Volkswagen Passat

Volkswagen Passat

The seventh generation Passat maintains much of the tradition while upping its value-for-money, safety and fuel economy quotients. It's not all-new. Rather, the company has done with Passat VII what it did with Golf VI – improving enough on an existing platform to call it 'new'.

Technologically, this Passat ups the ante in its sector, boosting its attractions against competitors like the Ford Mondeo, Honda's Accord and Euro, the Skoda Superb (sister under the skin to the old Passat) and the Mazda6.

Under its new sheet metal, it's arguably still more for the vicar than the virile. But some smart new primary safety gear, along with elements drawn from Volkswagen's suite of BlueMotion 'green' technologies, will extend its attractions to some pretty progressive vicars.

Reflecting the strengths of both the Aussie dollar and the competition in the midsize sector, Volkswagen has managed to bring a compelling upgrade to market with no change to standard pricing. Here, the Passat covers a fair stretch of ground, from $38,990 for the base four-cylinder petrol 118TSI sedan to $57,990 for the AWD V6 FSI Highline wagon. The interesting new kit is divided between the standard equipment and options lists.

An entry point of $38,990 placed the last generation towards the upper end of the midsize segment, justifying it in equipment and overall refinement. So a better equipped, more refined and greener new Passat for the old price at each of its three spec levels is good news indeed.

All models get DSG transmission, front and rear parking beepers and a full-sized alloy spare. All spec levels gain heated front seats with leather upholstery, upgraded from Vienna to the softer Nappa on the Highline models. Bluetooth with audio streaming now comes standard, alongside auxiliary and USB audio inputs. It's all controlled centrally through a 6.5-inch colour touchscreen and through wheel switching.

But it's in safety that this Passat breaks new ground. It introduces a driver fatigue detection system standard across the range, and an extension to the optional adaptive cruise control that uses its radar sensors to help drivers avert front-enders. More about these later, but it is worth mentioning that to Volkswagen's credit, the standard safety package is uniform across the range, as are the options. All spec levels now also come with fore-aft headrest adjustment.

The new Passat maintains its predecessor's spec breadth, starting at $38,990 for the four-cylinder petrol 118TSI sedan. Wagon versions of each add a flat $2000 to the price of the sedan.

The midspec 125TDI Highline turbodiesel is the volume seller. Starting at $43,990 for the sedan, it has accounted for more than 50 per cent of sales in the outgoing model.

With the R36 gone, top spot in the range now goes to the V6 FSI Highline, starting at $55,990 for the sedan. But the R36 has not died in vain, with organ donation program transplanting its sparkling 3.6-litre V6 into the new car as standard fare, giving it a handy power boost from 184 to 220kW.

The operation hasn't extended to the R36's exhaust system, so you do without the growl. Nor (unfortunately) do you get the paddle-shift, but with the DSG and the 4Motion AWD drivetrain it's still a confident and fairly snappy performer.

Other equipment differentiating the V6 includes a wheel upgrade to 18-inch over the 17s standard on the others, an alarm, and full electric front seats adjustable through 12 planes.

Attractive pricing will see many a buyer tempted to dip into the options list. Adaptive cruise, new in circa-$40K territory, is $2000, with the emergency braking system. There's a driver assist and visibility package ($2900 on the 118TSI; $2600 on the Highline models) incorporating bi-xenons, LED daytime runners and tail-light clusters, front foglamps and static cornering lights (separate, outward-facing lights activated by the steering wheel on turn-in).

There's a camera-activated lane assist which is capable of applying gentle corrective pressure on the steering and vibrating the wheel when things get dire enough.

Tick the box and $1300 buys an updated park assist package with a rear-view camera. It's now able to negotiate parking lot bays as well as parallel spots, squeeze into tighter places using multiple-point turning if necessary. All the driver controls is the braking. If you have it integrated with the satnav , the price drops to $600 (satnav including rear-view camera $3000; with park assist $3600).
 

