Volkswagen Arteon practicality and boot space

• Lots of active safety systems available
• The most cutting edge are only optional, though
• Arteon receives a five-star NCAP score

If it’s safety you want, the Arteon’s got it. In addition to all the airbags, electronic stability control systems and autonomous emergency braking capability we’ve come to expect from the latest cars, there are stacks of even more advanced systems on offer, too.

Volkswagen Arteon coupe safety systems

The Arteon’s Adaptive Cruise Control system is the first in a VW that monitors speed limits (using the Speed Assistant) and refers to sat-nav data (the Bend Assistant) in order to automatically adjust the set speed.

This is yet another step on the path towards autonomous cars – though not everyone will appreciate its good intentions, and don’t expect the speed adjustments to be infallible.

In practice it works remarkably well, slowing down not just for speed limits but also junctions and other hazards. It also accelerates back up to new limits with alacrity, and steers itself very smoothly for short periods. Genuinely impressive.

Second-generation Autonomous Emergency Braking 

The Arteon also features a second-generation Emergency Assist system. Should the driver become incapacitated for some reason, Emergency Assist can now not only slow the car to a stop, it can also steer the car to the side of the road (say from the outside lane of a motorway to the inside).

It works by combining the Adaptive Cruise Control, Side Assist blindspot monitoring system and (the standard-fit) Lane Assist lane guidance system – but only works when traffic approaching from behind makes it safe to do so.

Again, this appears to work remarkably well in as far as we’ve been able to safely test it.

Active headlights available

Next innovation is an updated Dynamic Light Assist system. This improves upon conventional ‘cornering lights’ (which illuminate bends as you turn the steering wheel) by integrating this ability with a forward-facing camera and the sat-nav route data.

This means it can illuminate corners before you’ve turned the steering wheel. We’re yet to be able to test this, but it sounds helpful anyway.

The PreCrash system – which prepares the car in cases of unavoidable impact – now reacts not only to dangers detected by extreme handling changes and objects in front but also dangers from the rear.

Meanwhile Traffic Jam Assist will take care of driving in congestion up to 37mph, using a combination of sensors – but as with most of the above, only in situations where it is able to detect the lane markings successfully.

The Arteon also features an active bonnet to help reduce injury to pedestrians should the worst happen.

How many Isofix car seats can I fit in a Volkswagen Arteon coupe?

There are two Isofix mountings in the Arteon, one on each of the outer rear seats.

Volkswagen Arteon Euro NCAP rating

Euro NCAP has given the Arteon a five-star score, reflecting the raft of safety equipment available – both optional and as standard. With its extensive range of available active safety systems – and the fact that it’s based on the Passat – this score wasn't unexpected, but very welcome in 2017's tougher Euro NCAP tests.

The Arteon’s large footprint means there is plenty of room for passengers front and rear, though anyone in the middle rear is forced to straddle the transmission tunnel in four-wheel drive models, making that seat best suited to smaller children.

The Arteon may look slinky in the pictures, but in reality this is a large car – lower but wider and longer than the VW Passat.

Still, that length is comfortably under five metres, so it isn’t so massive that car parks become unmanageably awkward. But you probably will want to check the dimensions of your garage before purchase.

Proving that you don’t have to sacrifice practicality when you opt for a slinkier, sportier car, the Arteon’s enormous boot is accessed via a large tailgate, giving it an immediate edge over its four-door CC predecessor.