Arteon (used) as R36 replacement?

[nermal]

I have an R36 that's starting to show it's age and am considering an update. Probably a bit overdue for that, but I've been really happy with it and it's a bit of a classic - frequently asked if I'm selling it =)

Now that the Arteon is back in showrooms and with leases etc coming to an end, I'm seeing quite a few second hand ones for sale with low kms and sunroof/dynaudio (my R36 has these also).

If the 2022 Arteon was offered at the old pricing, I'd consider a new one, but ventilated seats are the only new feature I can see that I'm interested in...

Has anyone gone from an R36 to an Arteon? What has been your experience? Is it a similar beast, or more of a more tame/refined family car?

Anything I should be looking for or avoiding in a 2nd hand Arteon?

[kamold]

If we'd gotten the full-fat Arteon Shooting brake R here I would be looking at it as an upgrade (for the Octavia of course, not the R36).
Given we got short changed on that front I'd probably look at swapping to a 2.5VR6T from the Chinese Terramont.

I do quite like the look of the previous Arteon sedan. And the EA888 Gen3 is a well known quantity for tuning. They come fully loaded with the features here given their small numbers.

[nermal]

If we'd gotten the full-fat Arteon Shooting brake R here I would be looking at it as an upgrade (for the Octavia of course, not the R36).
Given we got short changed on that front I'd probably look at swapping to a 2.5VR6T from the Chinese Terramont.

I do quite like the look of the previous Arteon sedan. And the EA888 Gen3 is a well known quantity for tuning. They come fully loaded with the features here given their small numbers.

I was following the Arteon when it first came out and was considering buying one new back then - really liked the look and the updated tech. Was a little disappointed that it wasn't any faster than the R36, but at least you can tune it easily to get that extra performance.

[nermal]

So, I took a fully-optioned 2018 Arteon R-Line with 30K kms for a test drive today. Overall a nice car, but a different kind of beast to the R36.

The R36 is more of a raw, punchy beast, where the Arteon is more comfortable, refined and well... tame. I guess that mostly comes down to a VR6 that just want to jump off the line, vs a turbo 4 that has to rev up more and content with turbo lag. I'm used to being pushed into my seat with loads of torque on tap, where with the Arteon I was virtually shuffling forward in my seat, willing it to take off - though once it got going it had some pull.

A decent tune should help a lot with that I assume - needs better throttle response and some more torque, especially off the mark.

Otherwise, build-wise the Arteon has some creaks in the rear (parcel shelf I assume) and rattles in the driver door when I turned up the Dynaudio - neither of my 14 year-old Passats have these creaks/rattles, but pre-GFC was a different era (what happened to umbrellas in the doors! we use these all the time) ...

Overall, the 10-year newer Arteon would be an upgrade tech-wise and offers a lot more options for performance upgrades... and my spine would really appreciate the suspension, tho just not sure if I could throw it into corners at high speed like the R36 ... I think we were really spoilt with the R36, wish VW still made them.

On the replacement decision, I guess it really depends on the deal.. my head says yes, heart says no...

[gableguy]

Two months ago I upgraded from a Highline V6 wagon (ie the successor to your R36, only cosmetic differences but identical drive train) to a 2018 Arteon.

I loved my Passat, absolutely loved it. But the Arteon is better in just about every way.

Turned out that I got super lucky; I bought my Arteon from a BMW dealership, who it appeared didn't realise it had been tuned (stage 1 APR, also DSG tune). I took it to get tuned; they told me it had already been done. It's quite dramatically faster than the V6. Yes it's a different power delivery - the V6 is famously linear, and turbos of course are not - but once you get used to it it's rather fun having the immense shove in the back around 3000rpm! Blip the paddle shifters and you're never left wanting for response.

The cargo area is significantly longer. Lower roof, but how often does that matter? Also a lot more legroom for rear passengers (and headroom is fine for my 187cm frame).

Uses about 30-40% less fuel. I consistently get 900km from a tank.

Looks about a thousand times better than a Passat. To me, anyway. The R36 is better looking than my Highline admittedly, but the Arteon is just a gorgeous design.

Dynaudio stereo is pretty decent. Again, notable improvement over the R36. The sub goes pretty low, 40hZ or so.

To me it's a vastly nicer car... Buy I've only driven one that's had DSG & stage 1 tune. Factor those prices in when you buy, but I suggest it's hugely worth it.

[Vedi]

I haven't driven an R36, but the obvious difference will be the naturally aspirated R36 vs the turbo induction of the Arteon. On paper they seem to run similar times. The Arteon has a bit of boost lag, but even a stage 1 tune makes a large difference to performance. EA888 engines don't mind running higher boost and the DSG gearbox will keep up without any issues.

