Subaru WRX vs Volkswagen Arteon: Specs Compared

Running cost over five years: at the EPA's 15,000-mile-a-year assumption the Volkswagen Arteon burns about $2,700 of fuel annually against $3,150 for the Subaru WRX. That $450 yearly gap compounds to roughly $2,250 over five years and $3,600 over eight — often more than the price difference between two trims of the same vehicle, and the single largest running-cost line item separating these two.

City and highway economy: the Volkswagen Arteon leads in both cycles — 25 mpg city and 34 mpg highway against 21 and 28 mpg — so its fuel-efficiency advantage holds whether you commute in traffic or cover long highway miles.

Powertrain choice: the Subaru WRX is recorded with 2 distinct engine configurations (SIDI, 2.5), the Volkswagen Arteon with 1 (SIDI). Across 32 recorded Subaru WRX configurations and 11 for the Volkswagen Arteon, the wider the engine spread the more the real-world fuel efficiency depends on which version you actually buy, so check the specific model year and drivetrain rather than the headline number.

Drivetrain and class: the Subaru WRX is offered with All-Wheel Drive, the Volkswagen Arteon with All-Wheel Drive, Front-Wheel Drive. All-wheel drive typically costs one to two mpg combined against the same vehicle in front- or rear-wheel drive, which is worth remembering when the gap between these two is small. The EPA classes them as Compact Cars and Large Cars respectively — the class drives the interior volume, cargo space and passenger space each one is measured against.

Tailpipe emissions: at their cleanest configurations the Volkswagen Arteon emits 318 g/mile of CO2 versus 374 g/mile for the Subaru WRX. Emissions track fuel consumption almost exactly, so the cleaner vehicle here is also the cheaper one to fuel.