2023 (73) Volkswagen Arteon 2.0 TDI Elegance 5dr DSG

By Jonathan Crouch

Introduction

Sold between 2020 and 2024, Volkswagen's sleek Arteon Shooting Brake offers a sleek, yet still very practical alternative to style-conscious compact executive segment models from this era like Audi's A5 Sportback and BMW's 4 Series Gran Coupe. It's a high class stylised estate that doesn't need a ridiculously expensive boot lid badge to stand out. And a very desirable one indeed.

History

The Shooting Brake. It's the kind of upper class, stylised sports estate coupe first popularised by three-door models in the '70s like the Volvo P1800ES and the Jaguar XJS-based Lynx Eventer. A concept then resurrected in 2015 by a Mercedes with the CLS Shooting Brake and subsequent CLA Shooting Brake models. In 2020, we got this car, the Volkswagen Arteon Shooting Brake, like its predecessors, setting out to combine the visual elegance of a coupe with the practicality of an estate. If you happen to be familiar with the Volkswagen Arteon at all, it'll be as a Fastback, a five-door Gran Turismo-like body style that at this Shooting Brake model's launch continued to be sold alongside it. The Shooting Brake model aimed to broaden the Arteon's appeal, which back in 2020 needed doing because by then, four years on from original launch, it hadn't sold in very large numbers. The Shooting Brake joined the range as the line-up was facelifted in mid-2020 and, as with its Fastback stablemate, could be had in conventional guise, as a PHEV eHybrid plug-in or as a sporting Arteon R model. It was discontinued in 2024.

What You Get

The idea here, said Marco Pavone, Head of Volkswagen Exterior Design back in 2020, was for this functional five-door design to create the impression of a sportscar. So the stylists significantly pulled in the roof section and with it, the side glass panels towards the rear. While at the same time, widening the wheel housings to give this Shooting Brake design a more powerful shoulder section. In terms of pavement presence, it's all quite effective. And in profile? Well in Shooting Brake form, this Arteon body style is completely unique from the B-pillars backwards, though the width and length dimensions remain the same as the those of the Fastback hatch. The roof height's a little different though, this estate version sitting 19mm taller with a flatter, longer roofline that creates this variant's unique rear end with its tapering glasshouse and prominent D-pillars. At the back, you get an angled tailgate with a neat, subtle roof spoiler and a GPS antennae just beyond. At the wheel, you'll find premium build quality that's easily the equal of anything you'd get in a rival Audi or a BMW. But if you're used to those brands, you might not especially like the way that the superbly supportive 'ergoComfort' seats position you a little higher in front of the three-spoke leather-stitched wheel. Still that's useful for maximising rear three-quarter vision, which is better than it usually is on 'Gran Turismo'-style models of this type, despite the narrow rear window and the thick, steeply-angled rear pillars. It certainly all feels much classier than the kind of sportily-trimmed Passat Estate model that many customers for this model might previously have been considering. And here, you get as standard Volkswagen's customisable 'Active Info Display', a 12.3-inch TFT screen with an almost infinitely customisable layout of crystal clear virtual graphics. Anything the instrument binnacle can't tell you will almost certainly be covered on - or duplicated by - the 8.0-inch centre-dash 'Discover' infotainment monitor. A 'Discover Pro' 9.2-inch screen size upgrade was available from new as an option, as was a Head-up display. In the rear, there's 48mm more headroom than you get in the Fastback five-door hatch version of this model. Plus on plusher variants, you get a much larger panoramic glass roof too. There's 1,016mm of legroom. And the detail stuff's well taken care of. Out back, you only get a powered tailgate if you avoid entry-level trim and once it's risen, you're faced with a large 565-litre space in this Shooting Brake model, which (a touch disappointingly) is a scant 2-litres more than is offered by the trunk of the five-door Fastback hatch. Blame that swept-back roof line. Still, apparently up to eight carry-on suitcases will still fit in just fine - though not if you've chosen the e-Hybrid version, in which carriage capacity falls by 110-litres due to the battery pack beneath the floor. If that's not enough, then if you fold the rear seats in the conventionally engined models, you'll free up as much as 1632-litres of space - which is 75-litres more than you'd get in the Fastback hatch.

