By
EWAN KENNEDY
10 April 2006
Keen to become a major player in the Australian new-car scene,
Volkswagen is pushing very hard with its new model Passat. Previously, a
combination of rather tame marketing of a vehicle with somewhat bland
styling didn’t see Passat doing a great deal in the sales race. That’s
all likely to change with the just-released new one.
The biggest news about the latest Passat
is that the lowest-cost model is powered by a turbo-diesel engine. As
far as Volkswagen's research shows this has never been done before in
this country, diesels usually costing quite a bit more than petrol
engines. However, this isn’t quite what it seems as the lowest cost
petrol engine is a turbocharged unit, not a standard one, and therefore
more expensive than a conventional petrol engine.
Passat's new range starts at $42,990 for
a 2.0 four-cylinder 103 kW TDI. That’s $2000 cheaper than the 2.0 FSI.
This high-tech petrol FSI produces up to 147 kW.
Topping out the new Passat lineup is the
$54,990 184 kW V6 petrol engine displacing 3.2 litres. The latter comes
with VW's 4Motion all-wheel-drive system for improved traction on
slippery roads. The extra money for the V6 not only buys more engine and
AWD, but also leather trim, front foglamps, a built-in alarm system and
a tyre-pressure monitoring system.
Adding a further $2000 gets you a station
wagon variant on all models.
Other than the engines and transmissions,
the four-cylinder turbo-diesel and turbo-petrol Passats are identical in
specification.
Styling of the Passat is up to date, with
a large grille proudly carrying a positively huge VW badge. Headlights
dip down into the circular cutouts in the bumper in the currently
fashionable arrangement. Passat looks its best when viewed from the
side, it has a strong, stable appearance that’s (hardly surprisingly)
very German in its rock-solid look.
The tail again carries lights that dip
down from their main body into circular openings. This is even more
exaggerated in the wagon than the sedan and almost gives it a Golf-like
appearance when you are following one at a distance.
Interior room is good, with plenty of
space for four adults without any real need to compromise on legroom.
Boot space is very good in the sedans and positively cavernous in the
wagons. We won’t be surprised if the station wagons pick up a larger
than usual percentage of sales.
The cabin styling isn’t quite as
adventurous as that of the exterior, with a rather plain dashboard
arrangement. It works well enough from a practical point of view but
somehow doesn’t have the same air of class as the exterior, at least
not in our opinions, we’ll leave you to come to your own conclusions.
All versions of the Volkswagen Passat
have a six-speed transmission. Those in the diesel and the V6 petrol use
the sequential-shifting DSG manual gearbox we have raved about in the
past for its refinement, performance and fuel economy. The four-cylinder
petrol engine uses a conventional automatic which has some manual
overrides.
At this stage we’ve only had the
opportunity to drive the two petrol engines at the launch of the new
Passat. We will catch up with the diesel later, though we have already
been impressed with the power and torque the same engine supplies in the
Volkswagen Golf and don’t expect any surprises in the Passat.
On the road these medium-large
Volkswagens, they are now almost as big as a Holden Commodore, have a
solid refined feel. They are capable of covering large distances with
little effort. However, we did briefly sample a model with optional
sports suspension and larger wheels and found it somewhat uncomfortable
on rough surfaces. That’s rough sealed roads not unsealed ones.
These engines are great units to sit
behind; the four-cylinder turbo-petrol has minimal lag and once the
torque does kick in it feels almost as powerful as a six-cylinder. The
V6 is beautifully smooth and responsive and has a real air of upmarket
class to it.
Volkswagen's new Passat is well worth
considering if you want a quality car with a good image. However,
prestige is a funny thing and some feel that being a German car may
actually work against Passat.
For whatever reason, buyers who don’t
go for a BMW or Benz frequently prefer to switch countries, rather than
looking at the lower-priced machines from Germany. That may change with
this attractive new model and Volkswagen Australia hopes to more than
double Passat sales over the next 12 months.
