VW Arteon Experience

[KS-Ryan]

We are getting ready to give our 2012 Passat to our oldest son and are looking for replacement sedans. The wife likes VW's which really gives us few options (new Jetta, but probably too small, another Passat, or the Arteon). I've only seen an Arteon once in person but would like to hear some real world experiences.

 

[Zee09]

I have a bunch of Arteon posts on here if you search. I'd definitely buy another if they still made them...
A great car and rather fuel efficient too. A premium fuel required car..

 

[Rand]

premium fuel is gross here .. costs 10cents more to make they charge .60-1.20 (most frequently 1.00)
I'd like to run it in the 24 outback XT, but 3.39 vs 4.49 kills it.

Saw the car at the cleveland auto show a couple? years back. Pretty nice.

 

[KCJeep]

Never owned one but wanted to, gorgeous car.

 

[Oillover]

The wife likes VW's which really gives us few options (new Jetta, but probably too small, another Passat, or the Arteon).

If you are used to the Passat and want another sedan, I'd suggest giving the Jetta another look if you want to stick with VW.
We've rented a few of the 8th gen Passat's (when they were offered), and couldn't find much of an improvement over the Jetta in terms of size/capabilities.

We usually rent vehicles and recently were given a 2026 Jetta, despite asking for a Camry.
My wife was initially unamused as seat comfort is her main objective, and the Camry is usually perfect for the job.
But after spending over a week and 3k miles with it, we were pretty impressed.
Not only was it roomy, but it performed quite well on the highway (especially the few times I ponied up for prem fuel...seemed to run much smoother).

Alternatively, if you are open to other, larger sedans, I'd go Camry/Accord.

YMMV

 

[dogememe]

If you are used to the Passat and want another sedan, I'd suggest giving the Jetta another look if you want to stick with VW.
We've rented a few of the 8th gen Passat's (when they were offered), and couldn't find much of an improvement over the Jetta in terms of size/capabilities.

We usually rent vehicles and recently were given a 2026 Jetta, despite asking for a Camry.
My wife was initially unamused as seat comfort is her main objective, and the Camry is usually perfect for the job.
But after spending over a week and 3k miles with it, we were pretty impressed.
Not only was it roomy, but it performed quite well on the highway (especially the few times I ponied up for prem fuel...seemed to run much smoother).

Alternatively, if you are open to other, larger sedans, I'd go Camry/Accord.

YMMV

I did not like my 2026 Jetta rental car at all!

 

[Oillover]

I did not like my 2026 Jetta rental car at all!

Sorry to hear that.

OP and his wife seem to prefer VW products, which is why I recommended the Jetta.
During our recent trip, I commonly referred to it as a "poor-man's BMW 3 series".
While it's not nearly as high-performance as one, it seems to possess a degree of athleticism that's usually absent in that category.

 

[KCJeep]

I recently had both a Passat and a Jetta. The Passat is notably larger and more composed overall. That said the Jetta is a bargain for what you pay for it and it hits well above its class. I miss them both.

I'd expect the Arteon to be even nicer than the Passat and likely rival a lot of Audi offerings if you can do without the branding.

 

[Zee09]

Some more notes on my 2021.
Trans service and plugs at 40k is required. Oil changes are a breeze with top extraction.. I like the Taiwanese Baldwin filters from Rock Auto. VW 504 spec Oil

In my use i noted too much chassis flex and could here the legendary cheap suspension springs with the patented cheap wire full of inclusions..... that's my specialty... springs...

The factory Contis which I have had many of loved to sing on the interstate but were long wearing.

The trunk was great and Accord like in size but not well isolated from road noise.. A few moving blankets kept it spotless and kept the road noise low...

The interior was very durable and comfortable which isn't the norm for me.. the car also attracted a bunch of positive attention..

 

[donnyj08]

Any reason to not to consider a VW SUV like the Tiguan in place of a sedan?

We really like our atlas and it averages 26mpg which is decent for its size. My brother and his wife have a Tiguan and it gets low 30s as an AWD.

The arteon is a nice car, Audi nice. Mechanically most VWs use a lot of the same drivetrains. The Arteon and Tiguan will both have the 2.0L TSI with the Arteon having more power and the DSG transmission.

 

[Zee09]

I recently had both a Passat and a Jetta. The Passat is notably larger and more composed overall. That said the Jetta is a bargain for what you pay for it and it hits well above its class. I miss them both.

I'd expect the Arteon to be even nicer than the Passat and likely rival a lot of Audi offerings if you can do without the branding.

Yes the Jetta has interior bits from other VWs that cost double

 

[KS-Ryan]

Any reason to not to consider a VW SUV like the Tiguan in place of a sedan?

We really like our atlas and it averages 26mpg which is decent for its size. My brother and his wife have a Tiguan and it gets low 30s as an AWD.

The arteon is a nice car, Audi nice. Mechanically most VWs use a lot of the same drivetrains. The Arteon and Tiguan will both have the 2.0L TSI with the Arteon having more power and the DSG transmission.

Wife does not want a SUV.

 

[KS-Ryan]

I appreciate the comments. Keep them coming.

 

[jsean]

I can’t offer much in the way of Arteon experience. But if you guys like the ‘13 Passat, maybe also consider a newer Passat (21-22)?
We ended up recently buying a 2020 post lift SEL. The 2.0 gen3b has pretty decent giddy up and gives really great gas mileage. Nowhere near fun like the VR6 Passat we have, but pretty decent. And it’s quiet too.

The 2022-23 Arteon are obviously better with the Type R drivetrain but when we were looking it was an extra $8-10k.

 

[Zee09]

Hilly back road terrain worked best in sport mode to keep the rpms up and got the best mpgs.
All other terrains normal mode was king