Over the past year, there’s been quite a bit of buzz about the Volkswagen Arteon. These reviews tend to focus around two main points; that the Arteon is quite nice, and that the Arteon is quite expensive – at least, for a Volkswagen. The model starts at $35,000 and if you add a few options it’s not hard to crest $40,000. I did manage to find a SEL 4Motion under $40,000 but it has few options. The 2.0T is rated at 268 horsepower in base form, and you can select front- or all-wheel drive variants and a ton of tech as the price climbs, but initially they’ll all be offered only with an 8-speed ZF automatic. Although outwardly it looks a lot like an Audi A7, and indeed features the same hatchback configuration, like the previous few Passats and Passat CC it is based on the Golf MQB platform.
All this got me to thinking; is it really that radical a departure from the last CC?
CLICK FOR DETAILS: 2013 Volkswagen CC VR6 4Motion Executive on eBay
Year: 2013
Model: CC 4Motion Executive
VIN: WVWGU7AN2DE510459
Engine: 3.6 liter narrow-angle VR6
Transmission: 6-speed dual-clutch DSG
Mileage: 45,153 mi
Location: Buffalo Grove, Il
Price: $14,987 Buy It Now
ONE OWNER SUPER LOADED 2013 VOLKSWAGEN CC VR6 EXECUTIVE 4MOTION! NAVIGATION & BACK-UP CAMERA! HEATED LEATHER SEATS! PANORAMA POWER MOONROOF! DYNAUDIO PREMIUM SOUND SYSTEM! PARK DISTANCE CONTROL! 18 ALLOY WHEELS! NO ACCIDENTS! NO STORIES! CARFAX CERTIFIED! READY FOR THE ROAD! BUY WITH CONFIDENCE OUR QUALIFIED PRE-OWNED VEHICLES ARE COVERED WITH 3 MONTH OR 3,000 MILES *LIMITED VEHICLE PROTECTION WARRANTY. SCHEDULE A TEST DRIVE TODAY 866-700-7274 *************************************************************************************** Lux Cars Chicago is the ultimate source for all your automobile related needs: We offer many products beyond our great cars. We have one of the strongest finance departments in the region to assist you in getting your dream car today! We offer a full spectrum of the finest extended warranties on the market today! We have our own 3~bay ASE certified and AAA approved service facility to help our clients service and maintain their vehicles. We want you to not just drive away happy, but stay happy with your car as long as you own it!
That’s right, the last of the Passat-based CCs offered 4motion AND the awesome 280 horsepower VR6! And you’re thinking now ‘that couldn’t have cost much less than the so-called expensive Arteon’ and you’d be right! The window sticker on this car was nearly $43,000. The ‘Executive’ package added all the niceties you’d expect in this top-level model – heated and ventilated sport seats, touch-screen navigation, LED lights…all here. And magazine reviews generally loved the car, finding few faults in its performance, styling, or build quality. Universally, it was lauded as a cheap Audi.
The CC underwent a styling refresh in 2012, with new headlights, bumper covers and taillights the easiest to recognize parts. While the interior and exterior don’t look quite as fresh and dazzling as the new Arteon, I’d wager that if you popped the CC badges off and slapped Arteon insignias on, few bystanders would tell the difference. But there is a huge one; the CC retained a trunk, while the Arteon has that awesome sweeping hatchback. This one looks nice in Candy White over black with the Interlagos 18″ polished wheels, and the VR6 should be good enough to hustle it to 60 in around 6 seconds while making glorious noises. All of this will set you back less than 50% of the price of a new Arteon – that’s a lot of money for a bit more storage space. While I’ll admit that it’s not as neat looking as the Arteon inside and out, the $21,000 price savings probably indicates where the used Arteon market will be soon if you really prefer the new model.
-Carter
