What is Volkswagen of America’s halo product? Most of you would probably say the Golf R or maybe the Atlas. Those of you would be wrong because until now, Volkswagen considered its halo car to be a vehicle you probably forgot was still around, if you remembered it at all. The Volkswagen Arteon tried to represent the best sedan Volkswagen could make, but few people bought them and now they’re dead. That would be bad enough but reportedly, the Arteon is dying a year sooner than it was supposed to. It’s a shame because it might have been the coolest modern Volkswagen nobody bothered to buy.
Technically, this news is coming in pretty late. It was first reported by Carscoops and confirmed by Volkswagen of America on December 8th, but nobody else noticed the Arteon’s departure until now. Perhaps that’s just another example of how little staying power the Arteon had. Volkswagen’s halo car died quietly without fanfare, not even from the media. If you aren’t feeling the gut punch yet, maybe you should know that Volkswagen of America originally slated for the Arteon to depart at the end of this year, so Volkswagen sped up the funeral procession.
Now that the show is over for the Arteon, here’s what so many car buyers missed out on and why you might consider one of these on the used market.
Volkswagen Fastbacks
Officially, the Volkswagen Arteon’s roots trace back to the Passat CC, later condensed to just CC. However, classic VW nut Jason Torchinsky would argue that the foundations for the Arteon were laid decades ago when Volkswagen built the Type 4 fastback in 1968.
Let’s talk about the Type 4 for a moment. Volkswagen says that by 1968, the Beetle had been selling millions of copies each year, making the VW brand a household name around the world. The brand was evolving its lineup, too, and it had decided to take the Beetle platform and morph it into a larger vehicle better suited to serve families.
In September of that year, the 411 hit the road, introducing a number of firsts for the brand. The Type 4 marked the first time Volkswagen created a sedan. It was also Volkswagen’s first unibody car and the first Volkswagen to use MacPherson struts and coils up front. And like the cars that would come after it, the Type 4 was advertised as an upscale experience for the whole family with features like draft-free air circulation, thermostat-controlled heat, six-way adjustable front seats, and crumple zones. VW even compared the Type 4’s suspension to the Porsche 911, but to highlight stability.
The Type 4 passed the torch to cars like the Dasher/Passat, another vehicle marking more firsts for Volkswagen, including water-cooling, front-wheel-drive, and styling from ItalDesign’s Giorgetto Giugiaro. As Jason once remarked, the Passat was also an important point in VW’s history because it’s the point when Volkswagen’s acquisition of Auto Union tech saw the light of day.
Sadly, the Passat dropped a fastback option at the 1988 launch of the B3. It would then march on for about two decades before the fastback style finally made a return to the Passat.
As MotorTrend reported in 2008, the Volkswagen Passat CC’s design team, led by Oliver Stefan, noticed that the Passat had a wagon and a sedan, but not a more “emotional” variant. To make the CC a lavish sensation for your eyes, Stefan and his team decided to carve a curvaceous coupe-inspired body out of the Passat. Sure, the vehicle’s windows got squished, as did room for rear passengers, but Volkswagen produced a shape that suddenly made most other vehicles in the Volkswagen lineup look comparatively frumpy.
It also wasn’t enough that designers just made a sleeker Passat, Volkswagen also took the rest of the vehicle upmarket, making a sedan halo car. During the CC’s worldwide release in 2008, Volkswagen claimed it was the world’s first car in its class to have an active lane keep assist system as well as the “Dynamic Drive Control,” which offered different suspension and steering adjustments. This was a car loaded down with tech from automatic distance control, automatic braking, and a parking assist.
Volkswagen capped the CC off with its own upscale interior, frameless windows, and ventilated seats, a feature that Volkswagen noted was last featured on the Phaeton super sedan. Automotive media was sort of obsessed with the CC. It wasn’t the perfect sedan, but it sure looked good. The CC was powerful, too, offering a 2.0-liter 200 HP turbo four as the base engine in America and the 3.6-liter VR6 with 280 HP as the top engine. You could even have your luxury paired with a manual transmission.
