Volkswagen R has taken three of its
upcoming models for some serious testing on the Nürburgring Nordschleife. Naturally,
Carscoops spy photographers were there and caught them all on camera, starting with
the all-new VW Golf R we featured earlier today. Now it’s time to give you the
best shots yet of the Arteon R, the upcoming flagship of Volkswagen’s passenger
car lineup.
For its first Nürburgring shakedown, the
Arteon R appears to ditch all camouflage but that’s not exactly the case. Look
closely and you’ll notice some tape and fake details up front. They are there
to hide both the final design of the Arteon R and the facelifted Arteon, as the
performance model will debut as part of the mid-cycle refresh. Anyway, it’s
pretty clear the full blown R-branded Arteon adopts deeper bumpers with bigger
air intakes at the front and a diffuser at the rear. Other exterior elements
serving to differentiate the hot Arteon from lesser variants include the rear
spoiler lip, squared-off quad tailpipes, lowered ride height as well as the
exclusive Volkswagen R wheels hiding beefier brakes with drilled front discs
and blue-painted calipers.
The VW Arteon R prototypes seen here also
feature chrome mirror caps but we’re not sure whether those will be standard or
optional. We don’t get a look at the interior but don’t expect massive changes
over regular Arteon models.
Opinions are split regarding the Arteon
R’s powertrain. Some sources claim it will feature the brand’s new 3.0-liter
VR6 twin-turbocharged engine with roughly 400 PS. Others believe the
engine will be a 2.0-liter turbo-four from the upcoming Golf R, rated at around
333 PS. The smaller engine seems like a safer bet as it would be more
economically viable for VW. Regardless of who’s right, expect a 4Motion
all-wheel drive system and a DSG dual-clutch transmission to come as standard.
The VW Arteon R should debut in the final quarter of this year, followed by
Arteon R Shooting Brake in the first half of 2021.
