► Rebooted Passat now available to order from £38,400
► Big-range PHEV option, massive 690-litre boot
► New-generation infotainment, acres of rear space
UK pricing for the new Volkswagen Passat have finally been revealed. What’s billed by its maker as ‘the most aerodynamic VW estate yet’ is now on sale and kicks off from £38,400, with deliveries set for later this spring. Keep reading to find out what the full UK model range looks like.
This Passat is only available as an estate for this generation in all markets (it’s called the Passat Variant on the Continent), and it’s all about maximising space and efficiency. In reality, it feels like VW’s last stand on two fronts – the traditional large family estate car, and a piston-engined one at that.
Of course, the Passat has always been a big and roomy car. But for this new generation, running on VW’s new MQBevo platform, the Passat reaches new heights. And lengths. And volumes.
What VW doesn’t tell you is that Skoda actually took the lead with the development of this generation of Passat, not VW. The Czech brand was handed the keys to the Passat’s future to simplify development costs with latest Superb. So many of the things you’ll see here today will also feature on the Superb which will, interestingly, benefit from hatchback version as well as a wagon.
The new Passat is also one of the first cars with VW’s new MIB4 infotainment system after the all-electric ID.7. Keen to brush its clunky, bug-ridden and menu-tastic MIB3 software that debuted on the Mk8 Golf and ID.3 under the rug, Volkswagen has worked hard to answer our calls for simplicity, as well as customers who bought cars with the older software.
Yes, the keen-eyed among you will have noticed that as early as we did during an exclusive preview, despite VW chanting all sorts of buzzwords surrounding the term ‘usability’ at us. The new Passat’s interior is immensely clean and tidy, with a super simple interface that’s designed to maximise the amount of general tat you can fit in it.
But, yes, there aren’t a lot of buttons at all on that dashboard. Almost all controls are connected to the large central touchscreen (which is 12.9-inches as standard, with a 15-inch option) or controlled by the physical buttons on the steering wheel (as VW removes those awful haptic panels from service as new models come out).
Before you grumble too much, however, we can say that during our early preview of the new Passat, the system responded quickly and smoothly, and many of the settings have been made easier to access. Climate control options, for example, are permanently affixed along the bottom row of the screen now, and you can customise the top row to include settings you change regularly (including things like start/stop).
The shifter has been moved to the steering column, for example, in order to create a huge cubby area in the centre console that includes cupholders, charging ports and wireless charging pads as well as a deeper storage bin under the armrests. Quality, meanwhile, is impressive in that solid VW kind of way – and there’s a slightly artsy dashboard panel backlit by ambient light.
You say it’s roomy, right?
Oh, absolutely. That MQBevo platform has meant a 50mm increase in the Passat’s wheelbase, which VW has pretty much exclusively deployed for the rear seats. I’m 6’2” and sat behind my driving position and could really stretch out – the new Passat is almost palatial in terms of rear space.
And, when it comes to boot space, VW says there’s 690 litres of space with the seats up. That’s the same as the upcoming new Superb (obviously) and bigger than any other estate on the market. With the seats folded flat, 1920 litres are up for grabs.
What models and trims are available?
Okay, let’s start with trims first, as there are three: Life, Elegance (the turquoise car pictured) and R-Line (the white car pictured). As for engines, VW offers mild hybrid petrols and diesels (with the more powerful models benefiting from 4Motion all-wheel drive) and two power variants of its eHybrid PHEV. The UK model line-up is detailed in the table below, with a blend of the 1.5-litre eTSI petrol (148bhp, front-wheel drive, seven-speed DSG auto) and the eHybrid models (201-268bhp).
VW is keen to promote those eHybrid PHEV models. Not least because, as well as using a new petrol engine as part of the mix (a 1.5-litre TSI evo2, instead of an older 1.4 TSI), the battery size has grown by almost double (19.7kWh compared to 10.6kWh) meaning VW claims around 62 miles of e-range is available. That would make the Passat eHybrid one of the longest-range plug-in hybrids in terms of electric-only range.
| Model | Price |
| Life 1.5 TSI 150 PS with seven-speed DSG | £38,480.00 |
| Life 1.5 TSI 204 PS eHybrid with six-speed DSG | TBC |
| Elegance 1.5 TSI 150 PS with seven-speed DSG | £41,580.00 |
| Elegance 1.5 TSI 204 PS eHybrid with six-speed DSG | TBC |
| Elegance 1.5 TSI 272 PS eHybrid with six-speed DSG | TBC |
| R-Line 1.5 TSI 150 PS with seven-speed DSG | £42,830.00 |
| R-Line 1.5 TSI 204 PS eHybrid with six-speed DSG | TBC |
| R-Line 1.5 TSI 272 PS eHybrid with six-speed DSG | TBC |
Anything else I should know?
As well as boosting interior space, the deployment of MQBevo means more driving technology on board. As well as more sophisticated safety features and new headlight options (including smarter matrix LED ones), a new generation of VW’s dynamic chassis control (DCC Pro) features on the Passat. VW says the new DCC Pro will further refine the Passat’s handling characteristics.
