Team-BHP > The Indian Car Scene


Reply
  Search this Thread
21,934 views
Old 18th October 2018, 11:59   #1
Senior - BHPian
 
TusharK's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: Pune
Posts: 6,177
Thanked: 55,001 Times
Volkswagen Passat Connect launched at Rs. 25.99 lakh! A significant price cut

The Volkswagen Passat now comes with Volkswagen Connect features. The car is available in two variants - Comfortline and Highline priced at Rs. 25.99 lakh and Rs. 28.99 lakh respectively.

Volkswagen Passat Connect launched at Rs. 25.99 lakh! A significant price cut-passat.jpg

Volkswagen Connect uses a "plug and play" data dongle that connects to the car's on-board diagnostics (OBD) port. Once installed, users can access features like trip tracking, fuel cost monitor, driving behaviour monitor, location sharing, SOS call and service appointment via the 'Connect' smartphone app. The app is available on Android and iOS platforms.

The Passat is powered by a 2.0-litre, 4-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine that produces 174 BHP @ 3,600-4,000 rpm and 350 Nm of torque @ 1,500-3,500 rpm. The engine is paired to a 6-speed DSG automatic transmission.

The Passat comes equipped with various safety features which include ABS, ESC, 9 airbags, hill start assist, auto hold, rear camera and park assist.

Link to Team-BHP News
TusharK is offline   (13) Thanks
Old 18th October 2018, 16:20   #2
BHPian
 
Join Date: May 2018
Location: Ernakulam/Delhi
Posts: 87
Thanked: 245 Times
re: Volkswagen Passat Connect launched at Rs. 25.99 lakh! A significant price cut

I don’t understand - are these two new variants in addition to the existing comfortline and highline variants of the Passat? I mean, these are not only significantly cheaper than the current crop of Passat variants, they are cheaper than the Skoda Superb by a massive margin! Or am I missing something here? At 29 lakh rupees ex showroom for the highline variant, it’s way cheaper than the L&K diesel variant of the Superb.

At first glance, the connect app closely resembles the skoda One app, which has somewhat similar set of features.

I couldn’t find anything on the VW India page either, nor on google, at least on the first page of results.

EDIT: the pricing of the highline variant on VW India’s website is ₹32.99L, and ₹29.99L for the comfortline variant. There is no mention of the Passat Connect launch. The Superb’s pricing continues to be on par with that of Passat. Truly puzzled.

If this is the new pricing for the Passat, then VW has a runaway winner here. Undercutting the segment leader Superb is one thing, but to price this D2 sedan close to Octavia territory is another game altogether.

Last edited by gk1234 : 18th October 2018 at 16:34.
gk1234 is offline   (3) Thanks
Old 19th October 2018, 10:14   #3
GTO
Team-BHP Support
 
GTO's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Bombay
Posts: 70,335
Thanked: 298,732 Times
Re: Volkswagen Passat Connect launched at Rs. 25.99 lakh! A significant price cut

Whoa! That is a massive price cut. But instead of screaming 'prices slashed', VW has simply added a dongle to the OBD port and called it a new variant / special edition. This is a stock clearance of either unsold cars or CKD kits. The previous Passat was such a flop that there were 2-year old unsold cars sitting on the dealer lots.

If anyone is in the segment, PLEASE consider the Passat. It is an outstanding sedan and at this price, an absolute steal. Our full review is here (Driven: Volkswagen Passat).
GTO is offline   (17) Thanks
Old 19th October 2018, 12:33   #4
BHPian
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Kolkata (WB)
Posts: 505
Thanked: 1,059 Times
Re: Volkswagen Passat Connect launched at Rs. 25.99 lakh! A significant price cut

This is such a tempting deal. The Passat is a brilliant car, but I'm a bit hesitant because of my experience with the previous-gen (B7) Passat. I felt the car (B7 gen) was a bit too delicate for Indian conditions. I don't know if the new gen is more robust to handle our road conditions.

