• Potent Arteon flagship features 4MOTION all-wheel drive
  • 272 PS, 350 Nm fastback can now reach 62 mph in 5.6 seconds
  • Seven-speed DSG automatic gearbox ensures smooth, swift shifts


Volkswagen’s Arteon five-seat fastback is gaining a new range-topping engine: a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbocharged TSI petrol unit developing 272 PS from 5,100 to 6,500 rpm.

The Arteon’s newest powertrain delivers 272 PS and 350 Nm of torque, allowing the top-of-the-range 2.0-litre TSI-engined Arteon to accelerate to 62mph in just 5.6 seconds – 0.8 seconds quicker even than a Golf GTI Performance – and on to a top speed, where the law permits, of 155 mph.

The powertrain is available for both Arteon trim levels – Elegance or R-Line – and is fitted with 4MOTION all-wheel drive and a DSG automatic gearbox as standard. The 272 PS Arteon starts at £39,065 RRP OTR in luxurious Elegance specification and £39,850 RRP OTR in sportier R-Line form.

Despite the greater power, the 272 PS fastback still offers impressive running costs, emitting 160 g/km CO2 and returning 40.4 mpg on the combined cycle1. Performance is comparable to that of Volkswagen’s other high-performance cars, with the only model to out-accelerate the 272 PS Arteon being the brand’s flagship performance champion: the Golf R.

Like the Golf R, the 272 PS Arteon benefits from Volkswagen’s 4MOTION all-wheel drive system as standard, to provide reliable traction and optimal directional stability at all times, as well as active safety. The system distributes the engine’s power to all four wheels via an all-wheel drive coupling, working together with the car’s ESC (Electronic Stability Control), ASR (Anti-Slip Regulation) and EDS (Electronic Differential Lock) systems to deliver optimum road-holding and traction.

Like the rest of the desirable Arteon range, the 2.0 TSI 272 PS models combine performance, style and practicality, with 563 litres of luggage space rising to 1,557 litres with the rear seats folded.

Launched in September 2017, the dynamically-styled executive class Arteon is based on the flexible Modular Transverse Matrix (MQB) platform, which allows a broad range of powertrains and configurations, as well as access to the very latest in exciting technology.

Volkswagen UK’s Arteon Product Manager, Joe Laurence, said: “The addition of a 272 PS engine to the Arteon range further expands customer choice, with efficient, lower-powered engines at one end of the line-up, and performance-oriented petrol and diesel units at the other.

“Every Arteon of course offers great equipment and competitive running costs, but the new 272 PS version incorporates power and grip advantages – thanks in part to its 4MOTION all-wheel drive – that really underline the car’s premium appeal.”

The Arteon range starts at £32,745 RRP OTR in Elegance specification, and £33,530 RRP OTR in R-Line form, and is available to order now across the Volkswagen UK Retailer network.