Volkswagen Passat Range Car Review

Facts At A Glance
Car: Volkswagen Passat range
Prices: £18,470-£26,955 - on the road INSURANCE GROUPS: 8-18 [est]
Emissions: 109-165g/km
Performance: [1.6 TDI BlueMotion saloon] 0-60mph 12.4s / Max Speed 120mph [est]
Fuel Consumption: [1.6 TDI BlueMotion saloon] 70mpg (combined)
Safety: Twin front, side & curtain airbags, ABS, Stability Control
Dimensions: Length/Width/Height mm, 4770/1820/1470 [est]

MORE ELEGANT ASPIRATION

Our Rating: 7.4 / 10

Volkswagen’s seventh generation Passat, which comes as a saloon and estate, is fresh from the roof down and is loaded with the very latest in hi-tech gadgetry. But can it do enough to tempt Mondeo Man? Jonathan Crouch reports

Think of a big-selling Volkswagen and almost inevitably your mind will drift to the Beetle or the Golf. But the ever youthful and newly invigorated Passat is doing a fair job of catching up and this seventh generation picks up the baton with its predecessors already having notched up 15million sales in 37 years and with Volkswagen intent on getting the Passat past the 20million barrier.

Today’s Passat is a thoughtful kind of car. Though it may be one of those models that is all too easy to lose in a car park, you’ve got to love the Volkswagen designer who came up with the idea of a rear end you can open with your hands full. Walk towards the back of the car with the "smart" key fob in pocket, arms filled with shopping bags or two 24-packs of beer, wave your foot under the rear bumper and hey presto – the boot opens!

It’s the sort of ingenuity that has helped Volkswagen sell millions and millions of Passats, in more than 100 countries, since the car was launched almost four decades ago. This model is jammed with such little bits of genius – like massaging seats and a system that warns you if you are about to nod off at the wheel. Or opt for the Park Assist and the car will even park itself. At heart, the car is about as solid a piece of reliable German engineering as you could ever hope to meet. As for the understated bit, well for this car’s loyal followers, that’s all part of its appeal.

Those with an eye on running costs will want the fuel-miserly 1.6 litre TDI diesel, but there’s a wide choice of other engine options. The familiar 2.0-litre TDI, which comes with 140 PS or 170 PS, will doubtless be popular. And unlike other Mondeo-sized medium sector rivals, Volkswagen still thinks there’s a future in this segment for petrol power, so there’s a decent choice of petrol engines - a 122 PS 1.4-litre TSI, a 160 PS 1.8-litre TSI and a 210 PS 2.0-litre unit. Top of the petrol heap is the 300 PS 3.6-litre V6.

For the most part, this is not the car for the adrenalin junkie. The 1.6 litre TDI for instance, takes around 12 seconds to get you to 62mph from a standing start, though the more sprightly 2.0 litre TSI will cut that to eight seconds. Except for the 105 PS 1.6 TDI diesel, this Passat can be specified with a choice either of manual transmission or the highly regarded DSG gearbox which can change gears faster than an Formula One pilot while also cutting fuel use and emissions.

Plus, if your growing family or your job as a sales rep has forced you into the Passat but you still yearn for the sprightliness of the Golf GTI, you can opt for the Volkswagen’s XDS electronic transverse differential. The driving feel is far more responsive with XDS as it reduces understeer and gives greater traction in the wet. The feel of the drive is further enhanced by the rear suspension being isolated by subframes which cut noise levels in the cabin and make for a much more comfortable ride.

This seventh generation model has a more up-market look with trendy LED running lights, chrome to the rear on the bumper and a muted yet distinctively different look that reflects the fact that, except for the roof, every single body panel on the car is redesigned. Many lessons have been learnt in developing the luxury Phaeton saloon and these have been applied to this car. Things like sound deadening materials built into the dash and doors and special acoustic film embedded in the front windows.

Inside, the changes include new door trims and seats, high-end materials and ambience lighting for a plush, distinctly quality feel. The Passat is not just about cosseting comfort though. It is, as the engine range and mpg figures suggest, a very practical and sensible sort of chap and its cavernous carrying capacity underline this. The saloon version gives you 565 litres of boot space, but you can almost double that to 1,001 litres once the rear seats are folded down. For true space though, go for the