VAG’s “flagship” model is a clever, attractive saloon with a real cracker under the bonnet. Charlie Flindt finds little to moan about
THE fact that Volkswagen is calling the new Arteon its “flagship” is interesting, not least because it’s a million miles away from VW’s previous standard bearer, the not-much loved Phaeton. The latter was a four-door saloon that looked like a muscled-up Passat, was hugely sophisticated (aka complicated) and quietly slipped off the price lists a couple of years ago. It’s now one of the best second-hand bargains out there.
The Arteon, far from being a bland saloon, is (and I love quoting press releases) an “avant-garde gran turismo with svelte fastback styling”. Run that line through the bullshit filter and it comes out as, “a low and wide four-door saloon with a long, sloping hatchback”.
It looks better in the metal than it does on the press release, with the multiple lights cleverly incorporated into the horizontal lines of the front grille.
This story is from the March 2018 edition of The Field.
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This story is from the March 2018 edition of The Field.
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