Volkswagen has added components from its BlueMotion suite of green technologies. All models now get brake energy recuperation, while the 125TDI also gets auto stop-start. The result is the best combined fuel economy figure ever for a Passat – 5.7L/100km (down from 6.5) with CO2 emissions of 151g/km.

The 2.0-litre turbodiesel puts out a healthy 125kW at 4200rpm and 350Nm between 1750-2500rpm, enough to take it from 0-100km/h in 8.6 seconds (the wagons are a couple of points slower).

The base 118TSI puts out 118kW at 5000rpm and 250Nm peak torque between from a low 1500-4500rpm. That broad, low-hanging torque band and a weight advantage are enough to give the model an acceleration advantage over the TDI – 0-100km/h in a respectable 8.5 seconds. Combined-cycle fuel consumption is a creditable 7.2L/100km, down from 7.7 in the car it supersedes. Volkswagen claims CO2 emissions of 168g/km.

Thanks in part to weight disadvantage of all-wheel drive – at 1679kg, it's about 125kg heavier than the 125TDI and nearly 200kg more than the 118TSI – the 3.6-litre V6 FSI is noticeably thirstier at a combined 9.7L/100km, with a commensurate hike in emissions to 222g/100km. But that's marginally better than the 3.2 it replaces – down from 10.0 and 243 respectively.

The engine upgrade gives V6 buyers a whole new value equation with a hefty performance hike for no more money. An extra 36kW (up from 184 to 220) and 20Nm with a much broader torque band (from 330Nm at 2750-3750rpm to 350 at 2400-5300rpm) lops 1.4 seconds off its 0-100km/h sprint (now 5.5 seconds, down from 6.9). In fact, it's a point faster on paper than the R36.

Both petrol engines need 95RON PULP.

The suspension – front MacPherson struts and rear independent multilink – carries over from the car it replaces. Switchable adaptive damping (Comfort-Normal-Sport) is standard in the V6 and a $1650 option in the lower-spec cars.

The new Passat come with the full panoply of electronic driver aids – stability control, brake assist and electronic brake-force distribution. The V6's extra go is countered by disc ventilation on the rear wheels as well as the front, where it's standard for all.
 

Bootspace is a generous 565 litres in the four cylinder sedans and 603 in the wagons, expandable via the split-fold rear seats to 1731. Rear-end mechanicals for the V6's 4Motion drivetrain reduce this to 541 litres for the sedan and 588 for the wagon.

Cabin storage is reasonable throughout, with decent door pockets all round, a good sized centre box and a chilled glovebox.

Ergonomics are generally good, save for a pedal offset that I began to feel in my right knee after a while.

As happens in any car equipped to the Passat's level, the centre screen and the wheel give you a fair bit of switchgear to learn early on, but it's intuitive – new owners will soon have it licked.

The stalk-mounted adaptive cruise is quick and easy to learn, with a clear readout through the trip screen in the centre of the main instrument binnacle. A minor niggle, however, is the analogue clock: it's angled upwards enough for its glass face to reflect the sky, making it hard to read in daylight.

Excellent materials and trim quality throughout and give the base Passat an upmarket feel befitting the costlier models.

All Passats now have eight airbags: front, curtain and outside-torso front and rear. Front headrests are now adjustable fore and aft, helping reduce the risk of whiplash.

The real news in the new model lies in the fatigue detection system, standard across the range. The system spends the first 15 minutes of any journey assessing driver behaviour, then monitors multiple points for evidence of driver fatigue or inattention – in steering behaviour, pedal actions, even the telephony system. If it detects a lapse in concentration in an odd steering angle, pedal actions or transverse acceleration, it alerts the driver with a beeper and visuals in the instrument cluster (a cup of coffee logo) suggesting it's time to Stop Revive Survive.