Sales of the CC were healthy at first and the car got a facelift with more tech, but that didn’t stop deliveries from sliding under 10,000 units by 2014. By 2016, sales were an abysmal 3,237 units. Volkswagen already had what it thought was the answer. In 2015, the Volkswagen Sport Coupe Concept GTE made the show circuit, showing off an even sexier future for the CC. This became the Arteon in 2016 before hitting the road in Europe in 2017 and America a year later.
Leveling Up
Officially, the Arteon is the CC’s spiritual successor. However, the Arteon went even further than the CC. The Arteon is low, wide, and goes even further upmarket than the CC did. When the Arteon made its debut at the 2018 Chicago Auto Show, Volkswagen of America called the vehicle its halo car.
Part of what made the Arteon so amazing is just how different it looked from anything else in the Volkswagen lineup. The Arteon made just about everything else, except maybe for the GTI, instantly look ten years older. Or, was the Arteon coming in from ten years into the future? Senior exterior designer Tobias Sühlmann penned lines for an elegant, graceful vehicle that could just as easily wear a more prestige badge. Some of the visual feast is due to the lengthened wheelbase. The MQB platform-based Arteon has a 111.9-inch wheelbase compared to the CC’s 106.7 inches. The Arteon looked lower, leaner, and ready to glide down any of America’s autobahns.
There are not many mainstream cars that make me practically crack my neck trying to take a look, but the Arteon, much like the Phaeton of old, does. As Jason perfectly captured in his review at the old site, there is not an angle of the Arteon that is bad to look at. The attention to detail is also phenomenal.
Sadly, I never got to drive an Arteon before its death, but Jason did:
I’ve seen other reviews of the Arteon that suggest that its driving dynamics don’t quite match its looks, and that when compared to similar but more expensive cars from BMW, for example, it’s slower and less engaging. Now, that’s not necessarily wrong, but I think it also commits the very common automotive-journalist sin of ignoring the context of how these cars will most likely actually be driven.
Sure, I don’t think I’d pick the Arteon as my track car of choice, but this really isn’t something that’s likely to come up for, um, anyone who’s looking at an Arteon. This car is very clearly designed to be a fast, comfortable, roomy everyday and road trip car, not a canyon-carver. That said, I found it occasionally fun to drive. The turbocharged 2.0-liter inline four makes a respectable 268 HP and 258 lb-ft of torque, and at no point did the car feel slow to me.
I’m told it’ll go from stopped to 60 mph in about six seconds, which is plenty fast, and when I stomped on the throttle it made satisfying noises and pulled like a champ. Not neck-snapping or bladder-voiding, but if you’re not satisfied with how quick it is, you’re probably looking at the wrong kind of car.
Like the CC before it and the Type 4 decades ago, Volkswagen also made the Arteon’s interior a nicer place to be than the typical VW of the era. Volkswagen upped the tech in the Arteon, too, adorning the vehicle in LED lighting, filling the cockpit with screens, adding in Nappa leather, three-zone climate control, massaging seats, rear heated seats, and a long line of driver assists.
Sadly, the American-spec Arteon did lose a couple of the best goodies the CC offered. While the Arteon was offered with a manual transmission and later, a slick wagon, VW never bothered giving them to Americans. I know that for many of our readers, the lack of a manual alone sours the deal. But I do think Jason is right that the Arteon isn’t really supposed to be a killer sport sedan or a vehicle for enthusiasts, but a flashy car to cruise America in.
Despite all of this, the Arteon was seemingly a miss, even with non-enthusiasts. In the launch model year of 2019, Volkswagen moved 2,449 units. That increased to 3,998 units in 2020 before peaking at 5,537 in 2021. Then, sales fell off a cliff and just 1,178 Arteons found a new home in 2022. There was a sales rebound in 2023 if you can call it that, as 2,349 Arteons were sold.
The Halo Few Bought
Back in 2022, Volkswagen of America announced that the Arteon would die at the end of the 2024 model year. This was reportedly part of Volkswagen’s Accelerate Forward plan, an effort for Volkswagen to become a leaner, more profitable version of itself by shedding slow-selling models and focusing on the meat and potatoes everyone is buying. Given the Arteon’s position as one of the brand’s slowest sellers, killing it made sense. However, as confirmed back in December by Carscoops, Volkswagen decided to pull the plug a year early. In the letter obtained by Carscoops and confirmed by Volkswagen of America, the brand is letting the Arteon go and is looking forward to the release of the ID.7 to fill the hole of Volkswagen’s bigger sedan.
