The Volkswagen Arteon, which is expected to launch in South Africa early in 2018, has already been reworked by German tuner, ABT Sportsline. And, yes, the four-door, Passat-based fastback has been given an obligatory bump in power.
With a V6 engine not yet confirmed, ABT set to work on the Arteon’s turbocharged 2,0-litre four-cylinder engine, fitting an engine control unit that boosts peak power from the stock 206 kW to 247 kW and maximum torque from 350 N.m to 420 N.m.
This added oomph is delivered to all four wheels thanks to the Wolfsburg-based brand’s 4Motion system, via a seven-speed DSG transmission. Unfortunately, ABT has not revealed any performance figures, so we don’t know exactly how much faster the tuned Arteon is than the standard model.
Interestingly, ABT has not changed much in terms of styling. Fitted with the R-Line styling kit, the Arteon has been lowered thanks to a set of sports suspension springs and runs on 19-inch ABT Sport ER-C alloy wheels wrapped in 245/40 R19 tyres. The tuner says 20- and 21-inch alloys will also be available as options.