Fresh off the lot, our WapCar Ratings sees the facelifted 2021 Volkswagen Arteon R-Line go through our instrumented tests. Locally-assembled (CKD) in Pekan, Pahang, the swoopy sedan is a rival to the BMW 3 Series (G20) and Mercedes-Benz C-Class.

Please keep in mind that scores of the VW Arteon is only relative to its segment and not the entirety of the new-car market.

VW Arteon R-Line: Driving Performance - 42/50, Good power and control

First things first: this is the quickest car in its segment, a fact aided by its 4Motion all-wheel drive (AWD) system that really smoothens out power delivery to the wheels. 

And speaking of power delivery, boy is the Arteon smooth. Despite 280 PS and 350 Nm, taking off from a standstill doesn't feel crazy, but rather progressive, like a large-capacity naturally-aspirated engine typically feels.

In-gear however, it's much better than the pre-facelift model - torque is always on tap, all the way until redline. Sluggish or 'out of puff'? This Arteon doesn't know those terms.

Power's cool and all, but how does it handle? We'll peg it as the good kind of balanced - show it some corners and the Arteon will lap it up as well as it enjoys long-distance trips. But make no mistake, it's no 3 Series when it comes to pure fun-filled dynamism.

VW's offering has a trump card in the form of the flexibility of its Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) settings. Typical of higher-end VW offerings, there's several modes to choose from - from Comfort to Sport - and each tweaks the car's powertrain and suspension accordingly.

VW Arteon R-Line: Ride Comfort - 39/50, DCC dynamism helps

Modes and what they do aside, this is a car that's characterisitically calm and composed. It lacks the relative rear-wheel drive drama and fun-to-drive charm of a 3-er, but conversely you get a heavy surefootedness with the Arteon.

Also read: Personalize your drive with Volkswagen’s Dynamic Chassis Control

But what it may lack in driving involvement, it makes up for it with flexibility. The electronically-adjustable dampers offer something for a wide gamut of situations, be it in Comfort, Normal, or in Sport mode.

Whatever your choice, the Arteon offers good cornering ability, thanks to its progressive steering and electronic limited-slip differential (XDS).

Cabin noise insulation is better than the C200, and level-pegging with the BMW 320i.

Comfort gives an exceptionally smooth ride, while Normal tighten things up a bit at the expense of some suppleness. Sport mode is the most glaring improvement over the pre-facelift, as it feels significantly less busy than before.

Irrespective of modes though, we'll say this - it rides better than the BMW 320i.

VW Arteon R-Line: Quality and Features – 43/50, Lots of goodies

This is car that looks best in showy colours, as this Lapiz Blue example shows. If you'd like something more subdued, there's Oryx White, Deep Black, Pyrite Silver, and Manganese Grey.

It's a shame that the pre-facelift's striking Turmeric Yellow has been cut from the colour line-up

Besides the colour, highlights that this facelift model brings include LED strips on the grille, retouched front and rear bumpers, as well as dual-tone 19-inch 'Montevideo' wheels.

The interior sees several changes that now further differentiates its from its platform sibling, the VW Passat. Key changes includes stitching on the dashboard and multi-piece air-cond vents instead of a single strip.

Nifty features in the interior include 14-way, electronically-adjustable 'Nappa Carbon' leather front seats (with memory feature for the driver's seat), 3-zone automatic climate control, and 30-colour ambient lighting.

The brand's 'Digital Cockpit' system reads out vitals through a fully-digital instrument cluster. Like most recent VWs, we have no qualms about it here: it's easily configurable to show just what you need, and it's bright and vivid enough to be seen in any time of day.

Gone too is the old Dynaudio setup as this facelifted Arteon R-Line now has a 700 Watt, 12-speaker Harman Kardon system. Sound signature is still classic VW, which puts it a class above the BMW 320i's system.

Connectivity-wise, the Arteon offers a pair of 12V sockets, two USB-C ports, as well as wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. While convenient and smooth, the wireless app connectivity does sap your phone's battery.

Credit where it's due, at least this time the Arteon gains Side Assist and a rather jumpy Lane Assist system. But that's really not enough, as the lack of autonomous emergency braking (AEB) means we have to dock some points off of it.

In other aspects of safety the Arteon comes with 7 airbags, driver alert system, hill hold control, and a tyre pressure monitoring system. 

VW Arteon R-Line: Interior space – 36/50, Comfortable cruiser

As for seating comfort, the new R-Line sports bucket-style seats not only look great, they also offer fantastic support. It's 14-way adjustable too, which means there's more than enough adjustment flexibility for all body types to sit comfortably.

The cushions (on all seats) are firm, which some may need time getting used to. The rear seats are a comfortable place to be in as well, with decent thigh support. Rear air-cond vents are a boon.

There's plenty of legroom at the back (four tennis balls) worth, but the price of style means headroom is almost non-existent.

Spaces for stuff are plenty. There's a little coin box underneath the headlight controls, a reasonably-sized glovebox, and rather big door pockets. It's nice that they're felt-lined, which bumps up the 'premium feeling' in the cabin.

EasyOpen and EasyClose are present, so one needs to just kick in order to open or close the tailgate, which opens up to 563 litres of boot space with the rear seats up. Under the boot floor sits a full-size spare tyre and the subwoofer.

VW Arteon R-Line: Fuel consumption – 15/20, Reasonable for its performance

Between 125.7 km of 60% highway and 40% urban driving, the Arteon used up 11.2 litres of fuel from full. Calculated fuel consumption figure is 8.9-litre/100 km (11.2 km/litre), which is bang-on accurate what the in-car calculator read.

Despite being decent for an all-wheel drive, 280 PS car, these are (expectedly) not stellar figures. The BMW 320i is better, with 8.0-litre/100 km (12.5 km/litre).

VW Arteon R-Line: Purchase and cost – 23/30, Good value, pricey maintenance

Starting from RM 248,692 (on-the-road, 50% SST-exempt price valid until 31-Dec 2021) in Malaysia, it's the cheapest among the BMW 320i (RM 252,800) and the Mercedes-Benz C300 AMG Line (RM 291,800).

Note that the C200 has been completely sold out as the W206-generation makes its way here. Even when that happens, it seems that the Arteon will keep its 'cheapest of the trio' tag intact.

Also read: W206 Mercedes C200 to hit RM 300k price tag in Malaysia

Servicing-wise, VW Arteon does command quite a high fee, but at least there's three years free maintenance. Here's how much it costs to maintain one over a five-year period:

VW Arteon R-Line: Conclusion – 198/250 pts overall

Writing this reminds us of the Volvo XC60 - a car that does what it sets out to do so well, with nary a blemish (okay, one glaring one for the Arteon) in all aspects.

The blemish in question is the lack of AEB, and it's fair that some might make of it as a deal breaker. For the most part though, everything else you get in the Volkswagen Arteon R Line - big power, comfortable ride, yet no compromises to space and practicality - says you get plenty of car for the Ringgit, which is why this is our highest-scoring car so far.

Full Ratings List: https://www.wapcar.my/car-ranking

Also read: Review: 2021 Volkswagen Arteon R-Line facelift – Forget the compact execs