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Arteon after A7?

5K views 37 replies 11 participants last post by  sharif_armstrong 
#1 ·
I've been driving a hand-me-down 2012 A7 for the past year until it was recently totalled. It was incredible to drive and now I have to replace it. I've test driven the A5 sportback and the Arteon....I love the Arteon look and specs but am bummed out by its lack of punch in low gear....the A5 was much more immediate in accelerating....smaller trunk and backseat plus higher cost an issue. My choices dictated by budget right now are 2017 A7, 2018 A5 SB or 2019 Arteon SEL Rline. What should I do? I want the Arteon, but worried that the lack of punch at low speed is going to drive me crazy.... anybody have similar experience? Thoughts on tuning for the Arteon?
 
#2 · (Edited)
Based on the list, I'd go with the 2017 A7; unless you're worried about maintenance costs.
Arteon's performance isn't something to write home about. It is more of a relaxed freeway cruiser.

I'd have gone the Audi route myself, but the wife preferred a new car (for the warranty) with maximum tech features while being a non-fancy badge.

ps: I didn't compare the tech features between the Arteon and 2017 A7, since you've focused on the driving experience.
 
#5 ·
Yeah, but I have a commute and want the adaptive cruise control.... got used to it on the A7. It comes with premium plus on the A7, but only with Prestige on the A5 ( I dont need heads up display).... I like the idea of the warranty and a little worried about A7 with 40k miles.... never turned before, sounds too good to be true!
 
#17 ·
i honestly do not believe power is an issue with the Arteon with a tune.
the fact that we can get 360hp and 350tq AND keep the factory warranty (if anything goes wrong, the dealer still may honor it) or at the very least, get the warranty through APR puts the Arteon on a pedestal.

we have the same space as the A7 and it comes with ACC. i honestly do not see the problem here. unless its just coming down to personal preference with everyone.
 
#22 ·
I'll slightly disagree with the 'lack of power' issue on the Arteon - it's not going to have the overall power and speed of an A7, but I don't personally find the Arteon to be any less urgent than the A5 Sportback...I think the Arteon may need to 'learn' a bit - if you're aggressive with the throttle and pick the right settings in the DCC settings, it can be made responsive but comfortable, classic GT style. Personally what I'd consider the A7 to be. Keep the transmission in Sport/S, and not normal, which will help with sportier acceleration without as much lag and early shifting.

The difference in space and room inside between the A5 and Arteon is big - the Arteon is closer to the A7's measurements - in fact, it has MORE rear seat leg room and more cargo capacity than the A7. So if the A7's size is more what you're looking for, the Arteon will be much closer in fit and feel.
 
#35 ·
Coming from a 2017 Audi A7 3.0T Prestige myself, the only difference I see in performance is the 0-40/0-60 jump. The A7 has instant and lag free supercharger acceleration when you floor it, makes you feel dizzy for a second, while the Arteon has a slight delay from the start, and a lack of a drag mode (launch control) that my A7 had. That's why easing in then flooring the throttle to the click is best.

The A7 would shift 1-2, 2-3 really aggressively when you had ESP off and dynamic mode. From 50-120, I see no difference in acceleration between the A7 or the Arteon. It's the same exact pull and time. Negligible difference, if any, at speed.

I don't see any difference whatsoever in everyday driving, especially on the freeway. Floor the Arteon at 70, pushes you in the seat, and you are at 120 in a blink. Smooth and quiet. I will probably go for a stage 1 tune for fun, but it's not something I care about. Stage 1 will for be faster than a stock A7 at pretty much every speed. You are looking at 360+hp and 350+ torque, which the A7 does not even have. Yours would be even less at 310hp being a 2012. Feature wise, Arteon is much more tech packed than my 2017 was.

I had a 2014 A5 2.0T Coupe before the A7, and that car was much worse off the line than my Arteon, and at speed, no comparison. Arteon is much quicker. Transmission acts faster, and shifts are crisper.

The new A7 is a mild hybrid and has the same performance as the older A7, until it's battery is drained. From there, it becomes much slower.

Hope this helps!

Sharif
 
#30 ·
well I went and got an Arteon SEL-P today! I talked to a service guy and he said that the tuning flag gets transmitted to VW as soon as they see it and it causes them to question any issues with engine, transmission and ECU....for instance, if your windows stop working, they could say you messed with the ECU....

....I'm still very much considering getting the tune......
 
#31 ·
My opinion is that APR have to provide a warranty for their business to work. In the end it all boils down to a reduced life on the car and that really only matters on depending on how long your own it. If you want the tune, I’d say go for it. APR are basically playing a numbers game - most that get the tune wont be using the ful capabilities all the time - racing away from every traffic light, and using max revs - the streets in USA don’t allow it. Different story in germany where the engine could be operating on max power for hours - screaming up the autobahn at 250km/hr on full and continuous throttle. If 1 in 20 engines fail they can cover it.

anyway, I think if you had a problem, in all honesty I think VW would dodge the repair - they already Try to do that when you do your own service - the reason I send oil sample to the lab at each oil change to record the oil change history:):):).
 
#33 ·
there are some key details that are being left out here.

first, VW doesnt "void the warranty" thats actually illegal to do in the U.S. and cannot be done. when you take your car in the techs will always perform a scan, if that scan detects a change in the ECU reprogram field, its flagged as TD1 and automatically sent to VW and their database. (same thing that Audi does) now say that you are having an issue, they cannot decline the warranty work until it is proven that the ECU tune or aftermarket part is the actual cause. but lets be real here, thats easy to do if we have a tune on the car and the engine fails, they will just say it was operating outside of its designed specs.

now to get around that, you can get the APR Plus tune, which for an extra 400 dollars more APR will provide a powertrain warranty for as long as you have your factory powertrain warranty. so if your engine needs replaced and VW will not do it, simply tow the car to an authorized APR shop and they will cover the repair in full. simple as that. everything else that is covered by warranty is still covered no matter what.

in the end it will always be a risk of tuning and having a failure, however these off the shelf tunes are pretty safe and i have done it with no issues. as stated previously, its not like we are driving full throttle everywhere we are going anyway...
 
#36 ·
Coming from a 2017 Audi A7 3.0T Prestige myself, the only difference I see in performance is the 0-40/0-60 jump. The A7 has instant and lag free supercharger acceleration when you floor it, makes you feel dizzy for a second, while the Arteon has a slight delay from the start, and a lack of a drag mode (launch control) that my A7 had. That's why easing in then flooring the throttle to the click is best.

The A7 would shift 1-2, 2-3 really aggressively when you had ESP off and dynamic mode. From 50-120, I see no difference in acceleration between the A7 or the Arteon. It's the same exact pull and time. Negligible difference, if any, at speed.

I don't see any difference whatsoever in everyday driving, especially on the freeway. Floor the Arteon at 70, pushes you in the seat, and you are at 120 in a blink. Smooth and quiet. I will probably go for a stage 1 tune for fun, but it's not something I care about. Stage 1 will for be faster than a stock A7 at pretty much every speed. You are looking at 360+hp and 350+ torque, which the A7 does not even have. Yours would be even less at 310hp being a 2012. Feature wise, Arteon is much more tech packed than my 2017 was.

I had a 2014 A5 2.0T Coupe before the A7, and that car was much worse off the line than my Arteon, and at speed, no comparison. Arteon is much quicker. Transmission acts faster, and shifts are crisper.

The new A7 is a mild hybrid and has the same performance as the older A7, until it's battery is drained. From there, it becomes much slower.

Hope this helps!

Sharif
 
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