There's a little more oomph in every 2022 Volkswagen Arteon these days. The brand released information on the hatchback sedan's updates on Monday and revealed a pretty healthy power boost to the car. With its 2.0-liter turbo-four engine under the hood, the Arteon now makes 300 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque.
Prior to the update, the car made 268 hp and 258 lb-ft of torque, which should make the Arteon a much snappier thing when accelerating. In addition to squeezing more power out of the engine, VW also ditched the eight-speed automatic transmission. In its place sits a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. Combined with the power bump, the Arteon should feel a whole lot sportier.
The engineering changes match the car's new aura since VW opted to make the R-Line looks standard across the board. With the change, the trims shift to SE R-Line, SEL R-Line and SEL Premium R-Line. A set of 18-inch wheels are standard across the board, rear parking distance control and wireless phone charging also join the liftback sedan's roster of equipment. Moving through the trims, the SEL R-Line gains all-wheel drive as standard, and buyers can swap out the 18-inch wheels for a set of 20-inch dark graphite ones.
All the improvements push the Arteon further upmarket, however. While you could nab an Arteon for under $40,000 previously, the car now starts at $41,190 after a $1,195 destination charge. The premium sedan still doesn't have many rivals in this space, but if anything, these changes make it a lot easier to cross shop against the Kia Stinger.
