Road test: New Volkswagen Passat (2010)
The Passat is the backbone of the Volkswagen range, accounting for generous sales and setting the benchmark in the family class for quality. A new seventh generation Passat may not get you all a-flutter with excitement, but this is a comprehensive update of the Passat with new safety and convenience features. There are also some new engines to offer private and company drivers low emissions and high economy. As usual, the latest Passat comes in saloon and estate forms, so continues to shun the hatchback shape that is so popular with its key rivals.
Volkswagen says 88% of all Passats sold in the UK are fitted with a diesel engine of some description, so these are the meat of the range. New for the update Passat is a 1.6-litre turbodiesel with 104bhp that offers 65.7mpg and 114g/km carbon dioxide emissions, which makes this model very attractive to company drivers looking to minimise their contribution to HM’s tax inspectors. This is a decent engine, but a BlueMotion version is on the way that will further reduce emissions to 109g/km, bringing it under the magic 110g/km mark to qualify for full write down of company car tax in its first year of ownership. The BlueMotion will also offer improved economy of 68.8mpg, but it will come at the expense of the current 1.6 TDI’s already marginal performance that sees 0-62mph covered in 12.2 seconds. Much better, and the most popular Passat engine choice, is the 138bhp 2.0-litre turbodiesel that gives a respectable 61.4mpg and 119g/km to still keep it in the low road tax band for private and business users. This engine delivers 0-62mph in 9.8 seconds and feels strong at any speed and in any gear. The manual gearbox is light and easy to use, so there seems little advantage in opting for the seven-speed DSG twin-clutch ’box that adds to the price of the Passat. The more potent 167bhp 2.0-litre turbodiesel shares the 138bhp’s economy of 61.4mpg but emits more CO2 at 125g/km. It also doesn’t feel much swifter on the road, though 0-62mph is taken care of in 8.6 seconds. On the petrol front, the quickest is the 207bhp 2.0-litre turbo petrol that offers 0-62mph in less than eight seconds along with middling economy of 39.2mpg and 169g/km. This makes the 1.8 turbo petrol more attractive with its 158bhp, 0-62mph in 8.6 seconds, economy of 40.9mpg and 160g/km emissions. Both of these engines pull clean, quiet and hard when pressed, but they still don’t feel especially muscular. Bizarrely, that is left to the smallest petrol and latest addition to the Passat range in the form of the 1.4-litre turbo petrol. It sprouts 121bhp and shows that small engines can make a great choice in larger cars thanks to its strong mid-rev pull and refined manners on the motorway. It’s also decent on economy thanks to 48.7mpg and 142g/km are reasonable with the manual gearbox (138g/km is on offer with the DSG version). For private buyers not as concerned with economy and emissions, the 1.4 TSI is the pick of the petrols on cost and fun factor as it manages to feel more alert and involving than the larger petrol-powered models.
Read the full Volkswagen Passat road test
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