2022 Volkswagen Arteon pricing: Fastback to replace Passat sedan in Australia

The 2022 Volkswagen Arteon is set to replace the Passat sedan as the German brand’s mid-sized four-door offering in Australia.

Volkswagen’s local arm told Wheels it was planning to remove the Passat sedan from its showrooms temporarily and the move is expected to become permanent. The nameplate will continue with the wagon versions, including the Passat Alltrack.

Passat sedans, along with wagons, will also continue to be provided to NSW and Victoria police forces and other emergency services.

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The decision to discontinue private sales of the Passat sedan coincides with the pricing announcement for the updated Arteon range, which has launched this week after a lengthy, WLTP-related, absence for the nameplate.

The Arteon range, which includes a 140TSI variant and Shooting Brake wagon for the first time, is slightly more expensive than initially quoted by Volkswagen in mid-2021.

An entry-level Arteon 140TSI Elegance now costs from $61,740 rather than $59,990, and the sportier 206TSI R-Line is priced from $68,740 instead of $66,990.

There’s a $2000 premium for the Arteon Shooting Brake, a sloping-roofed wagon that offers only a small increase in luggage capacity over the coupe-style sedan.

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The Shooting Brake’s 565-litre boot provides only three extra litres of volume. The capacity gap is larger when comparing load bays with rear seats folded: 1632 versus 1557 litres.

The Passat wagon’s 650-litre boot, which expands to 1780 litres, gives it a key practicality advantage that helps its case in the line-up.

VW Australia’s product manager for passenger vehicles admitted market trends had forced it to rationalise its offerings in the segment.

“Sedan sales have gone down in the entire industry,” said Glenn Reid. “But we have had a successful relationship with the police, and that in effect has been keeping the [Passat] sedan alive for us.

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“The [Passat] wagon body style is a lot more popular [with private buyers]. There’s still room for the Passat wagon. It’s a different customer, in the sense that it’s a more practical vehicle. And it has a bigger boot capacity than the Arteon Shooting Brake.

“We haven’t made a firm decision on the [long-term future of the] Passat sedan, but we are going to stop sales for a while to help fulfil police requirements. It is under threat [going forward].”

If the Passat sedan exits the market permanently, entry to a four-door Volkswagen will jump from $47,690 to $61,740.

Volkswagen Australia said there was effectively no entry-level Arteon as it had given the most affordable version a high specification, though the 140TSI features a less powerful engine than the 162TSI Passat Elegance sedan.

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Standard features for the Arteon 140TSI Elegance include; 19-inch alloy wheels, front/rear parking sensors, adaptive dampers, matrix LED headlights, surround view, blind-spot and rear cross traffic monitoring, and travel assist partial-autonomous driving mode.

The 140TSI is a front-wheel-drive model powered by a 140kW/320Nm 2.0-litre turbo-petrol.

A $7000 premium for the 206TSI R-Line brings; 20-inch alloy wheels, R-Line body kit, all-wheel drive and a more powerful four-cylinder engine with 206kW and 350Nm.

Options for both grades are limited to a $2000 sunroof and an $800 three-coat oryx white paint.

The Arteon was first released in 2017 as a successor to the Passat CC.

2022 Volkswagen Arteon and Passat Australian pricing

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