Being a larger car I was impressed how the Arteon handled stock. I had expected I would need at least upgraded sway bars, but it sits surprisingly well through corners.

If the car was not dealer serviced, keep an eye out it had the S-Suction-jet pump recall completed, you can put the VIN in here:
Service Campaigns and Recalls | Volkswagen Australia

The centre touch screen for a few VW's around this age had an issue with black lines running vertically down the screen. Some threads here say they may replace them outside of warranty, but worth checking with the owner.

Also worth noting that 2019 Arteon's will have the 5 year warranty, rather than 3 years.

MY17 and early MY18 also had traction control (ESC) on/off as a button next to the gear stick, but was removed in later models. It can still be toggled via the touch screen but not as easily accessible if that is important to you.

[nermal]

Two months ago I upgraded from a Highline V6 wagon (ie the successor to your R36, only cosmetic differences but identical drive train) to a 2018 Arteon.

I loved my Passat, absolutely loved it. But the Arteon is better in just about every way.

Turned out that I got super lucky; I bought my Arteon from a BMW dealership, who it appeared didn't realise it had been tuned (stage 1 APR, also DSG tune). I took it to get tuned; they told me it had already been done. It's quite dramatically faster than the V6. Yes it's a different power delivery - the V6 is famously linear, and turbos of course are not - but once you get used to it it's rather fun having the immense shove in the back around 3000rpm! Blip the paddle shifters and you're never left wanting for response.

The cargo area is significantly longer. Lower roof, but how often does that matter? Also a lot more legroom for rear passengers (and headroom is fine for my 187cm frame).

Uses about 30-40% less fuel. I consistently get 900km from a tank.

Looks about a thousand times better than a Passat. To me, anyway. The R36 is better looking than my Highline admittedly, but the Arteon is just a gorgeous design.

Dynaudio stereo is pretty decent. Again, notable improvement over the R36. The sub goes pretty low, 40hZ or so.

To me it's a vastly nicer car... Buy I've only driven one that's had DSG & stage 1 tune. Factor those prices in when you buy, but I suggest it's hugely worth it.

Thanks, that's very helpful.

Yeah, the Arteon sure looks great and drives nice - 900km to a tank would be amazing . From what I hear even the Audi coding switch improves the soggy throttle response, though I'd want to get it tuned - so any performance shop recommendations are appreciated (ideally Brisbane).

I think it's probably more of an emotional decision, so I probably just need to jump in. If anyone is selling one, please let me know - there a few dealer options to choose from, but a private sale could offer better value for both sides. Looking to move quickly once inspection/checks are completed.

[nermal]

I haven't driven an R36, but the obvious difference will be the naturally aspirated R36 vs the turbo induction of the Arteon. On paper they seem to run similar times. The Arteon has a bit of boost lag, but even a stage 1 tune makes a large difference to performance. EA888 engines don't mind running higher boost and the DSG gearbox will keep up without any issues.

Being a larger car I was impressed how the Arteon handled stock. I had expected I would need at least upgraded sway bars, but it sits surprisingly well through corners.

If the car was not dealer serviced, keep an eye out it had the S-Suction-jet pump recall completed, you can put the VIN in here:
Service Campaigns and Recalls | Volkswagen Australia

The centre touch screen for a few VW's around this age had an issue with black lines running vertically down the screen. Some threads here say they may replace them outside of warranty, but worth checking with the owner.

Also worth noting that 2019 Arteon's will have the 5 year warranty, rather than 3 years.

MY17 and early MY18 also had traction control (ESC) on/off as a button next to the gear stick, but was removed in later models. It can still be toggled via the touch screen but not as easily accessible if that is important to you.

Interesting... I've been looking at 2018 options with ~30-40K kms, but there's also a 2019 one (interstate) with 45K kms at similar (dealer) pricing. A 5 year warranty adds a little more value to the equation =)

[gableguy]

Depending on how hard you plan to go with the tuning, all my research pointed to APR being best bang for buck. $1k for about 20% increase in power & torque - amazing value.

From what I can also tell, it's vastly better and safer going with one of the tried & true tunes like APR, Revo, ABT etc. Much safer to go with well-tested programs that have thousands of installs around the world than some dude monkeying around without knowing stock tolerances. There are several threads on here by guys with destroyed gearboxes resulting from such monkeying.

But if you're going Stage 2/3 then make sure you document your journey for all of us who will live vicariously through you. There was a Stage 3 Arteon for sale in NSW when I bought mine last Feb (might still be available FAIK), which I did briefly consider test driving; I chose to keep my licence instead...

[nermal]

Yeah, sounds good. I'm guessing the tune voids any factory warranty?

Something else I need to consider between a 2019 (in 5-year warranty) vs 2018 (out of 3-year warranty).