What to Look For

Most Arteon customers in our survey seemed very satisfied. We did come across though, a fault with the 1.5 TSI engine that results in hesitation and jerkiness between about 1,500 and 2,000rpm, making a smooth getaway quite difficult without using excessive revs. This fault effects both manual and DSG equipped cars and is apparently known by the manufacturer. Check for bodywork panel scuffs because all-round visibility from the coupe-style body shape isn't the best. Those big alloy wheels can scuff easily too. Otherwise, there are complaints regarding infotainment glitches - laggy screen performance, screen freezing and random 'phone disconnections. Check that the wireless 'phone pad works; it was known to fail. And faults in the steering wheel module can trigger intermittent 'Travel Assist' warnings, requiring the wheel to be replaced. We've also heard of panoramic roof leaks, and suspension noise. Plus the paint on the front bonnet and bumper is thin and prone to chips.

Replacement Parts

[based on a 2021 Arteon Shooting Brake 2.0 TDI 150PS diesel] An air filter will be priced in the £8 to £31 bracket, an oil filter will sit in the £6 to £14 bracket and a pollen filter will cost in the £6 to £28 bracket.. The brake discs we came across sat in the £95 to £242 bracket, with pricier-branded discs costing up to £357. Rear discs are in the £80-£140 bracket. Front brake pads are in the £38 to £88 bracket for a set. Rear pads are in the £26-£50 bracket. A starter motor is in the £103-£222 bracket; a thermostat is £15-£33; a headlight is around £254; a tail lamp is around £200-£234. A radiator is in the £194-£246 bracket.

On the Road

In many ways, the whole 'Gran Turismo' concept rather suits this Arteon Shooting Brake. 'GT' motoring is supposed to be about high speed touring rather than out-and-out sportscar driving dynamics and if you judge this Volkswagen purely on that criteria, you're likely to be quite satisfied with it. Refinement is excellent, as is ride quality thanks to a specially developed four-link independent rear suspension set-up that could from new be embellished with a sophisticated 'DCC' 'Dynamic Chassis Control' adaptive damping system. 'DCC' was optional on mainstream models, but it comes as standard if you go for one of the top '4MOTION' 4WD variants that also get an XDS electronic differential lock system to help get the power down at speed through tight turns. You won't really want to go throwing this Volkswagen about though: it isn't really that kind of car. But what it lacks when it comes to driving on its door handles it more than makes up for with exemplary trans-continental-style cruising ability. Engine-wise, the Shooting Brake model's core powerplant is Volkswagen's EVO-series 2.0 TDI 150PS diesel engine, a unit offered with a choice of either 6-speed manual or DSG 7-speed auto transmission. If you want a variant that'll be even more efficient, you'll need to opt for the eHybrid petrol plug-in variant, which gets a 13kWh battery, enabling a WLTP-rated driving range of up to 33 miles. As for the other more conventional engines, well the range kicks off with the VW Group's usual 1.5-litre TSI 150PS petrol unit, but that can't be had with the DSG auto gearbox most Arteon folk want. This means you're just as likely to be looking at the two mid-range powertrain options - which only come in auto form. Either the 2.0 TSI 190PS petrol unit; or the uprated 200PS version of the 2.0-litre TDI diesel - which, incidentally, was the only mainstream engine in the range that could from new be ordered with the option of Volkswagen's 4MOTION 4WD system. That 4MOTION set-up also features on the fire-breathing Arteon Shooting brake R performance flagship model, which uses the 2.0-litre TSI petrol engine in an uprated 320PS state of tune.

Overall

The Shooting Brake version of this Arteon model was more distinctive, not only than its Fastback showroom stablemate but also than most other stylised mid-sized executive sector models that potential customers will be looking at around this price point from the 2020-2024 period. Most probably either the Audi A5 Sportback or the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe. Or perhaps estate versions of the BMW 3 Series, the Audi A4 or the Mercedes C-Class. We'd rather have an Arteon Shooting Brake than any of those. It's more practical, better equipped for the money and arguably better built. And most of all, people will take a second glance at it - in a good way. No one you know will properly have this car on their shortlist in this segment. But add it anyway. And make your driveway a more distinctive place.