I had the following problems during the course of my ownership (6 and a half years):-
  • ABS sensor failure - 4 times
  • Water pump failure - 2 times
  • Radiator leak - 1 time
  • Flywheel problem - 2 times
  • Starter motor issues - Intermitently came and went
Not to mention the long time spent waiting for parts and the overall poor experience with the dealer (can't blame the car for that).

When the car was fine, it was a dream to own and drive. Once the problems started cropping up, it became hugely frustrating. I don't know if other owners have had similar experiences or was it just my rotten luck.

I love the Passat, but my last experience is keeping me from bringing a new one home. Will wait and see how sales pick up after this price cut and then decide if its worth taking a gamble on again.

Sold my Passat and got an Altis now.
fordfreak is offline   (8) Thanks
Old 19th October 2018, 14:47   #5
Distinguished - BHPian
 
itwasntme's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2007
Location: BANGALORE
Posts: 6,930
Thanked: 12,368 Times
Re: Volkswagen Passat Connect launched at Rs. 25.99 lakh! A significant price cut

Is there any timeframe for the Arteon flavoured Passat 8.5 to launch here? This could be a simple stock clearance.
itwasntme is offline  
Old 19th October 2018, 14:57   #6
Senior - BHPian
 
JoshMachine's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Pune
Posts: 1,248
Thanked: 6,049 Times
Re: Volkswagen Passat Connect launched at Rs. 25.99 lakh! A significant price cut

Quote:
Originally Posted by gk1234 View Post
I couldn’t find anything on the VW India page either, nor on google, at least on the first page of results.
EDIT: the pricing of the highline variant on VW India’s website is ₹32.99L, and ₹29.99L for the comfortline variant. There is no mention of the Passat Connect launch. The Superb’s pricing continues to be on par with that of Passat. Truly puzzled.
It's now official and published on the VW India page as well at this link.

Maybe, VW is giving signs that it wants to play ball?
Do we see similar stuff planned for Tiguan, well well....now that would be equally tempting and worth a celebration

Last edited by JoshMachine : 19th October 2018 at 15:03.
JoshMachine is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 19th October 2018, 15:20   #7
Distinguished - BHPian
 
lamborghini's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Mumbai
Posts: 6,108
Thanked: 5,753 Times
Re: Volkswagen Passat Connect launched at Rs. 25.99 lakh! A significant price cut

Quote:
Originally Posted by JoshMachine View Post
It's now official and published on the VW India page as well at this link.

Maybe, VW is giving signs that it wants to play ball?
Do we see similar stuff planned for Tiguan, well well....now that would be equally tempting and worth a celebration
I don't think there will be such massive deals on the Tiguan. The Passat when I last checked had offered of around 6L on the car, whereas the Tiguan would peak at around 4.5L.

Lastly, there was a lot of Passat inventory + sibling rivalry with the Superb which was priced better as well, which isn't the case with the Tiguan & Kodiaq.
lamborghini is offline   (2) Thanks
Old 21st October 2018, 17:37   #8
GTO
Team-BHP Support
 
GTO's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Bombay
Posts: 70,335
Thanked: 298,732 Times
Re: Volkswagen Passat Connect launched at Rs. 25.99 lakh! A significant price cut

Quote:
Originally Posted by fordfreak View Post
I had the following problems during the course of my ownership (6 and a half years)
Yikes! That's a long list of failures. How many km had your car done in 6.5 years?

Quote:
ABS sensor failure - 4 times
Water pump failure - 2 times
Have heard of almost every Jetta owner complaining about ABS sensors too. IIRC, my brother's Jetta has had 3 sensors replaced and I know of at least 2 Jettas that needed a new water pump.

Quote:
Sold my Passat and got an Altis now.
Since reliability is obviously important to you, wait for the new Camry. It's much, much improved (based on what I've read online). Will be the perfect companion / upgrade to your Altis. Will be expensive though. The current Camry is priced 12 lakhs higher than this Passat. Is it worth that much more? For you to decide, although I'd personally pick this Passat. It really left an impression on me.
GTO is offline   (1) Thanks
Old 21st October 2018, 19:44   #9
BHPian
 
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: coimbatore
Posts: 27
Thanked: 21 Times
Re: Volkswagen Passat Connect launched at Rs. 25.99 lakh! A significant price cut

Quote:
Originally Posted by TusharK View Post
The Passat comes equipped with various safety features which include ABS, ESC, 9 airbags, hill start assist, auto hold, rear camera and park assist.

