Test drive BMW 4 Series Gran Coupé and VW Arteon in a comparative test

Will Volkswagen CC successor conquer its place in the sun?

Arteon is to replace two models and work hard at the same time with established four-door coupes like the BMW 4 Series - indeed, quite an ambitious plan. Whether it will be able to do so may be shown by a comparison test between the BMW 430d Gran Coupé xDrive and the VW Arteon 2.0 TDI 4Motion.

Walking through the car parks is probably not the greatest fun in your free time, but it can teach you, at least if you open your eyes. Because for several years now, between vans, SUVs and station wagons, we have seen cars that are too elegant for sedans, but have four doors, that is, they cannot be clean coupes.

And there are more and more low-rise four-door models like the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupé. Because with them coupes are in such a dose that they manage to combine rationality inherent in family cars with elegance uncharacteristic of sedans.

This movement began in 2004 with the Mercedes CLS, followed in 2008 by its first imitator VW Passat CC. That is history, but it did not remain without an heir.

"Arteon", or: the elegance of the VW CC returns

With the Arteon, CC elegance returns to the road – grown in all directions and with an authoritarian façade that makes us feel heightened ambition. Yes, this VW wants to conquer the off-road and perhaps attract another buyer, lamenting the Phaeton, which was sold for much less until its quiet death.

This results in the Arteon, which is only six centimeters longer than the outgoing CC but with a wheelbase of 13, making its Munich rival almost graceful – the Wolfsburg novelty has outgrown the 4 Series Gran Coupé. over 20 centimeters and looks significantly more powerful and massive even without the big 20-inch wheels for 1130 euros, like the car in our test. Larger sizes, of course, have consequences for the interior. In short, the Arteon impresses at the front and especially at the rear with an abundance of space that a BMW model cannot offer, but only to compensate for the intimacy typical of a coupe. To this, in the back of the Bavarian, unequivocally worse comfort is added on hard, not so anatomically upholstered seats.

From the front, everything looks different: BMW sports seats (€550) perfectly integrate the driver and place him harmoniously behind the wheel and pedals, while VW invites you to the balcony – you can sit high on its comfortable ventilated seats with driver massage function (€1570). and not too integrated, as in the VW Passat.

This can spoil the mood of body connoisseurs - a similar effect of the instrument panel layout, which, despite efforts to create an atmosphere, for example, with air vents, looks emphatically simple and reminiscent of a sedan. The saddest and lowest point in Arteon furniture is probably the €565 head-up display. It consists of a rising piece of Plexiglas, which might be acceptable for a compact car, but not for a luxury coupe, which still has a base price of €51 with the most powerful diesel engine tested.

Great driving pleasure in the BMW 430d xDrive Gran Coupé

But let's not rush to conclusions. The BMW model with the Luxury Line, which includes, for example, a standard leather interior and additional options at a lower price, costs 59 euros, which is much more. This does not make the "four" much better in terms of performance and quality of materials.

But there was something good about BMW too! That's right - six cylinders and three liters of displacement between the front wheels, while the VW body should be content with four cylinders and two liters. Here the eyes of ordinary friends light up, and as for the deployment of power, they have a reason. How he just pulls a big bike, how he picks up speed and how he accelerates the “four” is a real beauty! Here it is weaker by 18 hp. and the 60nm Arteon just can't keep up. Although both cars start without rolling tires thanks to their dual transmission, the BMW accelerates from VW to 100 km / h in a whole second, and from 100 to 200 km / h the distance between them is exactly five seconds.

It turns out that more displacement, distributed over more cylinders, is still fully tangible and measurable. First of all, when the engine interacts with such a confidently working automatic, as in BMW. Eight gears are simply shifting more smoothly and more precisely than VW's seven dual-clutch gears, which take a little longer in dynamic driving to level out after cornering.

It is also unusual that the VW sport mode, announced by the lateral movement of the transmission lever, is actually a banal manual mode (the actual sport mode is selected in a more complex way or is configured individually). In the BMW model, moving the lever also results in the sport mode: shifting gears at higher revs, downshifting faster, holding a gear longer – in short, more driving pleasure.

How much fun does BMW cost at the gas station? Regardless of how downsizing advocates swallow it, our cost measurements show that BMW can afford a maximum of 0,4 liters more per 100 kilometers. However, if you look at them as a tax on the silky running of a six-cylinder engine, it's more of a prejudice. Just above 4000 rpm the VW allows for stronger vibrations and a slightly raspy sound. Until then, it runs as smoothly as a regular six-cylinder diesel from Munich, which replaced its handsome timbre with a rougher roar. In addition, the 430d produces more aerodynamic noise when driving fast.

The pleasure never runs out

It is all the more gratifying that BMW continues to be willing to take turns. In normal driving, the car leaves the driver alone and simply does what he asks. If ambition and lateral acceleration, precisely found stopping points and ideal lines interfere with the game, the Quartet joins in, although it already feels like a heavy car and its sport variable steering system (250 euros). ) gives less feedback on the path than Arteon's guide.

In fact, it leans harder and starts to understeer a little earlier, but doesn't go astray. VW has created a vehicle especially suited for active driving and unexpected agility for this size, which, despite somewhat worse times in slalom and obstacle avoidance tests, can be a lot of fun on the road. However, in measuring the stopping distance, the Arteon showed significant drawbacks at an initial speed of 130 km / h and above.

Both coupes receive a suspension comfort rating of no higher than average. On well-groomed roads, both cars feel balanced, even resilient and fit for long trips. But despite the adaptive dampers (standard on the Arteon, €710 extra for the quad), they show weaknesses in long-distance comfort - especially on the VW - with harsh suspension response and a distinctly audible knock on the axles. In addition, the Arteon allows for even greater vertical body vibrations due to the front axle stretching phase softened in comfort mode.

Family coupe buyers will likely want more responsive behavior, which with technically adjustable dampers should be technically feasible. Nevertheless, VW's attack on Arteon was crowned with success. Last but not least, it beats the Gran Coupé Quartet thanks to significantly more support systems and a lower price tag.

Text: Michael Harnishfeger

Photo: Hans-Dieter Zeifert

Evaluation

1. VW Arteon 2.0 TDI 4Motion – 451 points

The Arteon is much more spacious, quieter at high speeds and significantly cheaper, and far ahead of the mates in safety and comfort. However, the brakes should show more enthusiasm.

2. BMW 430d Gran Coupe xDrive – 444 points

The narrower BMW demonstrates superiority in driving pleasure and temperament. The bitter truth, however, is that its six-cylinder engine does not have a smoother, quieter ride.

technical details

1.VW Arteon 2.0 TDI 4Motion	2. BMW 430d Grand Coupe xDrive
Working volume	1968 cc	2993 cc
Power	239 k.s. (176 kW) at 4000 rpm	258 k.s. (190 kW) at 4000 rpm
Maximum torque	500 Nm at 1750 rpm	560 Nm at 1500 rpm
Acceleration 0-100 km / h	6,4 with	5,4 with
Braking distances at a speed of 100 km / h	36,4 m	36,4 m
full speed	245 km / h	250 km / h
Average consumption fuel in the test	7,5 l / 100 km	7,8 l / 100 km
Base Price	51 600 EUR (in Germany)	59 800 EUR (in Germany)