Volkswagen Arteon 2022 review: Shooting Brake 206TSI R-Line

The VW Arteon Shooting Brake is a beautifully sleek five-door wagon that skillfully extends the sedan version’s handsome looks.

The VW Arteon Shooting Brake is a beautifully sleek five-door wagon (Image: James Cleary).

It’s the same length as the sedan, the car’s width accentuated by a relatively low overall height and a broad grille highlighted with horizontal chrome-trimmed slats.

Angular LED headlights outlined by LED daytime running lights flow seamlessly into the design, and big 20-inch alloy wheels enhance the Shooting Brake’s sporty feel.

The Shooting Brake features big 20-inch alloy wheels (Image: James Cleary).

The roof tapers gently towards the rear, shrinking the side window area as it does so, and the rear treatment is comparatively conventional with the exception of a spoiler on the top of the tailgate.

Designed to extend the roofline and improve aerodynamics it’s balanced visually by a small deck below the rear window.

The roof tapers gently towards the rear (Image: James Cleary).

Racy ‘R-Line’ body elements include a specific bumper with lower side air intakes, and a rear bumper with inserts to accept dual chrome exhaust tips on both sides of the car.  

Inside, the look is premium and the feel is quality, with a large digital instrument cluster and equally impressive multimedia touchscreen dominating the dash.

Inside, the look is premium and the feel is quality (Image: James Cleary).

The mood is understated with simple, clean shapes highlighted by gloss black and brushed metal details. The seats are Nappa leather-appointed with quality hide also applied to the multi-function steering wheel and gearshift. Ambient lighting is a dramatic finishing touch.

The Arteon seats five, and despite the racy roofline and a relatively low overall height, interior space is generous.

Plenty of breathing room for the front seat passengers, and surprisingly, those in the back, too. Sitting behind the driver’s seat, set to my 183cm position, I enjoyed lots of legroom and plenty of headroom.

Interior space is generous in the Arteaon (Image: James Cleary).

The centre rear spot is clearly the short straw position, especially as the AWD set-up means there’s a raised bump in the middle of the floor. But three grown-ups across the back is do-able for short journeys.

Frighteningly, our two youngest (15-year old twins) are the same height as me and offered zero complaints while in the rear of the Arteon.

The centre rear spot is clearly the short straw position (Image: James Cleary).

Not so grown-ups are catered for, too, with three top tether points across the second row and ISOFIX anchors on the two outer positions. 

With the rear seat upright boot volume is a generous 565 litres (VDA), and with the 60/40 split-folding rear backrest folded that number grows to no less than 1632 litres. There’s also a door, commonly referred to as a ‘ski port’, behind the rear armrest allowing for long, skinny things to be stowed with the rear seat up.

Recommend you strap your skis to the roof, though, because long, sharp objects in the cabin can dramatically dial up the risk of injury in a crash. 

Volkswagen has clearly thought through the family practicality factor in the Arteon because despite its sleek looks this wagon is easy to live with day-to-day.

Overall height is relatively low (just under 1.5m) but getting in and out of the car is surprisingly straightforward. And once inside those in front are located in 14-way electrically-adjustable sports front seats, including a massage function on the driver’s side.

The front and outer rear seats are heated, but sadly, this top-of-the-line 206TSI misses out on front seat ventilation (standard on the 140TSI Elegance entry model).

Storage is generous with two cupholders in the front centre console, complete with sliding cover, a storage box/armrest between the seats, a small coin or key tray, a shallow cubby (with cover) in front of the gearshift, a decent size (and “chillable”) glove box, long door bins with space for large bottles, plus a glasses compartment in the roof console.

There are three cupholders in the rear fold-down armrest (the middle one is espresso-sized), map pockets in the front seat backs, and bins in the doors with room for large-ish bottles. 

Adjustable vents and temperature control, courtesy of the three-zone climate control set-up, is also a big plus, while connectivity and power options run to 12V outlets in the front console and rear seat, as well as two USB-C jacks in the front centre storage box, and another USB for the rear.

As mentioned above, the boot is big, and the 206TSI R-Line comes standard with a load retaining net, pop-out shopping bag hooks, multiple tie-down anchor points, and a boxed storage compartment behind the driver’s side wheel well.

The standard hands-free auto tailgate opens and closes in response to a kick motion under the centre of the rear bumper (as long as you have the key with you). Such a handy feature when you’re struggling to load or unload heavy or awkward things.

For boaters, caravan enthusiasts, or horse fanciers, you can tow a braked trailer up to 2.2 tonnes (750kg unbraked).

The VW Arteon received a maximum five-star ANCAP rating in 2017, and although things have moved on in terms of assessment criteria in the intervening five years,  the car doesn’t lack in terms of active (crash-avoidance) safety tech. 

It features AEB, operating at city and highway speeds (with pedestrian and cyclist detection), as well as blind-spot monitoring, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, and rear cross-traffic alert.

There’s also adaptive cruise control, tyre pressure monitoring, and a driver fatigue detection system to check you’re attentive behind the wheel.

If all that fails to keep you out of trouble there are nine airbags onboard (driver and front passenger, front side, rear side, full-length curtain and driver’s knee), as well as an active bonnet which pops up slightly to minimise injuries in a pedestrian impact. 

Not to mention the three top tethers and two ISOFIX locations for safely securing baby capsules and child seats in the back row. There’s also a warning triangle and first aid kit in the boot.

As mentioned up front, the Volkswagen Arteon Shooting Brake 206TSI R-Line has an MSRP of $78,506. And any car pushing up towards $80K should boast solid standard equipment value for that money. 

The Volkswagen Arteon Shooting Brake 206TSI R-Line has an MSRP of $78,506 (Image: James Cleary).

Aside from the safety and performance tech detailed above, feature highlights include, the Matrix LED lighting system, R-Line body kit, the choice of pearl effect or premium metallic paint finishes (five shades available), dark tinted rear side and rear windows, 20-inch alloy wheels, and three-zone climate control air.

Also included are comprehensive multimedia functions managed through a 9.2-inch colour touchscreen, leather-appointed seats, steering wheel and gearshift, premium Harman Kardon audio, configurable digital instruments, customisable ambient lighting, 12-way electrically-adjustable (heated) front seats, and more. 

In the context of this car’s competitors that’s a very handy basket of fruit. The question is whether the VW badge carries enough cred to sway you away from an Audi or BMW.

The Arteon is covered by Volkswagen Australia’s five-year/unlimited km warranty with 12 months roadside assist included. 

Paint is covered for three years/unlimited kilometres, a transferable ‘Through Corrosion’ warranty lasts for 12 years/unlimited kilometres, and the battery is protected by two-year/unlimited kilometre cover.

Service is scheduled for every 12 months/15,000km, with yearly costs over the first five years ranging from a low of $462, to a high of $1280, for an annual average of $711.

But VW also offers a five-year, transferable ‘Care Plan’ for $2700 where the first service is free and $675 per service after that. This up-front payment not only represents a saving of around $870 over five years, it allows you to fold the cost of the plan into vehicle financing, and offers an extra selling point if you want to move the car on within that five year period.

VW’s official fuel consumption figure on the combined cycle is 7.7L/100km, and over a week and roughly 300km of city, suburban and freeway running we averaged 10.7L/100km.

Not horrendous but not exactly miserly, either. And when you factor in the need to fill the 66-litre tank with premium 98 RON unleaded the dollar signs start to appear.

But on the upside, using our real-world consumption figure as a guide you can expect a range in excess of 600km.