Volkswagen Arteon R and Arteon R Shooting Brake now on sale in the UK – and cost from £51,615

The new Volkswagen Arteon R – and Arteon R Shooting Brake – go on sale in the UK with 316bhp and 4WD, and prices from £51,615.

It’s all but a year since Volkswagen reveled the facelift for the Arteon, and with it a pair of ‘R’ versions too – the VW Arteon R and Arteon R Shooting Brake – which now go on sale in the UK from, a frankly hefty, £51,615 and £52,435 respectively.

The Arteon has always seemed more of an Audi in VW clothes than any other model in the VW range, but with the pricing for the Arteon R VW are certainly looking for ‘Premium’ money. Still, there’s plenty of goodness on offer.

Under the skin sits VW’s 2.0 litre petrol turbo good for 316bhp going to all four wheels and with a new torque vectoring system to aid grip, XDFS electronic diff lock and Dynamic chassis control, all adding up to 62mph in 4.9 seconds and the promise of good handling.

Tweaks and titivations for the Arteon R include 19″ alloys, 18″ performance brakes, blue calipers, body kit and quad tail pipes, with electric Nappa leather sports seats with massaging, blue stitching, extended flappy paddles for the DSG ‘box and bespoke mats.

The Arteon R also gets extra safety stuff like Side Assist and Rear Cross Traffic as well as LED headlights, 10.25″ digital instruments, Climate, Adaptive Cruise, sunroof (panoramic roof on the Shooting Brake), ambient lighting and privacy glass.

The Volkswagen Arteon R and Arteon R Shooting Brake are now on sale at VW’s UK dealers.