The VW Arteon R Has Been Spotted Hammering Around The Nurburgring

A faster version of VW's handsome Arteon will be with us soon, powered by the same engine as the Golf 8 R

15 Apr 2020

The VW Arteon R Has Been Spotted Hammering Around The Nurburgring

A BMW M3 is great and all, but do you really need all that power? Wouldn’t you rather have something with a more useable output and the security of all-wheel drive? Perhaps with a little less flashiness? Sounds like you need the incoming VW Arteon R.

It’ll soon be bringing an air of sensibleness to the world of performance saloons (even though it’s actually a hatchback in a three-box saloon-like shape), and while VW isn’t ready to show it off just yet, it has been spotted undergoing testing at the Nurburgring.

The prototype may be bereft of R badges, but there are plenty of telltale signs. We have some spangly blue brake calipers shining bright behind the multispoke wheels, bigger intakes flanking the Arteon’s enormo-grille, and a quad exhaust outlet. It has trapezoidal pipes rather than usual ovals, although as shown by the Toaureg R, VW is happy to play around with the familiar R-ecipe.

Providing propulsion will be the same EA888 inline-four turbo engine set to be used by the new Golf R, with an expected output of around 330bhp. That’s an increase of over 60bhp compared to the most powerful 2.0 TSI Arteon in the current range, which might be enough to sneak the 0-62mph time under the five-second mark.

For those needing to cart around more stuff, we’re expecting there to be a ‘Shooting Brake’ estate version too. A non-R Arteon wagon was spotted undergoing cold weather testing earlier this year, and we don’t see why VW wouldn’t offer an all-powerful version of each derivative. Keep those fingers crossed.

Growing up on a diet of World Rally Championship highlights and lengthy Gran Turismo 2 sessions, a life in cars was as good as inevitable for Matt.

Comments

VW didn’t seem to have any plans for a truly sport Arteon in the works… and then Kia Released the Stinger. Given the price of the Arteon range and the R’s power output, I’m wondering who this will actually be for. It’ll start creeping into S5 Sportback territory and in my eyes it’s a step down from the Stinger.

I don’t get where people get the impression from that the Kia Stinger is some kind of dirt cheap bargain, in Europe it’s literally the same price as the Audi A5 Sportback and looks like a Walmart knockoff of it. The Arteon R is definetly going to be more expensive than a base model A5 Sportback (just like a Golf R is more expensive than a base model A3), I could definetly see it going for around the same price as the V6 Stinger. There are many people who love the Arteon’s styling but are dissatisfied with the highest engine being the same 280hp one from the Passat. I’m sure there is a big market for it, especially in Europe where people still buy tons of sedans and value high quality interiors. This is the one place where the Stinger falls noticeably behind its competetion, and that’s a huge deal.

Stinger has been out for years and is a fundamentally different proposition to an Arteon. I dont see how it is anywhere near an S5 pricewise. It may be different in your market but for me an Arteon is about $65,000 AUD, whereas an S5 is just over $100,000

Stinger is for the big engine brigade who think that only large sedans with 6 or more cylinders are suitable for a family car.

Arteon is for people who love tech and electronic gadgets, who dont see it worth the extra outlay for an A4/5 or C class.

Looking sharp.

I really hope this has a V6, it’s difficult to get excited about such a good-looking car being given such a bland and terrible sounding engine as the EA888 (DSG farts urghh). Don’t get me wrong it’s an incredibly efficient and well-engineered engine but it seems to lack character to me

VW still makes a VR6 (it’s used in the Teramont) and there was a prototype Arteon with one in, but I doubt that’ll ever happen now

I mean… It’s ok, but a VR6 would have been a lot better.
Srsly, a luxury sport sedan with an inline-4 turbo. It just sound right, imo.

I think that 330hp for a car of that size isn’t really powerful enough to deserve an “R” badge, maybe more like an Arteon GTi. It still has 35hp less than the Stinger GT, which is rumored to be getting a power bump with the upcoming facelift