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-   -   Driven: Volkswagen Passat (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/test-drives-initial-ownership-reports/194694-driven-volkswagen-passat-2.html)

An amazingly detailed review, and an unbelievably classy, inside out! VW seems to have nailed it on the head with the proportions and styling. Dare I say, this is the best-looking interior they've come up in the recent times - minimalistic, yet elegant (the number of blank switches gives a furious reality check, though)!

It's indeed a poor move, not getting the 1.8 TSi at the launch (or if at all). This engine is the sole fun factor in this segment, now that the Accord and Camry have gone the greener route. I believe the Superb shall continue to rule the roost for quite some time until the buyers warm up to this car, or VW gets their TSi variant.

The Passat looks a class act inside and out, but I don’t believe it will curry much favour with the public simply because of the pricing and positioning it occupies. The chauffeur driven public will opt for the Superb or Camry, as rightly said.

More to the point, the adaptive suspension is a feature aimed at enthusiasts like most of us, which the sahib’s won’t give a damn about. As an enthusiast, I’d much rather have the Octavia VRS at a roughly similar (cheaper?) price point even if it means dealing with Skoda, the adaptive suspension notwithstanding.

The Passat’s positioning is a bit muddled to me, without taking anything away from how great it seems. GTO’s brother mirrored my own feelings. I wouldn’t take this as the upgrade over a car like the Jetta. The Passat seems a car that won’t appeal to the head or heart of most, which is sad since it seems very nice. That doesn’t quite cut the mustard at 35 big ones though.

Thanks for the great detailed review and pictures. It is a classy car, albeit subdued in design.
The rear camera design is extremely smart. I envy VWs especially in the northern US because their cameras are clean even in the snow and slush.

OTOH, and probably they will do it when this car gets launched stateside - the sensors and cameras out front need better protection so they work in inclement weather.

Great review! Typical EU sedan with a solid build. It has the kind of looks I like understated not really in-your-face. Now, if they only offered a petrol option it may have been one of the contenders for my next new car.

You nailed it. As competent as the Passat is, it ends up neither here nor there.

- The driving enthusiast will pick up the Octavia vRS over it.

- The chauffeur-driven will choose the more well-known limousine (Superb).

- Those valuing reliability & all the Toyota goodness will opt for the Camry.

I am in my 7th year with a DSG as my daily drive. Never had any problem. Mechanical reliability was never a problem. There were some software bugs in early years that were fixed in a recall. I personally have not noticed these bugs in my driving.

I would be worried about the adaptive suspension though. There were numerous cases of ABS sensor failures on the previous Passat. This was attributed to dust and grime eventually meaning, the sensors gave way.

Coming to the car itself, I don't think VW is giving the enthusiast in me a good reason to upgrade. Even if you look at their lineup upwards of 20 big ones, here's what you get:

- A Tiguan which has the same engine as the Jetta and more importantly or disappointingly doesn't develop any more power. In fact, the power to weight ratio takes a beating as compared to the Jetta

- The Kodiaq. One of the most all rounded products I have seen from the VAG lineup, but again that 2.0 TDI in its lower state of tune. Why VW? Don't you want repeat customers?

- The only praiseworthy launch has been the Superb. Fairly well priced, loaded to the gill with features and of course has the image of a limo although it doesn't have four rings or a propeller on the bonnet. The TDI is surprisingly available in its higher state of tune here. Why this ambiguity I ask?

BTW, the carwale site says the Comfortline also gets 9 airbags. The only notable differences are absence of adaptive suspension, dual tone interiors with silver trim and maybe a lack of electrical adjustments for the passenger seat (no clarity on this feature). Additionally, the Comfortline gets the monochrome display as opposed to the coloured MID of the Highline.

There is a difference of 3 lakh between the Highline and Comfortline. For a chauffeur driven seth who doesn't want adaptive suspension, I think it is a good deal.

The Passat that way makes a bit of sense. But only just. A chauffeur driven owner wouldn't bother much with the power put down, and this is what might be the last nail in the coffin for the Passat. Again, not many will like the way the car looks either. It is too vanilla although I absolutely love it.