Link to Team-BHP News
What is the rear suspension of the car ? Torsion beam or Multi link.
Was thinking of the Octavia 1.8 (Multilink) now this becomes interesting

Last edited by suhaas307 : 4th April 2019 at 18:00. Reason: Trimming quoted post for improved readability
daniel990 is offline  
Old 21st October 2018, 19:45   #10
Senior - BHPian
 
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: bangalore
Posts: 1,266
Thanked: 309 Times
Re: Volkswagen Passat Connect launched at Rs. 25.99 lakh! A significant price cut

Quote:
Originally Posted by GTO View Post
Whoa! That is a massive price cut. But instead of screaming 'prices slashed', VW has simply added a dongle to the OBD port and called it a new variant / special edition. This is a stock clearance of either unsold cars or CKD kits. The previous Passat was such a flop that there were 2-year old unsold cars sitting on the dealer lots.

If anyone is in the segment, PLEASE consider the Passat. It is an outstanding sedan and at this price, an absolute steal. Our full review is here (Driven: Volkswagen Passat).
New Connect edition pricing is truly attractive. However, the official website lists 4 trims, 2 Comfortlines and 2 Highlines - with the reduced new and the higher old prices
So, trust VW to mess things up and confuse customers!
Screenshot from VW India website.
Attached Thumbnails
Volkswagen Passat Connect launched at Rs. 25.99 lakh! A significant price cut-screenshot_20181021193814.jpg  

lancer_rit is offline   (3) Thanks
Old 22nd October 2018, 04:30   #11
BHPian
 
Join Date: May 2018
Location: Ernakulam/Delhi
Posts: 87
Thanked: 245 Times
Re: Volkswagen Passat Connect launched at Rs. 25.99 lakh! A significant price cut

Quote:
Originally Posted by GTO View Post
If anyone is in the segment, PLEASE consider the Passat. It is an outstanding sedan and at this price, an absolute steal. Our full review is here (Driven: Volkswagen Passat).
+1 to that. The Superb has not undergone a price revision, yet, but its likely that Skoda won't wait long before bringing the prices down to match the Passat (at least that's what a VW sales person told me). But even then, the Passat would hold more VFM than its established sibling, and the VW appears to be dynamically superior to drive than the Superb. So, yes, by all means, do consider the Passat if you're considering the Superb, or even the Octavia.

Quote:
Originally Posted by lancer_rit View Post
New Connect edition pricing is truly attractive. However, the official website lists 4 trims, 2 Comfortlines and 2 Highlines - with the reduced new and the higher old prices
So, trust VW to mess things up and confuse customers!
Screenshot from VW India website.
Yep, you're right, and I can't understand why. I'm guessing its only a matter of time before VW removes the older two variants off the list, but yes, for now, the pricing anomaly remains an eye sore... unless, there is going to be a difference in the equipment list offered across the four variants. Unlikely, but you never know, and if that's indeed going to be the case, I'd want to know the trade-offs before committing to a purchase.

For all I know, this is just a price cut effected to cash-in on the festive season, however, I can't wait to see what Skoda is going to do with the pricing of the Octavia, especially since the Superb is expected to see a price revision to match the Passat. Like I said, with VW's new pricing, the Octavia looks sheepishly expensive, and that too with its relatively inferior kit and package and market positioning (I mean the regular Octavia and not the vRS). In any case, if and when the Superb sees a price cut, it should have a bearing on the pricing across the range. Coming to think of it, if the Octavia sees a price cut, then its likely that it will eat further into the Corolla's sales, and probably into the Elantra, too (although that may not say much, for the D1 sedan sales figures haven't been all that hot these days). And it would further indicate how VW and Skoda are positioning the Tiguan and the Kodiaq as their flagship offerings in India, going by the pricing of these SUVs. A reflection of the automakers' inclination to cater to growing consumer demands for SUVs, surely?

