Volkswagen Passat 2010 Review - International

Volkswagen Passat

What we liked
>> Sharp new look
>> Quieter and more refined
>> Cool safety and convenience technology

Not so much
>> It's the same car as before but in new clothes
>> Some trick gadgets not available in Australia at launch
>> Diesel not as nice to steer as the petrol version

About our ratings

OVERVIEW
>> New Passat is not completely new, but comes with more style, refinement and technology
If it ain't broke don't fix it. That's what Volkswagen says about its decision to change some parts of the 'new' Passat while leaving other parts untouched.

Volkswagen calls its something-old-something-new model the seventh generation Passat.

Some might argue that it's not a new generation at all, rather it is simply a facelift of the Passat that was released five years ago, albeit a rather big one. So, for the record, here is fundamentally what's new and what's not on the new Passat for 2011.

All the sheetmetal is new (and therefore the headlights, tail-lights and bumpers have changed, too) but draped over the previous model's architecture.

That means the core structure of the car -- defined by the door frames and roof pillars -- is the same as before, as are the suspension layout and (in Australia at least) the engine options.

The simplest way to put it: if the new and old models were side by side they'd have the same silhouette -- and the doors would fit either car.

But does any of this matter? Not really, because the previous Passat was already a good thing. In essence, all that Volkswagen engineers have done is come along and tighten the screws in a few places, so to speak.

The money that Volkswagen saved by not doing an all-new car from the ground-up was invested in refining what was already there -- and adding some cool new safety and convenience technology.

The new Passat has a special sound-deadening windscreen, while extensive noise suppression material has been fitted to the firewall (between the engine compartment and the cabin) and in the doors. As an option, sound-deadening side glass is also available.

For the first time, the new Passat has some Volvo-like safety systems. It is able to avoid crashing into the vehicle ahead, detect if the driver is drowsy and keep the car from wandering out of its lane.

And it has the third iteration of Volkswagen's parking assistance technology -- it can parallel park into and out of tighter spots than before, plus guide you into a 90 degree perpendicular parking spot (which it couldn't do before).

But initially it won't get the one feature that earned the new Passat headlines around the world when it was unveiled at the Paris motor show in early October.

The new Passat was billed as the ideal car for shopaholics after VW revealed it had a motion sensor under the rear bumper that opens the boot automatically with a deft swing of your foot (to save you putting the shopping down while you fumble for your key).

This cool gadget won't be available in Australia at launch early next year but it will be available by the end of 2011 as an optional extra on both the sedan and the wagon.

Although the new Passat is available with 10 engines in Europe, in Australia the Passat will retain the same three engine options as before: 1.8 turbo petrol, 2.0 turbodiesel, and the 3.6 V6 petrol (albeit fitted to a luxury model instead of the sports R36 model).

The R36 has been dropped but Volkswagen says it is working on a replacement R version of the Passat with a smaller but more powerful engine, due in about two years.

PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
>> The plan is to hold prices and add equipment
It is still too early to forecast exactly how much the new Passat will cost when it arrives in Australian showrooms in the first half of 2011.

But if recent history is a guide, the new model will cost the same as the old one -- despite some extra standard equipment.

That means the 1.8-litre turbo four-cylinder petrol sedan is likely to start from $38,990 (wagon $40,990), and the 2.0-litre turbo petrol is likely to start from $43,990 (wagon $45,990).

The $64,990 R36 has been dropped from the range but the 3.6-litre V6 that powered that model will live on in a prestige version that's likely to replace the old 3.2 V6 which was priced at $55,990 (wagon $57,990). Incidentally, all prices quoted here exclude on-road costs and dealer charges.

VW hasn't revealed much about equipment changes, but it did confirm that the fatigue warning system and wireless Bluetooth phone connection would be standard on all new Passat models.

The Bluetooth announcement is somewhat of a coup given that VW has struggled to make it standard equipment on much of its lineup despite the technology being included on cheaper cars such as the Toyota Yaris and Hyundai Getz, among others.

MECHANICAL
>> Engines remain unchanged, but are more efficient
There will be three engine options when the new Passat arrives in Australia in the first half of 2011.

The 1.8-litre turbo petrol and 2.0-litre turbodiesel continue with the same power and performance but come with fuel economy improvements, while the 3.6 V6 previously used in the R36 performance version will be fitted to a new all-wheel drive prestige model.

As before, all three engine options are backed by twin clutch 'DSG' gearboxes (seven-speed for the 1.8 turbo petrol and six-speed for the 2.0-litre turbodiesel and 3.6 V6 petrol).

The 1.8 turbo petrol engine (118kW/250Nm) has trimmed its fuel economy average from 7.7L/100km to 7.0L/100km; the 2.0 turbodiesel engine's (125kW/350Nm) average is down from 6.5L/100km to 5.3L/100km. Figures for the updated 3.6 V6 are yet to be published.

The Blue Motion 1.6 turbodiesel version -- the eco hero of the Passat range -- sips just 4.2L/100km but is not yet confirmed for Australia.

PACKAGING
>> Same roomy cabin as before, but the wagon has new tricks
The interior of the new Passat will look very familiar to anyone who has driven the old one, although some subtle changes help give it a fresh appearance.

The dashboard is the same as before, but now has an analogue clock in the middle of it. The interior door skins are the same as before, but the arm rests have changed. The seats look the same, but the fabrics and frames are new. And the instrument cluster is the same, but the steering wheel is new.

Other changes? The electric park brake has moved from the dashboard near the lightswitch to the centre console near the gearlever. And as part of the Passat's move upmarket, there is the option of real woodgrain trim (aluminium is standard).

As before, there is ample room up front or in the back seat. The Passat has one of the biggest cabins in the medium-car class.

