The sharper suited Volkswagen Passat is priced and good to go as VW ready the order books on October 7th with first deliveries expected to reach UK customers by January 2015, entry level models start from £22k.
VW claim the Passat offering is now aimed at a more premium market, and if you are not convinced VW are throwing in a few tech toys to try and persuade you.
VW’s wunderkind is slightly longer, 85kg lighter and offers increased lebensraum and a more efficient range of engines that reduces C02 emissions by up to 14 percent. At launch the UK market will have a choice of 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre diesel engines which will include the 2.0-litre b-turbo 4MOTION(4WD), a 240PS tog dog, allied with a DSG gearbox.
A plugin-hybrid using the 1.4-litre TSi gasoline engine and an electric motor will arrive in October 2015.
Trim levels total five, it will look quite familiar if you are a current or potential Passat man, S, SE, SE Business, GT and the top of the range R-Line. The efficient BlueMotion will arrive in June 2015 followed by the Alltrack off-road estate in July of the same year. The BlueMotion model uses a 1.6-litre diesel engine and features a host of efficiency measures, VW claims it returns 78mpg and emits 95g/km. Our tip is never believe the fuel economy stats, they are scientifically “exaggerated”.
New optional tech equipment includes Car-Net which is internet on the move, Predictive Pedestrian Protection, and one one worrying feature called Trailer Assist. Its too painful for us to go into how this technology works, VW assumes buyers of the Passat will go onto buy…caravans…trailers… These people known as apostates.
The 8th generation Passat join’s the digital instrument cluster party rather late, this technology replaces traditional analogue speedometers, and what not, with an interactive 12.3 inch TFT display, UK customers will have to wait until 2015 when it becomes available. A head up display system will also become available next year too.
Its hard to believe the Passat has been around since 1973, 22 millions have been sold thus far. As usual VW’s model price list offers more choice than an American diner. Do you want want cheese with that sir?