Volkswagen Passat

Inside Passat, things are in the right order and balanced well to match with the competition. The uniquely designed cabin is finished well and remains silent even when you are speeding with full thrust. The rich feel of cabin elevates further with the simple yet unique dashboard, that comes equipped with a centrally installed 6.3" touchscreen infotainment system. That might look a little traditional but it is easy to use and comes with Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. Moreover, the heated front seats are standard among both variants and offer sufficient legroom and headroom. Likewise, the second row is highly comfortable and with wide-opening doors, it gets more comfortable for the tall persons to easily get in and out of the Passat. Apart from the good side of Passat, the excessive use of hard plastic downgrades the rich feel of the cabin and makes it look less appealing when compared to rivals like Kia Optima. 

With new refinements, the sporty character of Passat has taken a new shape. However, most of the exterior changes have been carried from the discontinued R-Line that includes LED headlights and taillights, 19-inch alloy wheels. Further from front to rear, this sedan resembles a good-looking body style. It looks simple and elegant, the unique front face of Passat comprises of the likable 4-bar grille that accentuates with the LED headlights. However, the rear styling of Passat doesn’t mark and matches with its character. Especially, the trunk looks much bigger when compared with the LED taillights. 

This year Passat offers well-tuned steering that carries forward the performance and elevates the driving experience as well. With the addition of some active features like Electronic Stability Control, Electronic Differential Lock, and Anti-Slip Regulation, Passat fits well to cope with the challenging road conditions without losing the grip with the track. However, the handling is well suited for gentle roads and turns, because the driving experience deters a little while executing edged turns. 

Volkswagen Passat is powered by the 2.0L TSI turbocharged engine that churns out the maximum power of 174 hp at 5,000 rpm, and torque of 184 lb-ft at 1,500 rpm. This engine is mated with the 6-speed automatic transmission that ensures smooth power delivery. Just like Audi, and Porsche, Passat comes with Tiptronic and Sport mode that allows you to park the gear knob and shift the gears with steering wheel-mounted pedal shifters. However, unlike Audi and Porsche cars, while driving Passat, you might feel a lack of punch when accelerating the vehicle for a sudden boost. As a result, this sedan takes 8.4 seconds to sprint from 0–60 mph. But, apart from this, the new Passat is more fuel-efficient than its predecessors and delivers remarkable mileage of 25 mph in city conditions and 36 on highways.

Passat is built strong and is equipped with an array of safety features, so undoubtedly it has secured 5-star safety ratings from NHTSA. The safety cage is designed smartly to absorb and deflect away the crash energy from the passengers. In terms of braking capacity, Passat is not the best performer in its class. The emergency braking distances are longer than its rivals. The two variants of Passat are divided among exterior, interior, and infotainment features. But, are united by the safety features. Moreover, both grades are equipped with the same safety features that include, a wide-angle rearview camera, driver and passenger front, and side thorax airbags, front to rear side curtain airbags for head protection, and a crash optimized front end. 

In 2019, Volkswagen has discontinued the Passat GT, and now it is available in two trims Wolfsburg and SE R-Line. Volkswagen has kept the 2.0L TSI engine, and all the safety features are standard on both trims. The influential areas of difference lie in the exterior and interior features. However, when it comes to the rivals, the quality of the interior materials, engine performance, and some tech features make Passat look modest and inexpensive.