Stylish flagship German five-door is out to prove there is still life in the traditional wagon concept
Wagons might play second fiddle to SUVs these days, but offerings like the Volkswagen Arteon 206TSI Shooting Brake might just sway a few buyers back into the traditional five-door with sleek styling, family-swallowing practicality and turbocharged, all-wheel drive performance.
Pose Premium
There’s a cost associated with looking good. In this case the 2022 Volkswagen Arteon 206TSI Shooting Brake carries a $6000 premium over the Passat 206TSI Wagon which shares its mechanicals.
The Arteon range kicks off at $61,740 (plus on-road costs) for the 140TSI Elegance sedan, rising to $68,740 for the more powerful 206TSI model tested here. The five-door ‘Shooting Brake’ body style adds an extra $2000 in both instances, our test car topping the range at $70,740 plus ORCs.
A $2000 panoramic sunroof is the only option bar Oryx White pearlescent paint at $800, with all other colours – red, silver, grey, black and the 206TSI-specific Lapiz Blue – offered at no cost.
Warranty coverage is five years and unlimited kilometres and while VW does offer a capped price servicing program for $3343 over five years, buyers will save money by opting for three or five years of prepaid servicing at $1500 or $2500 respectively.
Packed to the rafters
Unsurprisingly, with a sunroof the only option, the 2022 Volkswagen Arteon 206TSI Shooting Brake is filled to the brim with technology and safety gizmos.
VW’s IQ.Drive active safety suite includes autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection, front and rear emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control with adaptive lane guidance, driver fatigue detection, rear cross-traffic alert, park assist for parallel and perpendicular bays, front and rear parking sensors and rear- and surround-view cameras.
This is in addition to nine airbags: side airbags for the front and outer rear seats, curtain airbags front and rear, driver and passenger airbags and a driver’s knee airbag.
The outer rear seats have ISOFIX points and there are a trio of top tethers, though accessing these is quite difficult due to the length of the boot.
It’s the price that must be paid for a load space of 565 litres, which expands to 1632L and a whopping 2092mm long with the 60:40 split rear seat folded down. For narrow, long items, the centre armrest folds down to reveal a ski port.
The luggage area also includes LED lighting, a fold-out hook on either side, four tie-down points and a clever luggage cover that can retract to halfway with one press.
There’s also a full-size, 20-inch alloy spare wheel for road tripping peace of mind and the tailgate is electrically operated.
In terms of technology the Arteon likewise has plenty to offer. Its cabin sits about halfway between Volkswagen’s current models and its latest offerings like the Mk8 Golf, which have really gone all-in on the smartphone-style experience.
The Arteon strikes a nice balance between offering plenty of tech, with its 9.2-inch infotainment screen and 10.25-inch digital display, while retaining enough physical buttons to make adjusting frequently used functions the work of a moment.
Take the climate controls, for example. Instead of being buried in a sub menu, haptic switches allow the temperature and fan to be adjusted by either tapping or sliding.
It’s a similar story for the volume control on the steering wheel, though while these fancy switches aren’t necessarily any easier to use than traditional dials and buttons, they aren’t a backwards step, either.
The infotainment can also be operated by voice or gesture control, though neither is easier than just doing so by touch. It’s a relatively easy unit to navigate, especially as it offers both wired and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but the lack of wireless charging means you’ll have to plug your phone into one of the two USB-C ports in the centre console to add juice.
There’s a further USB-C port and a 12V outlet in the rear as well as air vents and heated outer rear seats. There is simply masses of space in the back, including headroom thanks to the wagon roofline.
The door bottle holders are on the small side, but the fold-down centre armrest houses a pair of cup-holders and the front seatbacks have not only map pockets but smaller pockets up high that are perfect for stashing a phone.
Up front the supportive seats offer heating, massage and 14-way adjustment, but ventilation is limited to the 140TSI Arteon. Cooled seats would be welcome as while the air-con doesn’t necessarily struggle in the heat of an Australian summer, it isn’t as frosty as some might like. The gearbox is chilled, though!
Another odd omission is AM radio, especially as it’s present in the Arteon sedan. FM and digital radio are both available, however, and tunes play through an 11-speaker Harmon Kardon stereo.
Storage space is also a little short. Like the rear, the door bottle holders are quite small and the door for the small cubby ahead of the gearlever snaps shut with finger-biting force.
A small screen rises out of the dash to activate the head-up display, but unfortunately the gap between the top of the steering wheel and the display is quite cramped – at least in my driving position – and the plastic surround it rises out of creates reflections on the windscreen on sunny days.
But let’s not finish this section on a negative, as it’s a classy, well-stocked and very spacious cabin that’s a very pleasant place to be.
Go time
Providing propulsion for the 2022 Volkswagen Arteon 206TSI Shooting Brake is the ubiquitous 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine found in any number of Volkswagen Group products.
In this guise is produces 206kW from 4950-6600rpm and 400Nm from 2000-4950rpm. While the former is the same as the Passat 206TSI, the latter is 50Nm stronger thanks to the Arteon using a seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox rather than the Passat’s six-speed.
This makes for a very broad spread of power and combined with all-wheel drive traction, a 0-100km/h claim of just 5.6sec.
On the other side of the ledger, claimed fuel consumption is 9.6L/100km in the city and 6.8L/100km on the highway for a combined claim of 7.7L/100km, but our experience suggests a figure closer to 9-10L/100km for most day-to-day use. Premium 98RON fuel is also required.
It’s a strong engine that provides plenty of performance, though activating Sport mode is required for it to give its best, the throttle feeling doughy and unresponsive in Comfort with a lack of low-end response.
Once up and running, however, speed accrues relentlessly, the dual-clutch swiftly shifting gears of its own accord at redline even when in manual mode.
More than enough
While the specifications and styling of the 2022 Volkswagen Arteon 206TSI Shooting Brake suggest a sporting character, its luxury manners are of a high standard.
Double-glazed front side windows reduce noise levels in the cabin and the ride is generally excellent, with only the occasional thump from large impacts felt by occupants.
Adaptive dampers are standard and even in Sport mode the ride is more than tolerable, making it an easy choice for back-road blasts.
There’s a definite limit to the Arteon’s capabilities but it’s a very high one. The steering could be a mite quicker, but the combination of an accurate front-end, plenty of grip, strong brakes and all-wheel drive traction mean it can cover ground at an extremely rapid rate should the driver so wish.
Really keen drivers will be better served by the forthcoming Golf R Estate, but the Arteon strikes a nice balance between athleticism and comfort, especially as the Individual drive mode allows settings to be mixed and matched, pairing Sport engine with Comfort suspension.
Goldilock’s car
If you’re not a fan of SUVs, then you’ll be pleased to learn that wagons the quality of the 2022 Volkswagen Arteon 206TSI Shooting Brake still exist.
Quick, capable, comfortable, spacious enough to accommodate a family and all that comes with it, there’s also the benefit of styling that’s guaranteed to have the neighbours sticking their nose in and asking questions.
Realistically, sales will be small, the Arteon unlikely to turn too many heads away from SUVs, but it’s a lot of car for the money and those that make the choice are likely to be pleased with the breadth of its talents.
How much does the 2022 Volkswagen Arteon 206TSI Shooting Brake cost?Price: $70,740 (plus on-road costs)Available: NowEngine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrolOutput: 206kW/400NmTransmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch automaticFuel: 7.7L/100km (ADR Combined)CO2: 177g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Untested
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Keyword: Volkswagen Arteon Shooting Brake 2022 Review