Comments by "Stephen Hendricks" (@stephenhendricks103) on "" video.

  1. Gorgeous vehicle, inside and out. I'm struck by the fact that the Arteon looks much sleeker in this review than in earlier videos and photos of the car. Of course there will be the usual complaints from internet fanboys who think every vehicle should have a five liter V8 under the hood but that ignores both what the Arteon is about and the fact that it's designed to conform to recent (much stricter) changes in EU emission requirements and the much more expensive fuel outside the US. Those who aren't familiar with the 2.0L turbo found in various forms in the GTI and the Golf R (and in even more variants in European VW's) would be surprised at its performance potential. Furthermore, VW is very protective of the engine choices and configurations of its Audi brand (much as Toyota is with Lexus vehicles) and they're unlikely to offer versions of the Arteon that threaten to cannibalize sales of Audi models. So a 3.0L turbo V6 isn't a likely option. VW has a very spotty record in terms of sales of its European spec vehicles. Americans in general are unwilling to pay the price Europeans routinely pay for VW products and it will be interesting to see how the Arteon fares. Sofyan is correct, I think, in categorizing the Arteon as a Grand Touring vehicle, a bit further along that dimension than the Stinger but with a similar mission. KIA, of course, offers the twin turbo V6 in the Stinger but the American market is far more important to KIA than it is to VW and KIA doesn't have to worry nearly as much about cannibalizing sales of a luxury brand closely associated with KIA. (The Genesis G70 is really quite different in terms of its appeal though it shares the Stinger's design and engineering under the sheet metal.)
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  2. I like it, too. But the placement seems a bit odd to me.
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  3. There's talk the VW may offer an Arteon wagon with the 3.6L V6 currently in the Atlas. But it won't be a turbo and I suspect it won't find its way across the pond.
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  4. Not been any serious shopping for a new vehicle lately, have you?
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  5. I've always admired the CC but it had a very difficult time escaping the shadow of the Passat. It began with its name, the Passat CC, and even after the Passat moniker was dropped it retained a reputation of being nothing more than a upper trim Passat. Not fair perhaps but that was the perception in the marketplace. VW needed a somewhat more premium sedan that was clearly distinguishable in name and looks from the Passat.
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  6.  @nizarawawdeh4142  I agree. I, too, am on my second GTI with the magnificent DSG transmission. But I value the DSG in large part because I can treat it exactly as I would a manual transmission except for the fact that it shifts faster than any human being can manage. That feature is much less a priority among those at whom the Arteon is aimed. Many consumers want an automatic transmission to operate seamlessly and silently and don't like the feeling that an "automated manual" transmission provides (which is what a dual clutch transmission is). As someone who drove MT vehicles for about four decades before I purchased my first GTI, I don't feel the same way but I understand I'm in a distinct minority.
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  7. ​ @YasumotoUS  Funny you should mention the Contour. Saw one yesterday. It was a vehicle slightly ahead of its time but the design was executed so poorly that it looked like the hunchback of Notre Dame.
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  8. I agree it's beautiful but I don't lease cars. I plan to be buried in my GTI. :)
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  9.  @mrfreezey1  I looked seriously at the Stinger last year. I've owned two KIA Sorentos so I was disposed to like it. And I did. But sometimes very minor things make a big difference in a personal reaction. In my case it was the fake plastic vents on the side of the Stinger. I don't think I would ever get over looking at them and feeling they're simply cheap. It's a very personal reaction and I wouldn't criticize anyone who overlooks them but I just couldn't get over them.
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  10.  @chris809carhunters  Not happenin'. VW will be happy to sell you an Audi if that's what you're looking for. And VW would be VERY unhappy to think you purchased an Arteon rather than an Audi.
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  11.  @TheUrbanEpicure  What is rather pointless is to review a vehicle more than a year before most viewers can actually purchase it.
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  12.  @DoorisJ  If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
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  13. Unfortunately, no. VW believes the market for the Arteon prefers a traditional torque converter automatic.
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  14. Naming it the California does add insult to injury, I agree. But VW apparently feels, probably correctly, that they couldn't price it competitively in the US. VW has been burned on that score repeatedly.
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  15. I doubt VW would be willing to build one just so you and the other 12 consumers who want one could get one.
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