It’s not exactly known why the Arteon failed to launch with buyers but the price can be a clue. A 2019 Arteon started at $35,845, which was a pretty big leap over the $26,190 2019 Passat, another slow seller that somehow died first. A loaded Arteon also sailed past the $44,200 base price of the Audi A5 Sportback. Perhaps, just like with the Phaeton two decades ago, buyers weren’t ready to pay Audi money for a Volkswagen badge. Of course, there’s also the fact that sedans have been losing the battle against crossovers, and the Arteon is unapologetic about not being a crossover.
If you’re suddenly feeling the urge to buy a dead VW halo car, I have good news. Volkswagen is still selling new 2023 Arteons. Who knows how many are left, but time will eventually run out. As of now, the cheapest way into a new Arteon is the SE R-Line, which retails for $44,360 after destination charges. There’s also the SEL R-Line for $48,530 and the SEL Premium R-Line for $51,425.
Whatever the reason people didn’t pony up the cash for an Arteon, the Arteon will eventually join the Phaeton in the pages of rare Volkswagen sedan history. Perhaps, like me, you’ll be excited to see one in traffic, just to be saddened that it is gone. It’s a shame because it sounds like the Arteon was one of the coolest cars Americans didn’t buy.
(Images: VW)
I tried to buy one; it fit the bill for a highway cruiser. Back in October, I drove a top-spec SEL Premium R-Line and liked it. I gave them the price I’d pay, but the dealer was adamant on MSRP. They would not budge, so bye-bye.
I bought a CPO Volvo S60 that doesn’t have the hatchback but fits all my other needs; I own another Volvo and have a good relationship with that dealer.
The kicker happened around Christmas; I got an email from the VW dealer saying, “Please come buy the car for the price you offered us.” Sorry, it’s too late, folks. Nice car, iffy dealers; VW dealers have stayed the same since we owned our TDIs.
Similar thoughts, also went with an S60 Recharge
I bought a B5 Inscription, as I got a really good deal on it, and my other car is a C40.
I was behind one on the road two weeks ago and thought to myself oh yea this is a car that exists. I then wondered if they were still being made and figured I’d check when I got to work. I forgot all about that until just now. I didn’t hate it when it was announced but I kind of just forgot about it. The Arteon to me is basically the car equivalent of the Silence from Doctor Who.
Optioned up, this thing is priced firmly in AudiA4 territory.
VW could have taken it in a unique direction as either a 4-door Golf R, or market it with a pirate theme as the “Arrr-teon,” with a wooden ship’s wheel-inspired cockpit and Johnny Depp as spokesperson. Imagine the McConaughey Lincoln commercials…but with Capt. Jack Sparrow.
I don’t know if I’ve ever seen one. Apparently they haven’t been sold in Canada since 2021 but I can find a handful for sale in my area. Maybe they just blend in with other VWs to me and I just assumed any I’ve seen were a CC or Passat.
I’ve never seen one of these in stock for under 45k. That’s… sort of a problem. And likely the reason for it’s demise.
As much as the Arteon was a big ol’ flop, this announcement is a little sad if only because we’re getting pretty close to (if we haven’t already gotten there) a point where I’m not really sure what VW is for. A less reliable alternative to RAV4s and Highlanders? Seriously VW, what is it exactly you do here?
I’ve got to imagine the Jetta isn’t far behind.
VAG is a company of which VW and Audi are part. Why does VW keep trying to drift upward? Just let Audi build and sell the fancy cars. Honda, Toyota, and Nissan leave the high-end cars to their fancier sister brands, and even Hyundai split off Genesis.
Rich people would rather buy their fancy cars at fancy dealerships, not at the same place that sells $25k Jettas.
From what I understand there is no way Audi would let something like this into their lineup. Read something recently saying they were talking about going transverse on the A4 and got a round of applause when showing the longitudinal concept internally.
For some reason I thought the CC was on the MLB platform. I guess it was MQB. I now think it is less cool.
Also, Arteon, Garth!