The adaptive cruise package – also new to this market sector – includes 'Front Assist' and something 'City Emergency Braking'. The systems use the cruise's radar sensors to detect a looming rear-ender ahead, first jolting the brakes to alert the driver, then priming them in anticipation of a hard stop. If things look really ugly, it's capable of taking over the business of pulling up.

Overriding it is a matter of simply pressing the accelerator or brake.

Taking a (another?) leaf from Volvo's safety blueprint, Passat Highline models are available with integrated child booster seats in the rear – an $850 option.
 

The TDI presents a compelling case against the Mazda6 and Subaru Liberty/Outback oilers, which cost less but come only in manual form. Ford's Mondeo TDCi comes closest now it comes with the PowerShift DCT standard.

The 118TSI rubs up hard against its sister-under-the-skin, the Skoda Superb, which sits on the same platform and costs the same. The Skoda doesn't carry the same safety kit, but it's roomier with a more versatile rear end by virtue of its hatch-cum-boot arrangement.

Other 118TSI competitors extend to the base 2.5-litre petrol Liberty, Honda's Accord and Euro, Hyundai's i45, the 2.3-litre petrol Mondeo and Volvo's new S60 and V60 range.

Upmarket, the Passat V6 FSI's strongest – or at least most obvious – competitor is Subaru's 3.6-litre Liberty six.

Equipped up front with USPs like the fatigue detection system and eight airbags as standard, buyers who stump a 10-15 per cent premium to dip into the Passat options list can have a car with toybox more akin to premium German or Lexus fare costing twice the price.

The telescopic steering column makes it easy to find a comfortable upper-half driving position, but I could feel the pedal offset in my right knee after a while. I found the go-pedal a bit hard-sprung and tight, too, but that's more something to get used to than an obvious shortcoming.

All three engines cope easily with the weight of the car. The 118TSI is a lively performer off the mark for its relatively small capacity. With little lag and seven well-spaced cogs at its disposal, it remains unfussed even under hard acceleration. The automated manual DSG gearbox seems generally intuitive and compliant, save for a couple of overenthusiastic downshifts on gentle braking. That it offers a manual mode will be attractive to some buyers.

The 125TDI is negligibly slower to 100km/h than the 118TSI, but extra midrange torque gives it fair bit more punch on once moving. It's strong, flexible and quiet.

All three models are well insulated from engine, wind and road noise, even on rough-chip surfaces. The suspension engineers have achieved a good balance out ride and handling. Bumps are soaked up with aplomb but the car stays flat and composed through corners. The V6's 18-inch alloys don't come at any obvious cost in comfort over the 17-inchers of the others.

The electro-mechanically assisted rack-and-pinion isn't the most engaging steering box on the planet but nor is it in the slightest bit unpleasant. The Golf GTI proves Volkswagen can do sports steering when it wants to. Here, the steering expresses the Passat's more genteel priorities.

Mind you, for those who want a bit of what-for, there's enjoyment enough to be found in the upgraded V6. It's deceptively quick – there aren't many cars that sprint to 100km/h in 5.5 seconds this placidly. The 4MOTION system gives it loads of grip in hard cornering, even in the wet.

There were moments ascending and descending the steep, hairpinned roads on part of our drive program course when it would have been nice if the R36's legacy had extended to the paddleshifts, but even in auto mode the DSG took what we threw it into in its stride.

The adaptive damping covers a fair ambit, particularly on the Comfort side, where the distance from Normal is more palpable than on the Sport setting.

Asked to take my pick, the choice isn't easy. The base model represents exceptional buying. Add the adaptive cruise and braking package and there isn't another car within cooee of it for $40K. The V6 carries the value mantle well, too, stacking up attractively against other German compact sixes costing tens of thousands more.

But for me, the diesel's the one.

Road testing its predecessor, I found it fast enough, exceptionally frugal and a thoroughly pleasant companion day-to-day, in the city and on a three-day trip to Canberra. The new one solidifies this impression in every ways. Even in wagon form with the adaptive cruise, it's on the road for under $50K. Only just, but it's still standout value.

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