suddenly, the traffic sign recognition cannot be bribed.
Although the engine lacks two cylinders on earlier R models, 420 Nm and the robust sound of the sports exhaust are a nice consolation - and there is nothing wrong with the performance. Accompanied by a greedy growl, the four-cylinder known from the Golf R pushes hard, the standard all-wheel drive guarantees the necessary traction and 4,9 seconds for the sprint to 100 testify to a vigor that one would hardly expect of the somewhat daring variant of the Wolfsburg Biedermann would have. And it's not a flash in the pan that blazes under the bow. Fed by the air that is sucked in through huge nostrils, it burns so long and brightly that even 250 things are not the end. At 200 in the left lane, the Arteon gets a second wind and whoever ticks the right cross on the order can outrun the competition and the rest of the VW fleet at up to 270 km / h. This means that the Arteon R is in a league in which the AMG and M models are usually at home.
"Invigorating"
However, he clearly feels uncomfortable in this company. Because the nerdy finds it difficult to get out of his skin with all the fun, he lacks a pinch of provocation - the design modifications are too good, the sound is too subtle and the appearance is too modest for him to really wear his pants.
This does not detract from the invigorating effect of the R-model. Because neither the well-behaved Passat nor the somewhat more daring Arteon have so far raised blood pressure so much. Unfortunately, it starts before you even start driving - when you look at the prices: At 63.095 euros for the Fastback and 63.980 euros for the Shooting Brake, many a VW customer should get pretty hot under their shirt.
Technical data
Four-door, five-seat coupe; Length: 4,87 meters, width: 1,87 meters, height: 1,46 meters, wheelbase: 2,85 meters, trunk volume: 563 - 1.557 liters
Four-door, five-seat station wagon; Length: 4,87 meters, width: 1,87 meters, height: 1,46 meters, wheelbase: 2,85 meters, trunk volume: 565 - 1.632 liters
2,0-liter four-cylinder turbo; 235 kW / 320 PS, maximum torque: 420 Nm at 2.000 - 5.350 rpm, all-wheel drive, seven-speed double clutch, 0-100 km / h: 4,9 s, Vmax: 270 km / h, standard consumption: 7,7 liters / 100 kilometers, CO2 emissions: 176 g / km, emissions standard: Euro 6d, efficiency class: C.
Price: from 63.095 euros (Coupé), 63.980 euros (Shooting Brake)
In brief
Why: because philistines want to have a little fun too
Why not: because he's too good to show off
What else: the GSI variant of the Opel Insignia or, better still, the Kia Stinger
When does he come: rinse