I got my best friend into one of these. She loves it! We got a great price and it’s basically an Audi. Say what you want, but it is a value proposition. Good bang for the buck.
The Arteon is absolutely not a value proposition new. Used is another story.
Give it a few years and you’ll see me write an article about buying one of these with 300,000 miles, chain slap, and rust for $3,000. lol
Is this not true of pretty much any model? I get bagging on VW, but if not for Audi, we’d be raving about this model. Comment after comment mentions Audi. over ten other mentions at this point. See what I mean? It’s not really about his car so much as it is about the shadow it lives under. If you can buy one of these for $7k+ off, you’ve gotten a good deal whether Audis exist or not.
To be clear, it was just a joke because I buy nothing but high-mileage broken German cars. 🙂
I stand by my headline, I think the Arteon was pretty darned awesome. Honestly, a lower price might have moved more units, but the Arteon was released into a world where crossovers were already king. I mean, look at the long list of other sedans that didn’t make it. I’m still glad VW at least gave it a try.
Sorry, I was impaired by all the bashing. I think we agree that if you can get one of these at the right price, you’ve made a decent choice.
As the owner of both 2003 and 2004 Audis, I feel your masochistic pain. Did you get your VAG-Com fixed yet? LOL!
I did not! I’m currently using an Autel diag tool, which seems to be doing the job for now. Sadly, along with my broken VAG-Com, my MB Star is also out of commission because I lost the little flash drive that makes it work. lol
Awesome if the Autel does the job. I bought a Foxwell brand tool that seems to do a lot, but I haven’t tried it on any VAG vehicles yet. However it’s almost time to to a DSG service on my TDI so I’ll give it a whirl then. If it can’t do the job, I’m going to upgrade my current VAG-Com to the latest spec (ugh at the cost).
Well, we got a stole-it price on a loaded luxury vehicle that drives very nicely and looks awesome. I think logic dictates that it is a good value.
I…legitimately thought the Arteon had died several years ago. I do think it looks good, especially the R-Line trim, but just like the CC before it, I can’t see why you would pay such a big premium over other sedans on the market. Maybe in a world where all other sedans are hideous that would work, but at this price point I’d rather just get the better-looking Audi and have the brand cache to go with it.
Wow, I just saw one of these on the freeway on the way to work today. I was thinking, “Arteon, did that replace the Passat?” And then I forgot about it completely.
The reason this didn’t sell was that it was being sold as a premium car, at premium car prices, but with a smallish 4 cylinder engine. There was literally no value proposition for this car aside from looks and comfort, and people could get that for the same.money with more power elesewhere. And with better reliability.
Now, a more aggressively priced version might have done OK, but there is no guarantee of that due to the crossoverpocalypse.
Niw, if they had made this the Passat, and made the 2.0T the base.motor with a VTR6 or even a turbo 5 option, they might have gotten somewhere. Because it had to be better that the Passat’s I’ve driven.
TBF this is what Toyota/Lexus is doing. Granted they aren’t vw tho lol
Meh. I mean it looked interesting but this was a flawed car from day 1. When it initially launched it didn’t have anywhere near enough power, especially for the price…and the only transmission was a lazy torque converter. Add in the fact that it cost as much as a damn 3 series and it was a hard, hard sell. Slash once you optioned it out you were already at A5 sportback money, and who would choose a VW over an Audi outside of true diehards? It’s also front wheel drive….and all the actual luxury competition plus the Stinger are rear wheel drive.
They finally rectified this and offered it with the engine in a Golf R state of tune and the DSG in 22 or 23 (I forget which) but it was too little too late. They also cursed it with the VW Haptic Hellworld interior, not to mention the interior wasn’t exactly luxury car level. I sat in one when I was buying my GTI and wasn’t that impressed…and was blown away when I checked the monroney. They want HOW much for this thing?!?!
Add in that legendary turbocharged VW reliability (damn the EA888 to hell) and there just wasn’t a reason for this thing to exist. There were much better, cheaper options if you wanted a traditional mid sized sedan and actual luxury cars for the same price as this…and as everyone is mentioning you could get a Stinger with a twin turbo V6 for similar money as long as the wretched fuel economy and Kia badge weren’t deal breakers.
