The Arteon shares a lot of its components with the European Passat. As standard, Volkswagen will offer the car with a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine capable of developing 268 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque. The engine is paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission.
The car is equipped with aluminum-alloy wheels, chrome window surrounds, dual trapezoidal exhaust tips, LED taillights, and a decklid spoiler. Eight airbags, including knee airbags for front passengers, the Automatic Post-Collision Braking System and a reactive hood meant to mitigate injuries to pedestrians are also featured on the model.
The launch of the Arteon in the U.S. comes later than initially announced. Since the introduction of the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP), the German manufacturer has been struggling to make all of its vehicles compliant
WLTP comprises four different tests, conducted at different average speeds: low, medium, high and extra high. For each of these tests, the car must execute a series of maneuvers, including stop, braking, and acceleration.
Each of these tests had to be conducted for all of the models currently being sold, hence the “backlog” Volkswagen defined as the main cause for the Arteon launch delay in America.
Now that the car is here, Volkswagen also says it got the configurator for the Arteon up and running. You can have a try at VW.com.
