German Tuner ABT Has Turned The Volkswagen Arteon Into A Kia-Stinger-Rivaling Performance Sedan

26 Oct 2017

Launched just four months ago to replace the luxurious Phaeton and the “I-am-not-a-Passat” CC, the Volkswagen Arteon has already received a special treatment by German tuning company ABT, putting it on the same performance levels as the Kia Stinger.

The Volkswagen Arteon and the Kia Stinger are pretty similar to begin with: They are both some weird kinds of 4-door-coupé-sedan-hatchback-thingies which want to be cooler than the common Passats or Optimas, and they also cost about the same. There is a significant difference separating the two cars, though: Whilst the Arteon’s main focus lies on comfort and everyday usage, the Kia focusses on performance and driving pleasure.
But what if you wanted the power of the Stinger paired with the German subtlety of the Arteon? This is where German tuning company ABT comes in, upgrading the Arteon’s engine and slightly modifying the exterior to put it on the same performance level as its South-Korean counterpart.

Even after the engine upgrade, the Arteon’s four-cylinder can’t quite match the 370 hp from the Stinger’s six-pot, but a 56 hp upgrade from 280 to 336 hp is still pretty impressive. ABT achieved this upgrade in power thanks to a new engine control unit, which also ups the torque from 350 to 420 Nm (258 to 310 ft-lb) and - according to the tuning company - doesn’t influence the reliability or lifespan of the engine.

Apart from engine upgrades, the ABT Arteon can of course be extensively customized, for example with a suspension package or 19, 20 or 21 inch in-house alloys. The set of wheels alone costs from 2,190 up to 4,090€ depending on the size, with the performance upgrades being quite a bit cheaper at 2,290€.

However, as the base price of an Arteon is only 49,325€, the ABT version costs pretty much the same as a stock Stinger, which comes in at 54,900€ when powered by the six-pot mentioned above.

Which one do you prefer - the Stinger or the Arteon? Comment below!
Tobi aka The Stig’s German Cousin

Comments

i need this now

The arteon looks sexy!

I agree! I don’t like the looks of the stock one, but silver suits it a lot better than “emoji yellow” which Volkswagen always uses for Arteon images, and with these rims and the subtle bodykit this ABTeon really doesn’t look too bad!

I’d still go for the Stinger. The amount of VWs I see daily ruins it for me, as well as the styling of the Arteon

I would also go for the Stinger - it’s just not as perfect, not as boring as the Volkswagen.

I really like how the Arteon looks, but after I watched some reviews, I found it rather boring on the inside and on the road…well, guess this fixes my problems with it
But as the other CTzens said, I’d go for the Stinger

The Arteon is probably the best looking VW I’ve ever seen. I’d say it even looks better than Audi’s new A5

Simple reason to go for the stinger. Rwd handling with bmw pedigree, and a nice V6. Probably more reliable too…

Also der ABT ist echt der Hammer! Den normalen Arteon finde ich nur so lala, aber der hier ist super geworden. Vom design her reizt er mich mehr als der Stinger dessen Heck mir nicht so gefaellt, aber was den Motor angeht ist der Kia deutlich interssanter als der VW mit seinem 4 Ender. Im endeffekt wuerde ich den Arteon waehlen.