By Ian Strachan
The Volkswagen Passat has been around for more than 45 years and it just keeps getting better and better. The latest Passat sets the standard for the upper medium sector and is the car that its competitors must measure themselves against.
There is no doubt that the exterior design is evolving into something pleasing on the eye – a long vehicle with bags of interior space. It has a solid and dignified road presence. With a distinctive chrome grille, sleek profile, eye-catching alloys and chrome sills it is also distinctive. And in the estate you get lots of room with a load area that can only be described as cavernous.
You only have to get in the car to realise that this Passat is all about understated refinement and quality.
That’s not to mention performance. I test drove the excellent 150 horsepower 1.5 direct injection turbo petrol-powered version which has all the grunt you need while being quiet and fairly economical. Married to a pleasant six speed manual gearbox it is smooth and unfussed.
The refined engine lacks for nothing and delivers power throughout the range. This is an enjoyable petrol engine to work, and it will return just under 44 mpg in mixed driving.
Handling is excellent and the car feels rigid and stable even when being pushed hard around corners. There’s no sign at all of the booming vibration you sometimes get in an estate car. Road holding is sure footed and the ride is comfortable in the extreme. The car feels light and is all the more agile for that. Adaptive cruise control with speed limiter is standard on this specification.
Inside, the car is roomy and well laid out, with extremely comfortable heated leather seats. There has been a lot of attention to detail, with well positioned grab handles, a centre driver’s armrest and controls which fall easily to hand, including a neat, push button automatic park brake and a useful hill hold function.
The load-space is huge and flexible. There’s a tailgate which opens fully (powered as a £600 option on my test car), and a low sill to make loading easier. Boot space can be increased with the split rear seats folded forward.
Standard features on the Passat Estate SEL include very nice 17 inch alloys, ABS with electronic stability control, keyless entry and ignition, a stop/start function, air conditioning, all round electric windows, electrically heated and adjustable door mirrors, front and rear parking sensors (my test car also had an area view and rear view camera at £800), steering wheel-mounted controls, eight-inch high-resolution touch-screen satnav with DAB radio/MP3 player, Bluetooth and a multi-device interface, automatic lights and rain-sensing wipers. My test car also had a powered panoramic sunroof at an extra £995). Other standard features include puddle lights, lane assist, front fog lights and a steel space-saver spare wheel.
This is a thoughtfully put together package. It looks great and will give you comfortable and effortless business travelling. And it’s not bad value at £29,375 on the road.
