It sure is a debatable assertion, but we’d wager that most would readily agree that the Volkswagen Arteon is the best looking car within the Wolfsburg automaker’s current line-up. The new model, based on the current B8 Passat, only just found its way onto North American shores via the Chicago Motor Show and is due to be on sale in both the US and Canada along with China toward the middle of 2018.
A new revelation has appeared to have accompanied the ramp up to the Arteon’s North American launch, confirming previous reports that Volkswagen would be teaming the fastback four-door coupe body style with a sleek wagon or Shooting Brake as a pseudo (posh) sister to the Passat Estate.
Though it will provide more cargo space over the rear hatch of the standard Arteon, its roofline will still prioritise aesthetics and form much more than a normal wagon; think the Mercedes-Benz CLA Shooting Brake or older CLS Shooting brake if you need a modern day reference point. A slightly more interesting tidbit about the likely debut is the rumours of this new Shooting Brake being the platform unto which VW will be revealing a new six-cylinder engine.
Last year, in a conversation with UK’s AutoExpress, a Volkswagen representative alluded to the existence of such an engine being used in an Arteon prototype. The narrow-angle V6 configuration is well known among fans of the marque and beyond, and had served long as powerplant under the bonnets of many Wolfsburg products, favoured for its compactness to be transversely mounted and being less expensive to manufacture (due to shared a cylinder head and manifold).
The most recent VR6 motor to grace Australian shores is the Passat R36, which used a 3.6-litre naturally aspirated unit that generated 221kW and 350Nm. Thought the last of its kind, Volkswagen still deploys it in their Atlas 7-seat SUV, which is a model limited to North America. This new VR6 will reportedly displace 3.0-litres and will be turbocharged in addition to boasting all the most advanced tech used in VW’s smaller engines.
With more cylinders and displacement overhead, this new engine should easily have the capability to push out 300kW and be the perfect fit for a range-topping high performance Arteon, a possible new variant to emerge as part of the Shooting Brake’s reveal. Following that, Volkswagen plans to retire the ageing 3.6-litre VR6 and introduce the new 3.0 turbo six-pot in an updated Atlas and possibly the upcoming Touareg.
When the Arteon Shooting Brake premieres, it will face some competition from the likes of the Volvo V60, Jaguar XF Sportbrake and Audi A4 Avant. Though, again, being more style-focused, the more commodious Arteon will very likely lose any comparison that prioritises raw interior space.
For more on Volkswagen cars, check out our Showroom.
