NEW VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT GOES UPMARKET

Volkswagen’s all-new Passat has a long road to travel before Mzansi consumers begin to accept it as a genuine premium contender. That’s thanks to the car’s previous life as a cheap family hatch back in the 1980s. Although a couple of other, more upmarket versions were produced, locally VW only restarted the Passat programme with the 1996 B5 model in the late 1990s. Highly respected by those in the know, and deeply loved by its owners, that Passat was largely overlooked by a market steadily going premium with the likes of Audi A4. What about the new one then?

Walter Maria da Silva has infused the car with the company’s new face, a bare four-blade front grille broken by the large VW badge and kinky headlights. A sweeping line cuts through the middle from headlights to rear lights, slightly intruding into the uncomplicated rear lights cluster. Two tailpipes are visible in the petrol model.

Passat is really about comfort, space and practicality for the whole family, and as such is the largest VW sedan we’ll find in the country. Remember the Phaeton isn’t available here. Total length is 4.77 metres, width is 1.8m, height is 1.47m and the wheelbase is some 2.7m. So interior space is abundant, legroom a dime-a-dozen, luxury adequate. Materials used are typically VW, similar to the Golf but a little more upmarket than the current Jetta and outgoing Passat. There’s even a special transparent plastic sandwiched within the windscreen, to help keep exterior noise at bay. Company representatives expect to poach some buyers from A4, 3 Series, C-Class and S60, but all that black interior plastic will not quite make their case. Nice to experience the seat-cooling air conditioning through the touch of a button on the side of the seat.

For our benefit VW SA is only importing two engines at this point, both persuaded by some force-feeding mechanism. At the petrol end is a 1.8-litre TSI with a turbo, producing 118kW between 5000rpm and 6200rpm, and max torque of 250Nm between 1500rpm and 4200rpm. It can be mated either to a 6-speed manual or a 7-speed DSG. A 0 – 100km/h time of 8.5 seconds can be expected from both versions, with top speed of 220km/h slated. My co-driver and I didn’t get to explore fully the top end but were suitably satisfied with the car’s handling, despite its understeering front-wheel-drive layout. The manual consumes 6.9 litres per 100km and interestingly the DSG pledges 7 litres per 100km of fuel, according to VW.

When it comes to diesel, only one motor is available, also with a choice of manual or DSG, but this time it’s the 6-speed DSG and not the 7-speed. Peak power from the 2.0-litre TDI is 103kW at 4200rpm, max torque is 320Nm between 1750 and 2500rpm. Although these figures are very good, I can’t help but wonder why VW has been left behind while competitors are currently putting out more power from their 2.0-litre turbo diesels. Fuel consumption is expectedly straw-like at a combined 5.6 litres per 100km and 6.4 litres per 100km for the 6-speed manual and DSG respectively.

Passengers will never feel short-changed, thanks to a long list of standard and optional interior features. Happiness is the feeling that swoops a driver when he/ she realises that they can experience a different climate to their front passenger, thanks to the dual-zone climatic control system. Other sweet touches include a 3-spoke steering wheel with height/ reach adjustability, a trip computer, CD/radio with navigation, park distance control (with camera), cruise control and electric sunroof.

While the Passat does not yet feel like a full-on premium car, it’s coming ever-closer to that goal. Certainly cars like the Mazda6 and Hyundai Sonata should feel a little worried, although the latter reportedly sells well over 300 units every month. VW has plenty of work ahead convincing the market that a Passat is better than an A4. The local marketing outfit is convinced it can, spurred on by the 15 million worldwide sales the badge has collected over 6 generations. It will just take a bit of time that’s all.




2011 Volkswagen Passat Pricing

1.8 TSI Comfortline (R294 000)
1.8 TSI Comfortline DSG (R309 000)
2.0 TDI Comfortline (R309 500)
2.0 TDI Comfortline DSG (R324 500)