Volkswagen Arteon

FIRST DRIVE Arteon takes the Passat formula andmoves it upmarket, but is it a step too far?

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WHAT makes a car premium? There’s an argument that the badge, the price, the technology or even the way it looks can define whether a car is premium or not. But as a rule of thumb, a mix of all four often contributes to how it’s branded.

Volkswagen is serious about upping its premium image to take on BMW and Audi, with bosses promising its cars will become more emotional and more interesting to look at in the not-too-distant future. VWs make a lot of sense to a lot of people, but very rarely does someone buy one because it makes them go weak at the knees.

The all-new Arteon is the brand’s first mid-size attempt at premium, and it gets off to a good start. It has all the right lines and curves in all the right places; its chiselled jaw and swooping roofline mean it looks unlike anything else in the current product range. To say it’s the most handsome model in VW’s line-up would be an understatement, and even up against the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupé and Audi A5 Sportback, the VW comes out on top.

It’s an indirect replacement for the CC, and while the styling similarities are clear, it’s actually based on the brilliantly engineered but visually lacking Passat. At 4,862mm long and 1,871mm wide, the Arteon is bigger than both its German rivals, while a 2,841mm wheelbase makes it more spacious for those inside, too. In fact, the Arteon is actually longer and wider than the Passat with which it shares so many parts.