My friend’s dad had a Passat when I was growing up, and my lasting impressions of the car was that it came from the Stonehenge school of design with those very boxy-shaped lines.
But I remember going for the odd spin in it, and always admiring how smooth and soft the ride was, how reasonably plush the interior seemed to be, and how similar in those respects it was to the Audi 100 of the time. I wondered why so few people drove Passats, actually.
After spending some time in the latest Passat, that question still seems to linger. Except I think I now know the answer – the car seems to suffer from an identity crisis. It’s like over the years as the car became better, VW was worried it would step too hard on Audi’s toes, and kept it at an arm’s length in terms of marketing it against its competitors. Which is a pity really as the new Passat is actually as good – if not better – than its direct rivals.
The latest incarnation has been given a new lease on life, with the German carmaker claiming that every single body panel, barring the roof, is new. The major styling changes include the front getting VW’s corporate face that we’ve seen extended through most of its model ranges.
The rear is quite an elegant execution, especially those tail lights, but some may argue it’s a bit long – until they see that truly humongous load area beneath the bootlid.
The engine offering is quite a straight-forward one with just one petrol and one oil-burner on offer – a 118kW/250Nm TSI and a 103kW/320Nm TDI – available in manual or DSG. On test here is the force-fed petrol with two foot pedals.
Granted, the outputs on paper don’t look like much, but it’s a punchy performer and an economical one too, which returned a rather impressive 8.8l/100km (VW claims 7l/100km) consumption figure.
At our testing facility at altitude we managed an 8.9 second 0-100km/h best time, which is not far off the claimed 8.5 and should make most Passat buyers happy. Sport and Drive modes on the ‘box made no real difference in the sprint times, and Sport is mainly there to hold lower gears in daily driving.
The handling overall is a little sanitised, bordering on feeling heavy through corners. The electric power steering is not overtly soft and you do get a sense of the road through the wheel, but it’s a big car and doesn’t pretend to be otherwise. It’s not bullied by scarred tar though, and the suspension soaks up ruts like a model soaks up sun-tan lotion.
The plush interior borders on Audi-like quality, and it’s an exceptionally quiet ride. The Germans attribute this to thicker glass and improved sound deadening, which has indeed paid off. The cheap-looking analogue clock annoyed me a little, but there are a few other little tweaks that I quite liked.
The electric and leather seats (both options) have seat cooler warning lights (dials are out of view), and the cubbyhole has a hidden drop-down tray just for the owner’s manual – nice touches.
The climate control annoyed me a little, though. Outside of auto mode it sometimes adjusted fan speed when changing temperature. It would also blow too hot or cold for the temperature it was set on.
And if you go for the DSG, drive with the Hill Hold function on (it stays on indefinitely once activated). The DSG setup has the tendency to otherwise roll back a little on inclines. The Hill Hold not only stops this, but will automatically engage the park brake for you when you select Park and release your seatbelt, and will automatically release the park brake when you take off (but for safety reasons won’t release the park brake when reversing).
VW has also introduced its fatigue detection system in the Passat, which will warn you when it thinks you’re falling asleep.
A must-have option, at a cost of just under six grand, is the Park Assist as parallel parking the longish Passat can be a bit nerve-racking.
You simply press a button next to the gearlever and, when driving past open spots, the car will assess the available space, if happy will indicate via an illustration on the instrument panel at what distance to stop, and will activate the function. You control the throttle and brake but the car steers itself into the parking. Very Knight Rider, and very convenient.
VERDICT
I’ve seen the Darth Vader Passat ad with the kid on TV, and not only is the ad quite good but is exactly what the Passat needs – some decent marketing.
Badge perception is the only thing wrong with this underrated VW, as it sets the bar in terms of engine, gearbox, handling, and finishes. At a competitive R309 000 (excluding the optional toys) this is also a serious consideration against the likes of the BMW 3 Series, Audi A4, and Mercedes C Class.
Pity so few will try it. -Star Motoring