Last edited by suhaas307 : 22nd October 2018 at 11:05. Reason: Formatting
gk1234 is offline   (2) Thanks
Old 22nd October 2018, 07:56   #12
Team-BHP Support
 
Axe77's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Mumbai
Posts: 6,796
Thanked: 20,268 Times

Whoa. This is a massive price cut. It also makes their SUV pricing seem equally inexplicable. It's not like the Tiguan and Kodiaq have set sales charts on fire. Why not have a commensurate pricing approach to those as well. Next to the full fat specs of the Passat and Superb, these two SUVs are going to stick out even more for their super high pricing.
Axe77 is online now   (1) Thanks
Old 22nd October 2018, 10:24   #13
GTO
Team-BHP Support
 
GTO's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Bombay
Posts: 70,335
Thanked: 298,732 Times
Re: Volkswagen Passat Connect launched at Rs. 25.99 lakh! A significant price cut

Quote:
Originally Posted by daniel990 View Post
What is the rear suspension of the car ? Torsion beam or Multi link.
Multi-link. It's a proper premium car.

Quote:
Originally Posted by gk1234 View Post
+1 to that. The Superb has not undergone a price revision, yet, but its likely that Skoda won't wait long before bringing the prices down to match the Passat (at least that's what a VW sales person told me).
Negative. Skoda has made it clear that its focus is on profits. Plus, the Superb is consistently outselling the Passat by 3 - 4 times, so it doesn't need to resort to such drastic measures.
GTO is offline   (3) Thanks
Old 22nd October 2018, 10:38   #14
Senior - BHPian
 
narayan's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Singapore
Posts: 3,114
Thanked: 2,372 Times
Re: Volkswagen Passat Connect launched at Rs. 25.99 lakh! A significant price cut

It’s best to check with dealerships what this offer is all about. I feel there could be riders like
1. Lower price applicable to possibly 2017 cars
2. Limited stock
3. Limited colours
4. Compulsory to take VW finance + insurance
narayan is offline   (2) Thanks
Old 22nd October 2018, 11:28   #15
BHPian
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Kolkata (WB)
Posts: 505
Thanked: 1,059 Times
Re: Volkswagen Passat Connect launched at Rs. 25.99 lakh! A significant price cut

Quote:
Originally Posted by GTO View Post
Yikes! That's a long list of failures. How many km had your car done in 6.5 years?
And I forgot to add AC Compressor failure to my list. Handed the car over to the new owner with 51,200ish on the ODO.

Quote:
Originally Posted by GTO View Post
Have heard of almost every Jetta owner complaining about ABS sensors too. IIRC, my brother's Jetta has had 3 sensors replaced and I know of at least 2 Jettas that needed a new water pump.
The ABS sensor failures were pretty common on the VW cars of that time. IIRC, a couple of members here (Passat owners) had faced this issue too. And I remember reading about one other water pump failure also. I wonder have these issue been sorted for the newer batches of cars.

Quote:
Originally Posted by GTO View Post
Since reliability is obviously important to you, wait for the new Camry. It's much, much improved (based on what I've read online). Will be the perfect companion / upgrade to your Altis. Will be expensive though. The current Camry is priced 12 lakhs higher than this Passat. Is it worth that much more? For you to decide, although I'd personally pick this Passat. It really left an impression on me.
The current Camry makes zero sense at that price point. I had checked that out too along with the Accord. Good cars, awful pricing. Got a few cars on my radar (CR-V petrol, new-gen Camry, City, C-Class petrol). Toying with the idea of adding the Passat and Tiguan to that list too as I really like them, but a bit hesitant.

The main things that scare me about VW are poor reliability, poor dealer support and long wait time for parts.
fordfreak is offline   (1) Thanks
Reply

Most Viewed
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Team-BHP.com
Proudly powered by E2E Networks