VW

Car from 20 clicks – Volkswagen Passat presentation

So far, two-thirds of the Volkswagen Passat configurations have been discontinued prematurely, so it will be much easier to assemble the desired copy: including the equipment, engine, rims, colors and extras, the novelty can be assembled in less than 20 clicks. To achieve this, things like the fact that on our continent there is only a combi body and only a DSG transmission on offer, and packages are offered instead of individual extras. For example, until now you had to select the electrical connection of the cargo area and the package holder separately, in the future it will be possible to select this in a package with one click. In addition to the unnamed basic level, you can choose from Business, Elegance and R-Line equipment, the content of the basic level is significantly richer (DSG transmission, MIB4 head unit, driver support systems…), in Germany the new Volkswagen Passat starts at a base price of 39,990 euros, Hungarian prices will follow later they will be; distribution will start in February 2024.

The features remained recognizable, but the designers shaped the surfaces more delicately, and played with the light/shadow boundary more boldly. The outline of the air intake in the bumper is smiling in the basic appearance, the R-Line wears a large black rectangle in the same place. LED headlights with projection lenses are standard, high-resolution LED matrix headlights are optional, and the LED lamp occupies the entire width of the body at the back. The width is 1852 mm (+20 mm), the wheelbase is 2841 mm (+50 mm), the body is 4917 mm (+144 mm) long, the height is unchanged. Air resistance is improved with a controlled-opening air intake, an air curtain that uses channels at the corners of the front bumpers to direct the air flow next to the side wall, a larger roof spoiler and a fully tiled floor. The larger body not only gives the rear passengers 5 cm more legroom, but the size of the luggage compartment also expands, 690 liters (+40 l) awaits luggage under the hat rack, 1920 l (+140 l) after the backrests are folded down; with the plug-in hybrid drive, the volume is reduced due to the smaller drawer under the floor.

The interior is fully digital, a 12.9-inch display behind the steering wheel provides information, the central touchscreen has a 15-inch image diagonal, and decorative inserts illuminated from behind are placed in front of the passenger and on the doors. In the spy photo, you could see the monitor in front of the mother-in-law seat, but it will only be available in China, where such gadgets are needed, in Europe they don’t see the point – the monitor is far from the passenger’s eyes, the image of which is much smaller than in the hand and against the head of a person closer to a smartphone. The pre-selector lever is the mustache switch on the right, so they were able to create a large storage space between the front seats – although its width is reduced by the fact that the electronic parking brake switch is located here.

It is a clever solution that the USB-C chargers are placed at the end of the front armrests in such a way that they are high, so it is easy to connect the cable to them. Due to accident prevention regulations, there is no tablet holder for the seat backs, instead a rather small and deep holder can be pushed out from the elbow between the seats; the hand is always at hand. The umbrella with the VW logo can be found in the driver’s door. In this regard, they emphasized that they did not adopt the solution of the Škoda Superb, which is being produced on the joint production line, since VW already offered this equipment for the B6 (2005-2010) Passat, only to abandon it later. In the door on the right, we only find the cooled place for the umbrella. The windshield washer filler, which turns into a funnel to facilitate refilling, has already been admitted: the Simply Clever solution comes from Škoda. It was easier (cheaper) to use the same supplier…

The basic engine of the Volkswagen Passat is a 1.5 eTSI, cylinder deactivation for the 150 hp engine and a 48-volt mild hybrid system reduce gasoline consumption. The 2.0-liter turbo engine can be selected with 204 or 265 horsepower, the 2.0-liter TDI can have 122, 150 or 193 horsepower, the most powerful power levels get 4Motion all-wheel drive. The second-generation plug-in hybrid drive is now offered, with a system output of 204 hp (150 hp gasoline engine and 115 hp electric motor) or 272 hp (177 hp gasoline engine and 115 hp electric motor) driving through the front wheels. The battery with a net capacity of 19.7 kWh (gross 25.7 kWh) is installed under the rear seat, the 45-liter gas tank is located under the luggage compartment floor, and depending on the version, an electric range of around 100 km can be expected. They speed up the charging, instead of the 3.6 of the on-board charger, 11 kW, and 50 kW lightning charging is also possible. The maximum power output of the battery with an energy density that is twice as high as before is 110 kW, but since the electric motor uses a maximum of 85 kW, the battery is never loaded at maximum power, which extends its service life.

The modified geometry of the rear suspension promises better drivability, but the optional DCC Pro suspension really brings something new. With these electronically controlled shock absorbers, 2-2 valves are already used, i.e. the compression and release are controlled separately, and this is also affected by the stability control, i.e. in addition to braking per wheel, the ESP also affects the control of the shock absorption, which also affects the tilt of the body regulates. The advantage of the 2-valve solution is that, for example, in Sport mode, only the compression is set harder, in this case the wheel that “falls” into the pothole lands more gently. For Europe, the ninth-generation Volkswagen Passat station wagon will be produced in Bratislava, the first copies of which will go to dealerships in the second quarter of 2024.

Reporter: Lővei Gergely