Interior color: Titan Black premium leatherTitan Black premium leather
4cyl automated manual
Karen Radley Volkswagen (389 mi away)
AWD/4WD
Back-up camera
Bluetooth
Navigation
Leather Seats
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Located in Woodbridge, VA / 389 miles away from Columbia, SC
Opal White Pearl 2023 Volkswagen Arteon 2.0T SEL R-Line 7-Speed DSG Automatic with Tiptronic 2.0L TSI DOHC 4-Wheel Disc Brakes, 8 Speakers, ABS brakes...
Located in Ballwin, MO / 619 miles away from Columbia, SC
Experience Driving Excellence with The Dean Team in St. Louis! Elevate your journey with our newest Volkswagen arrival. Discover this models cutting-e...
This is one fine piece of machinery. From the nicely-weighted door-closing thunk to the integration of high tech features, the driving experience ticks all the right boxes. It is not a sports sedan, but it is not sedate. It's not a canyon carver, but you'll exit your apex with confidence as you search for the next one. And all this with a cavernous hatchback area that swallows up cargo … on par with SUV's and station wagons. I have the line-topping SEL-P R-Line AWD.
The Good
Interior
Seats: on the same par as my Audi A8. Comfortable, supportive, infinitely adjustable and ventilated. Nice Nappa leather. Excellent contour.
HVAC is exceptional. Recent 2500 mile trip to FL and hardly ever had to adjust the temperature. Fan does not blow excessively high on start-up, and the cabin maintains its temperature.
Windows: there is no wind thump when you roll one down at speed. Nice!
Dash: Not as gimmicky as the A5, much friendlier than the Volvo, and visually a delight to look at. The high degree of customization will ensure you find the right combination of what you want to see. Easily adapted for long-tripping, ripping around town, or visiting Grandma. Learning curve a bit steeper than you'd like.
Engine/Transmission
I have not wanted for power, although who wouldn't want more? The Edmunds ding on slow downshifts is NOT justified. If you are in Eco mode, of course you have to stabby stabby the accelerator, otherwise it responds just fine. The paddle shifters are nicely placed and just the right size.
Steering/Braking/Suspension
The adjustable dampers, along with your adjustments to throttle and suspension, make this a near-Audi in every sense. And you can save your favorite combo for future use. I find turn-in a breeze, the tires hold the line well, and stomping on it at exit does not loose the back end. Of course, another 30-40 ponies might change that.
Tech
We have a winner! Adaptive Cruise is just as Edmunds described: not too hard on the brakes, and a little slow to regain speed. Otherwise it works very well in all conditions. Lane Keeping also performs admirably. Drive Assist is a low-level autonomous system that kind of helps you along vs taking over. I like that.
Touch screens are the future, and the future is now. Again, there is a learning curve. Once you've found how to do what you want to do, it is rather intuitive.
Road Characteristics
There is virtually no wind noise below 80 mph. The occasional tire thump comes through, but with 245/35-20's you have to expect that with tiny sidewalls.
Gas mileage is as advertised.. I got 32.9 on the FL trip.
--March 2023 Update-- almost 20k miles in 9 months. This is one great highway cruiser. Replaced front rotors at 21k, a known VW concern. Local indy much less expensive than dealer. Replaced OEM Conti's with Michelin Pilot Sport 4AS, changing size from OEM 245/35/20 to a 235/40/20 configuration. Wanted a little more sidewall to help with potholes. Two side effects: the Speedo now runs 2-3mph below actual at highway speeds, so I have to remember that when setting the ACC. Secondly, my MPG trip computer is now accurate to within 1-2 tenths. Recent FL trip produced trip computer MPG numbers that exactly matched manual calculations on 3 of 4 tanks, and the 4th was .02 off.
No squeaks or rattles as I've zoomed past 25k. Thank you VW for providing a full-size matching spare.... I rashed up a wheel and it is now my spare tire!
--- end update.
**Special Commendation** to the headlights. They are nothing short of miraculous. The adaptable beam pattern illuminates everything ahead of you, regardless of corners or hills. Cornering lamps and fog lights wrap up the package. What a safety boost!
The Not-As Good
Steering wheel angle is only column-adjusted, so the wheel itself does not pivot independently. I'd like another 1" of drop, but that is purely subjective.
Cubby for the phone is awkwardly located above the shifter and you need to learn to contort your fingers to remove it. Charge is very slow. Also, the only USB ports are USB-C, I had to upgrade my cables.
Lastly, the glove box is so small the Owners Manual will not fit in it. Oh, and whoever designed the OM should be fired... it is very poorly laid out, making your learning curve a bit harder than it needs to be.
What incentives is Volkswagen offering in Columbia, SC?
There are a number of incentives offered by Volkswagen in Columbia, SC. Note that the incentives change every month and can differ based on the make and model of the vehicle. Follow this link on Edmunds for all the latest Volkswagen incentives.
edmundsTESTEDThe Edmunds Vehicle Testing Team evaluates a fresh batch of vehicles every week, pairing objective assessments at our test track with real-world driving on city streets, freeways and winding roads. The data we gather results in our Expert Ratings. They’re based on 30-plus scores that cover every aspect of the automotive experience.
We drove it! Our ratings are based on our Edmunds expert’s extensive vehicle testing.