Volkswagen Arteon R Wagon Takes Autobahn Acceleration Test, Sounds Like a Golf R

What do we mean by "equivalent BMW or Audi"? Well, Volkswagen USA doesn't offer the Arteon R engine or the Shooting Brake body. But we can tell you that in Germany, this combo costs €63,980, which is equivalent to about $75,000. That kind of money basically gets you behind the wheel of an Audi S4/S5 or a BMW M340i.

Trying to understand why Volkswagen made this car and who would buy it, we came across these videos posted by Automann-TV. We've been following the German vlogger for what feels like a decade, so we know he's got the kind of clean POV shots you need to enjoy any Autobahn stormer.

What we took away is that the Arteon R Shooting Brake is completely different from both an American Arteon 2.0T SEL and a rival Audi. The shape is quite interesting, long and low, featuring large wheels, blue brakes, and square quad tips as accents.

The exhaust sound is obviously that of a 2.0-liter turbo engine, and you can even make out the trademark ticking of a TSI. It's honestly not as pleasant as your basic 3.0 TFSI and especially not on par with the BMW inline-six.

However, the Arteon is more practical, featuring a larger trunk than Audi or BMW's similarly priced four-door models. For many, that won't be enough, but Volkswagen probably relies on its small army of loyal followers, many of whom wanted a sports wagon back in the Passat CC days.

Something else we notice is how the interior has changed. You've basically got the steering wheel, screen, and seats from the 2022 Golf R, but not the DSG shifter. The cabin is nice but probably not on par with Audi or BMW.

It's beginning to sound like we're scolding Volkswagen or have a heavy bias towards German luxury cars, but that's not the case. We just wanted to point out that if you want a Golf R engine in a large wagon, VW does make that, and it probably accelerates better.