VW is absolutely lost at sea right now and the fact that they thought they could get away with charging $50,000 for fastback sedan with a 4 cylinder engine that loves to remove itself from this mortal coil is one of the myriad reasons why….although if you’re mechanically inclined and/or have deep pockets the 300 horsepower/DSG versions of these might make for an enticing used buy once they depreciate to around $30,000.
With discounts in my area, the R-Line (which seems to be the only trim you can find anyway) is between $48-51K. Since there’s no other trims in stock to compare, it’s hard to get a real delta on pricing. I’m open to paying for a premium cruiser sedan (Buick fanboy), but this is just too much of an ask even for me.
If you really take a look, there are tons of CPO, used off-lease Aretons for sub $35k. VW Corporate flooded dealerships with their corporate vehicles when they could not sell them privately. I got my almost fully loaded Arteon for $29k and there were some lingering on dealership lots with 3k miles for $32k.
Somehow Kia managed to create a more successful model with the Stinger, wearing a KIA badge!
HP always wins.
I don’t know if people are realizing this yet, but VW without small, manual transmission cars is unnecessay. Bye VW!
Agree 100%. For along time it was the ‘more sensible than a bmw/audi, performance oriented daily driver with teutonic vibes’.
Now it’s almost not worth thinkin’ about.
I’m under the impression that they still do just fine in europe. Seems like they’ve lost the mojo in the States. I don’t have interest in anything they sell since they got rid of the MT in the Golf.
VW SUVs dominate in Europe and do pretty well in the US. I realize that’s a bummer for most enthusiasts (including me), but they are doing just fine.
It’s a real shame. 2000-2020ish VAG is definitely my favorite modern-era auto MFG. In the last half decade they’ve stopped caring about enthusiasts.
Ditto. I’ve owned a 2009 GTI, 2012 CC, and 2014 Sportwagen (current) but I would not buy anything from their lineup today. Maybeeee the GTI but I’d prefer an older one with a less tech-heavy interior.
I had a 2012 CC (with a stick!) for several years. I got a surprising number of compliments on it. It was nice to drive, comfortable, had enough room, and was fast enough with the 2.0 TSI. Of course, that couldn’t last. I replaced the timing change tensioner to prevent calamity there. Two water pumps in six months, finally put an aluminum one on there. Unfortunately it started consuming oil. I fed the habit for a while till one day I lost all compression on cylinder 1. While I liked the car, I didn’t like it enough to drop a new engine in it. I traded it in on a 2014 Sportwagen TDI, to finally get away from VW’s gas powered turbo four.
The EA888 is just not worth messing with.
Seriously. My best friend was looking for a car in 2022 and really wanted the most recent generation of Beetle. I told her she was to under no circumstances buy one with that engine (some of those also came with the DSG which…just no) She got the 2.5 and it’s been solid so far.
Every once in a while I think about buying a CC with the 2.0t and a 6 speed, then I shake myself and remember that EA888s like to drain bank accounts. I love modern VW, but even I stay away from those ticking bombs.
Amusing thought: Jason’s most reliable car at the moment is powered by one of those engines! Edit: Ok, his wife’s car, but still!
Yeah mine only had about 122k on it when I got rid of it, absolutely unacceptable for an engine to fail at that mileage. It was a fleet car before I got it and was clearly well maintained, with complete service records. Supposedly the issue was around oil passages and the piston rings, letting oil get by. The rest of the car still looked like new.
I’ve avoided that engine with my Sportwagen but VW found another way to cause me pain…the clear coat on almost every panel of my Sportwagen is starting to bubble. Only panels spared are ones replaced or repainted in one of the two accidents it was in. So I’m in for a lot of paint work here soon.
I was going to say let’s hope Jason got a good one, but based on what I’ve read about it so far…he did not lol
Back in 2013, a coworker picked up a 2012 CC on one of those “we need last year’s models gone” sales. The discount was good, so he thought he got a great deal. By 2015 the car had spent more time at the VW dealer two hours away than in his driveway, and he traded it in on an Accord. That CC permanently tainted his fond memories of his 20s driving air cooled VWs.
