The new face(lift) of Volkswagen’s Arteon

Volkswagen’s fastback-styled cars have always offered a perfect blend of style and substance. A practical four-door sedan that ferries passengers and baggage, but sets itself apart in the looks department. This new facelifted Volkswagen Arteon continues that trend with its sleek, low-slung proportions and frameless windows.

On the literal face of things, the Arteon receives a new bumper and grille in both its Elegance and R-Line trim. It gets thicker strips of chrome on the lower half of the grille and new air intakes on either side of the bumper.

The Arteon R-Line now receives a full-width light bar spanning the front fascia, as one would find on the Mk8 Golf. The R-Line also gets a few extra lashings of gloss black to further accentuate the car’s sportier credentials.

Round the back, both cars get redesigned tail lamps and the R-Line also has a new rear bumper that houses faux quad tailpipes. The Elegance variant receives 19-inch alloys while the R-Line gets 20s with lower profile tyres.

But it’s on the interior that the changes are more apparent. The dashboard layout remains similar to the pre-facelift car, albeit with a touch of modernity and minimalism that raises the “posh” factor of the Arteon.

The steering wheel has been updated, with a reshaped airbag cover that sports Volkswagen’s newer logo. The R-Line car gets haptic touchpads for the multi-function controls, similar to the ones we’ve seen in the Mk8 Golf R-Line and the Golf GTI, while the Elegance trim uses physical buttons. In both cars, drivers can choose from 30 different ambient light colours to suit their individual tastes.

The Elegance trim gets an 8-inch infotainment green that supports wired smartphone connectivity, while the R-Line gets a larger 9.2-inch screen that supports wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The air conditioning controls are now touch-sensitive as well.

Under the hood of both cars is a 2.0-litre four-pot that produces 190 horsepower and 320Nm of torque. Like before, the 2.0L block is mated to a 7-speed DSG that allows the car to get from 0-100km/h in 7.9 seconds. The Arteon R-Line also gets Volkswagen’s DCC adaptive chassis control, which allows drivers to select between increased levels of comfort or improved driving dynamics.

Prices for the Volkswagen Arteon begin at S$229,900 for the Elegance and S$241,900 for the R-Line. Though these prices (as of 16th September 2022) are inclusive of a S$3,000 launch discount that will only be available until the 21st of September 2022. So you better hustle if you want that promotion.

PHOTOS Volkswagen Singapore