2021 Volkswagen Arteon R

The Volkswagen Arteon has been updated with two new flagship R models, which include a sleek new shooting brake body style. After replacing the Volkswagen CC the Arteon has struggled to make much of an impact, with sales numbers continuing to drift towards more SUV’s and less sedan’s. Instead of pulling out of the market VW have doubled down, by releasing a new shooting brake version of the Arteon and creating a pair of 320 horsepower versions as well.

The engine is essentially the same EA888 four-cylinder found in the Mk7 Golf R, but with new life breathed into it to produce more power and torque than ever before. A seven-speed dual-clutch transmission has the job of feeding power to Volkswagen’s Haldex-style all-wheel-drive system which uses a new type of torque vectoring rear differential. This rear diff can send up to 100 percent of torque to each rear wheel, a dramatic difference to what has gone before in VW land, which should give a profound change to the dynamic characteristics of the Arteon.