I bought a 2009 CC Sport 6M new and it was awesome. 104k miles in 4.5 years, thing was a great highway cruiser. It only ever needed tires, wipers, fluids, and bulbs. Never had any issues with it. It was basically a GTI in a business suit.
Mine was perfect up until about 110k when the oil consumption started. It was a stellar highway car though, you’re right about that. The whole “GTI in a business suit” is literally why I bought it!
I’m still pissed VW never issued a recall for the timing chain tensioner, they’d only pay if yours failed and they didn’t agree to that till after I’d replaced it myself. It’s the only non-maintenance item it needed till the water pump went.
It wasn’t forgotten, it simply wasn’t very good. It looked great, but that’s where the great things ended. Not particularly fast, not particularly good handling, not RWD, not very fancy… why get it over almost any other option in the same price point?
Yup. I’m still baffled why they made it in the first place. I don’t understand what target market they were trying to hit. If anyone wanted a larger/nicer sedan, wouldn’t they just go for an A4?
If they want the fastback why not just go for an A5? Or if they want a luxury barge why not go for an ES? Or if they like driving why not go for a 3 series? The Arteon makes no sense
Bingo. The pricing is so close to the Audis that I never understood who the VW was intended for. Anyone aspiring to luxury doesn’t want a VW badge, and anyone wanting a more relaxed ride isn’t going to be looking at VW either. It feels like a “If you build it, they will come” moment, but then they didn’t build something anyone would want.
No joke, in my life I’ve seen the same number of Pagani Zondas driving around as VW Arteons: one. My suburban town of roughly 40k people has a Lamborghini Aventador SVJ I’ve seen numerous times, but never seen an Arteon here.
I saw one at NYIAS two years ago and was totally confused that it still existed then. Saw one on the street last year, and while it looks good I fail to see who was supposed to buy them.
The market for this kind of sedans has shrunk to near nothingness in recent years. VW didn’t do this car justice but it was never going to be much of a seller.
How many Toyota Avalons are sold these days anyway?
I don’t see Avalons very often (and never without an Uber logo); but at least the Avalon is larger on the inside than the cheaper Camry.
The Avalon was discontinued two years ago and replaced by the Crown. It sold 27,800 units in it’s last normal, pre-pandemic year and 12,200 in the final run-out year. However, the Crown has been a flop, only 2,200 sales last year, despite Toyota projecting 20,000-30,000 a year for it
The Avalon felt like a step up from the Camry. The Crown feels like you’re paying more for nothing. They should have just put a hybrid in the Avalon.
The Avalon was a hybrid, 44mpg highway
Oh, shoot. Then the Crown makes even less sense to me.
I *think* the idea is to rescue the sedan market by making them more crossover-like to trick people into buying them, similar to the thinking behind the “Command Seating” Ford used in the Five Hundred and Montego. Plus, the Avalon appealed to an older demographic (as do large sedans in general), and they like higher vehicles that are easier to get in and out of, hence why the Kia Soul does so well in Florida. But, still, not sure why they had to change the name instead of just giving the next Avalon a higher ride height
True, that does seem to be the goal. But I don’t think the Crown did a good job of making the vehicle easier to get in and out of. A lifted Avalon would have done better, in my opinion. Or, like the Soul and others, a taller roofline. In any case, it felt smaller than the Camry inside, so I suspect a lot of people simply spend less and get the Camry.
According to Toyota, the Crown managed to sell 19,063 units in 2023. That’s a lot more than 2,200 but…still not a lot. Americans don’t even want a crossover that pretends to be a sedan.
That’s a pretty big difference, I must have been looking at a monthly number. I guess that’s technically at expectations, more or less, but it still seems disappointing for a new model – based on 2019 figures, the old Avalon probably could have done better than that once they could actually be put back in stock at dealers without the supply chain shortages holding it up.
I actually like the Crown design wise and there are a lot of rumors that a GR Crown is in the works
I enjoy the Crown’s design, too, MembraNe! I especially dig the funky two-tone. The new Crown wagon looks pretty neat, too.
I think it’s super unique and it stands out. I actually get a little excited when I see them. At least it isn’t another blobby crossover…slash hybrids=good! Really my only hang up with it is the price. It’s very expensive for what it is.