Given the popularity of the wagon (59 per cent of sales in Australia, and climbing) engineers have come up with a few neat tricks for the cargo carrier.

The rear seats can now be folded by pulling a lever in the cargo bay (and from the boot in the sedan).

Available as an option is a 500mm wide carpeted 'surfboard' that is the full width of the cargo floor and slides on rails so you can more easily shift heavy items deeper into the cargo space.

The cargo blind has a nifty trick, too: tap it once and it retracts part of the way, tap it twice and retracts all the way.

SAFETY
>> Volvo-like technology but it's not fail-safe
The new Passat is available with a low-speed crash avoidance system that's similar to Volvo's City Safety.

While the Swedish maker uses laser to detect obstacles ahead, the new Passat uses radar technology to achieve a similar result.

Whereas the Volvo system can now avoid a rear-end crash at up to 50km/h, the VW system is most effective below about 20km/h.

The Passat's crash low-speed avoidance system uses the same radar beacon that is used for the optional radar cruise control.

When the car first notices a potential impact, it sounds an audible warning. Then, about 1.5sec later it will jolt the brakes in an attempt to alert the driver.

If that fails, the system will either activate the brakes if necessary or provide maximum pressure if the driver is not pressing the brakes hard enough.

VW says it can prevent collisions below 20km/h and can reduce the severity of the impact at speeds above that.

Meanwhile, the optional lane-keeping system uses a camera mounted in the windscreen to detect road markings. If the system notices that the car is wandering from its lane, it will sound a beep and take control of the steering for up to 8 to 10 seconds. The system only works above 65km/h and in ideal conditions.

During the test drive in Barcelona, it worked about one in four attempts to sample the technology. Shadows across the road, cars ahead or faint line markings made it difficult for the system to operate properly.

Volkswagen makes no apologies for this, saying it is a driver assistance system only.

Meanwhile, the radar cruise control has been further refined to make it more user-friendly.

It now knows when the car is about to rejoin the fast lane and resume its cruising speed -- by taking notice of when the driver activates the indicator to change lanes. This saves milliseconds by preparing the accelerator.

The system also has stop and go technology. The radar cruise control will bring the car to a complete stop, but the driver now only needs to gently accelerate the car to 2km/h and then the system will take over again.

An optional high beam assistance system not only dips the high beams when an oncoming car approaches, but it can also tailor the shape of the beam so that the other car is not flared -- but the Passat driver still gets a high beam spread on their side of the road.

The new Passat also sees the third iteration of Volkswagen's parking assistance technology. It can now park in a tighter spot and do 90-degree perpendicular parks, as well as parallel parks.

VW's first parking assistance system released in 2007 needed 700mm of space between it and the cars parked front and back when attempting to parallel park. Then an update in 2009 reduced the gap between it and the cars parked front and back to just 550mm.

The new system for 2011 means the Passat only needs 400mm space between it and the car in front, and the same to the car behind, to manouvre safely.

Better still, if someone parks you in, it only needs 250mm of clearance front and back to get you out of a tight spot.

In addition to all the gadgetry, VW says it has made further refinements to the car's stability control systems, to help prevent a crash in the first place.

The previous Passat, armed with six airbags, scored five stars in Euro NCAP crash tests. There is no reason to suggest the new model will take any backward steps given the core structure of the car and its airbag system are carried over from its predecessor.

COMPETITORS

The Passat's latest make-over brings it in line with Volkswagen's new corporate look. But one of the side-effects is that it has also taken on a more upmarket appearance. At a glance it looks like a slightly smaller Phaeton (VW's luxury limousine sold in Europe).

Despite the sharp new suit Volkswagen insists the Passat has been designed to appeal to young families, older drivers and big company fleets -- and everyone in between.

It says the main rivals in Europe are the Ford Mondeo and the BMW 3 Series. We reckon the VW Passat slots in nicely between those two, and will also give Honda, Subaru and Mazda mid-size cars a decent run for their money. It might even snap the odd sale away from sister brand Audi.

ON THE ROAD
>> So competent it almost seems easy
The new Passat hasn't had major surgery under the new sheetmetal, but VW has made some minor changes and refinements to the suspension.

The car's body is slightly lighter than before, and there has been some weight savings in key components such as the front brakes, but the overall weight of the Passat remains relatively unchanged because of the extra equipment that's been fitted.

The result is that the Passat is still a highly competent car from behind the wheel.

It may not feel as razor sharp as a BMW or a Mazda, but it handles corners just as well -- and while delivering much higher levels of comfort and quietness.

It is so good, you could be forgiven for thinking the Passat is a dull drive. But this is a novice mistake. It just happens to make it look easy.

We drove both the 1.8 petrol and 2.0 diesel on winding mountain roads behind Barcelona and, even though the diesel is the preferred option in Australia, I still prefer the way the petrol drives.

The petrol version (with its lighter engine) is less nose heavy and therefore smoother in corners, more easy to predict, and more forgiving when you get it wrong.

Both cars were equipped with DSG gearboxes and, it must be said, VW has made further improvements. Not everyone is a fan of the twin clutch gearbox but it is getting smoother between gearchanges and in particular when moving off from rest. We didn't, however, attempt a reverse park on a hill, which is when DSG gearboxes can be temperamental.

The brakes felt strong and, if anything, a bit too sensitive at first. But I soon got used to them (I'd rather have sensitive brakes than vague brake feel).

The new Passat is much quieter than the old model, too. Sure, the roads that VW selected were perfectly smooth, but even wind noise was almost negligible thanks to the vast sound deadening that's gone into the new car.

We will, of course, reserve final judgment until we sample the new Passat on local roads next year. But it is safe to say that the early signs are good.

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