The last generation car was my favourite. But again, it was priced high up and the Superb stole the limelight. It's going to be history repeating itself. :Frustrati

I see Skoda scoring over its parent co VW! clap:

vRS - everyone knows who goes for this! Needless to mention.
Superb - for C class money, you get E class luxury. VW you should really feel jealous of this.
Camry - rock solid Toyota!
Passat - might get categorized for window-shopping and will remain as an orphan IMHO though the car looks upped in terms of features.

Sad thing is the car still misses on some important aspects.
1. Having the older and smaller infotainment.
2. No canton sound system.
3. No cooled seats.
4. Virtual cockpit.

A nice review of a nice car!

The Passat plays it safe in most ways (including safety).

Glad to hear that the engine tune works well with this set-up (of chassis and overall design). With the diminishing turn-over in the introduction of bigger engines from most auto-giants, nicer states of tune in the such a 'not so bigger' set-up is all what we can hope for, I guess.

As conventional as it is in terms of design, it's not a great departure from the previous Gen. car in terms of styling and appearance.

With the previous gen car VW had tried with some trendy stuff (Bluemotion, Park Assist, etc.) which were rather new at the time. This gen car seems to only move forward with its predecessor's fancy marketing terms while getting some better mechanical stuff like the suspension - good news for car guys!

There is some weird strategy at play by VW when it comes to engine options. With the earlier Jetta, you had the 2l diesel and 1.4l petrol manual (No Automatic option for the latter). You could not have a 1.8l. There was a 2l diesel and 1.8 petrol for the Skoda Octavia/Laura and no 1.4l. Head to a lower segment and if you must have a petrol automatic with the dsg, you can only buy a Vento. The Rapid still gets the old school 1.6 with a torque converter. Curious to know about the conversations that go on in those boardrooms at VW when it comes to deciding variants and engines for a VW and Skoda.

If there is one thing I did not find premium, it is that headlamp knob.

About time induction charging made its way into this category of car. The slot below the aircon buttons is a perfect place.

It is unfortunate that insulation isn't as good as it should be when you go north of the ton.

Any word on the audio quality?

I have no seconds thought on which car I would buy if I were shopping in this segment. It is the Passat all the way. The car looks stunning in a very understated way. You can get a sense of the design slowly flowing into what is their flagship car, the Arteon.

Excellent review.

Even though this is a ‘Driven’ review, the detailing is as good as full-blown review! :thumbs up

I really liked the new Passat; contrary to the general feel that its boring, I actually find it as a good looking model from VW. The design is not ground-breaking but it looks extremely smart and elegant; and unlike some of the other models from VW (e.g.; Tiguan, Touran etc.) this one got good road presence.

If I am in the market for a sedan of this size, the Passat highline would be there as one of the top choice (probably only the BMW 530d will be above this). Silver with black interiors sounds perfect :)

Superb review as usual and quite a looker of a vehicle for those who like understated designs. Sadly, as others have already mentioned, VW will have a tough time convincing customers to buy this one over the other 3 German rivals.

Excellent review of an excellent car, I am simply in love with the car.

This again is a classic VW vs Skoda battle. Speaking of target audience, it would be a good option for

• Enthusiasts whose car will have H-I-G-H running. Fuel costs for vRS will burn a hole in their pocket.
• People burnt buy Skoda A.S.S & swore that will never buy a Skoda again
• VW executives, I am sure VW India doesn't want them to be drive around in a Jetta or Tiguan lol:
• Friends & family of VW dealers, they will definitely get a better A.S.S than Skoda.

And I just got off the phone with Moderator Manson whose 6-speed DSG (Laura 2.0) has failed for the 3rd time in 6 years / 75,000 km and is currently at the Skoda workshop. There are many other reports on the forum of such failures.

I'm happy to hear that your car has been reliable; fact is, every manufacturer can make *some* reliable cars (even Premier Auto & Hindustan Motors did). There are some Skoda Superb 1.8 TSI DSG owners who haven't had a problem in 80,000 km and are wondering what the fuss is all about.

The real question is, for every 1,000 cars you build, what is the failure rate? It's here that the VW group lags behind the others (especially in the area of transmissions).