I think of it like comparing the Civic Si to an Integra A-spec with technology package. If you add up the cost of all of the options, the price is fair. If you don’t want those options, the choice is clear.
We bought a Crown last year. The comparison to the Arteon is not far off. It is an AWD luxury hybrid with funky styling. I haven’t seen any others on the road. Not as quiet as a Lexus, but not sporty.
We bought it for quiet, hybrid luxury, good seats and steering wheel feel, good space, 360 cameras and sensors, next year’s drive assist software, and a glass roof. We also wanted a real trunk for luggage security.
I like these a lot- a blue or red SEL is on my shortlist of new sedans (along with a elantra N, GLI, wrx, or k5 GT). This tops them though, with the hatchback. Looks great, rides great, and with the depreciation, i may be able to get a 2022 sel (or premium) for 30k or less at the end of the year.
Don’t forget the Passat GT, which got the VR6 and DSG combo with a little red GTI stripe across the grille.
Just bought one myself – you can find CPO ones for about 32k right now as dealerships want them gone to make way for the IDs.
I feel like it’s truly a stretch to call this car “amazing”. It’s a fastback Passat with nothing interesting about it except the grille
I have never seen one in person. If I did, It may have just blended in it’s so bland.
Well, this is a weird Mandela effect for me. I thought I remembered them axing it a few years ago.
They killed it at conception by failing to offer a VR6 when even the TT had it, and rubbed salt on that wound by putting it in the Passat GT later and STILL neglecting the Arteon. It looked beautiful, but had no special sauce under the hood, just the standard, boringly adequate 2.0L.
22-23 has the golf R engine and a dsg
Eh, if I wanted a Golf R I’d buy a Golf R. Spicy turbo 4’s don’t match the effortless cruising ethos of a flagship sedan, you need something bigger, more interesting and less high-strung for that. Why would someone buy the Arteon when they can get a V6 in any of its Japanese competitors?
Any of its competitors? Pretty sure that list is getting thin.
The Camrey still offers a V6. As does the Lexus ES and IS. The Infiniti (stop laughing!) Q50 only offers V6s and a well equipped Arteon is also within spitting distance of a lightly optioned M340i. I get that it’s not Japanese and is a straight 6, but still. You’d have to be certifiably nutty to want an EA888 powered VW over a B58 powered Bimmer. It would defy logic…
This is the final model year for the V6 Camry though, only a few more months of production left. The Georgetown plant is supposed to retool for the 2025 model this spring, and that will be 4-cylinder hybrid only
Now it certainly is, but when the Arteon released you could get an Accord, Camry or Maxima with a V6, and all 3 were fairly capable, the Camry’s engine was featured in the Evora, the Maxima carried a VQ35 and the Accord kinda speaks for itself. Even the Americans offered better kit, the Fusion Sport offered a twin-turbocharged Ecoboost V6 and even the forgettable Impala had a 3.6L unit.
Oh yeah, this car with the VR6 would have been glorious! VW’s logic in recent years is that turbo fours make roughly the same power as a VR6, so the VR6 no longer has a reason to exist. To me, that just means VW should have further developed the VR6 into an even better engine, but maybe I’m in the minority there.
I fully agree, and if performance was the only point of a flagship, then there’d be no reason to make a prettier version of the Passat in the first place. There’s press releases saying it was intended to have the VR but they found the inline 4 was better and I’d like to have a word with whomever “found” that, because they need to never work with cars or brands again.
I don’t think it would have. It just would have made it drive worse with less power.
I agree we should still have the VR6, but while I like this car, the fact is has no manual automatically disqualifies it. I’m a luddite. Manuals don’t make all cars fun but they make me have more fun with any car.
Hence me saying that VW should have further developed the VR6. But I suppose my wish comes at odds with today’s automotive world. I could live without a manual if there’s something else I like about the car, but manuals do make cars cooler.
When I asked VW about the death of the VR6, one of the factors was just the fact that VW could make a turbo four produce the same or more power with less emissions. The emissions alone probably made keeping that engine going a non-starter.
Yup. I dug into where it, the VR6, is at now. It’s in China in a few vehicles. Lucky. It even got a turbo there!