Author: Victor Ivanov

Volkswagen released a new model of the one of the bestselling cars in the world – Volkswagen Passat. There are more than 15 million units sold and this is the seventh generation since 1973.  Because of that, Volkswagen consider that they don’t have to offer something better than the previous model.

Lets begin with the exterior… Yes, they did it! The company actually made Passat to look like Jetta at the front and the rear is exact copy of Audi A4. The last nail in the coffin of the Passat’s bad exterior are the LED daylights, which are directly taken from Touareg. The whole vision is a little bland compared to the predecessor.

As far as the Variant version, it is even worse than the Saloon. There is no sporty stance and the windows are too big, it looks like aquarium. However, the reason for the bad look is inside, there  is plenty of space for passengers and luggage, but that is not an excuse.

As a conclusion for the exterior, the new Passat is boring, it doesn’t offer the aggressiveness of the predecessor and some details are very annoying like the chrome lower grille.

The interior is exactly the same like the one in Passat CC, which is a bad news. The only different element is the steering wheel, which looks comfy, but that is the only „innovation”. The company releases a new model and offers the same interior. Volkswagen claims that they put a new high-end materials in the interior. Honestly, we dont see them. The company also reports that there are new seats, new door trims and ambience lighting. Maybe the last one is true, but the seats are the same and the new door trims are probably an option. And as we are talking about the option list, it is enormous, because the standard equipment is not as rich as it has to be.

The safety features are at high level and the car attained 5 stars in Euro-NCAP crash testing. Of course, if you order the base version, you’ll have to pay a bit more for your security and to order horizontally adjustable head restraints on the front seats. At least, the 6 airbags come as standard.

The engines are really good, but we can’t see a hybrid version of the new Passat. Everybody else makes hybrids and electrical cars, but Volkswagen’s large family car doesn’t offers such model. Instead of that, they bet on low powered diesel engines with Stop/Start system to achieve less fuel consumption. The 1.6TDI with 105PS, which is as fast as a dead cow, achieved 4.2 l/100km and 109 g/km of CO2. The Passat BlueTDI comes with 140PS and 4.6 l/100 km. The petrol variant 1.4TSI with 122PS is very pleasant to drive, because of its elasticity and low fuel consumption – just 5.9 l/100km.

2011 Passat is not a bad car, but Volkswagen have to try a bit harder, because the other companies offer even better cars at lower price. For example Ford Mondeo has a great interior and exterior and costs just around 17 000 pounds.  The other competitors are also very good – Mazda 6, Renault Laguna, Toyota Avensis and Opel Insignia. So, if you consider a deal for 2011 Volkswagen Passat, you have to choose very carefully.

2011 Volkswagen Passat

Assistance and driving dynamics systems: DCC adaptive chassis control, ACC adaptive cruise control, Easy Open, Front Assist with city emergency braking function, Dynamic Light Assist, Keyless Access, Lane Assist, Light Assist, fatigue detection, Park Assist, Park Pilot with visual display, Rear Assist rearview camera, Side Assist, traffic sign detection

Automatic gearbox: 6-speed DSG, 7-speed DSG

Cargo capacity, Estate: 603 litres to 1,731 litres

Cargo capacity, saloon: 565 litres

Character: Long-distance touring car for business and private use

Colours: Uni (standard): “Candy White,” “Uran Grey.” Uni (optional): “Tornado Red.” Metallic (optional): “Cashmere Brown,” “Night Blue,” “Reflex Silver.” Pearl effect (optional): “Deep Black,” “Iceland Grey,” “Mocca Anthracite.” Standard colours for Passat BlueMotion, 77 kW: “Glacier Blue,” “Iron Grey”

Design: Walter de Silva (Group), Klaus Bischoff (Brand)

Dimensions, Estate: 4,771 mm length, 2,062 mm width (including mirror), 1,481 mm height, 2,712 mm wheelbase

Dimensions, Saloon: 4,769 mm length, 2,062 mm width (including mirrors), 1,472 mm height, 2,712 mm wheelbase

Drive type: Standard front-wheel drive,
optional all-wheel drive (4MOTION)

Engines – diesel: Launching with 77 kW / 105 PS (TDI), 103 kW / 140 PS (TDI), 125 kW / 170 PS (TDI)

Engines – petrol / natural gas (EcoFuel): Launching with
90 kW / 122 PS (TSI), 110 kW / 150 PS (TSI EcoFuel),
118 kW / 160 PS (TSI), 155 kW / 211 PS (TSI)

Equipment lines: Trendline, Comfortline, Highline

Fuel economy range: 4.2 l/100 km to 9.3 l/100 km

Infotainment: Radio-CD systems: RCD 210, RCD 310, RCD 510. Radio-navigation systems: RNS 315 and RNS 510 (optional TV module). Peripherals: MEDIA-IN port, AUX-IN port, Dynaudio sound system (600 Watt), Volkswagen Sound system (300 Watt), hands-free telephone

Market launch, Europe: End of November 2010

Market launch, Germany: Mid-November 2010

Passats produced to date: over 15 million

Production sites: Emden and Zwickau, Germany

Running gear: MacPherson-type suspension in front, four-link suspension in rear, standard ESP. Optional DCC adaptive chassis control, sport chassis, ride levelling for Estate

Standard features (Trendline): include ESP, 6 airbags, air conditioning, electromechanical power-assisted steering, electric windows, multifunctional display, central locking, height-adjustable driver’s seat, RCD 210 audio system

Standard gearbox: 6-speed manual