Ready to splash out on Volkswagen's premium Arteon coupe? Order books for the CC successor are now open – with prices starting at £34,805.

That puts the fastback coupe above the Passat in Volkswagen’s range, rivalling the £33,110 BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe and £32,965 Audi A5 Sportback. While the Volkswagen might sound expensive compared to executive rivals (including from sister firm Audi), cheaper models will follow in due course in the form of a 150hp 1.5-litre TSI petrol.

At launch, buyers will will get the choice of a 280hp 2.0-litre TSI petrol and a 2.0-litre turbodiesel with 150 or 240hp. The former takes just 5.6 seconds to reach 62mph, while the diesel covers the sprint in 6.5 seconds in 240hp guise and 9.1 seconds from the 150hp model.

As well as the 1.5-litre, a 190hp version of the 2.0-litre petrol will follow in the near future.

There are just two trim levels to choose from – the luxurious ‘Elegance’ or sporty ‘R-Line’ trim. The Elegance model includes chrome exterior trim and bling 18-inch wheels along with LED headlights, cruise control and an eight-inch infotainment system, while the R-Line adds sports seats, gloss black highlights and a rear spoiler.

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Volkswagen hasn’t held back in loading the upmarket Arteon with kit. All models come with assistance systems such as lane assist, autonomous city braking and a driver fatigue warning system. A new generation of adaptive cruise control will debut on the Arteon. This uses GPS-based road data to read speed limits, and adjust the car’s speed as appropriate. Meanwhile, a road recognition system uses the front camera and data from the navigation system to adjust the car’s speed prior to corners, roundabouts and road junctions.

Demonstrators will arrive at dealerships in a month’s time, with customer deliveries starting later in the year.

Source: Volkswagen

Gallery: Volkswagen Arteon