VW Passat

Fascinating! More than 15 million Passats have been sold since 1973. The Passat B1 appeared on the market brand new and fresh, resulting from the Giugiaro’s pen. It was a fastback model leaning on the former Audi 80 platform. The car found its customers by luring them into thinking that they could get (almost) an “Audi” for less money. When our beloved country is concerned, the first Passat has become popular some 12 year later, even with the wagon version, which is even today a frequent visitor of parking places around the markets, with the crates, cabbage and watermelons as “additional equipment”.

The concept of the Passat changed little over time. The former Audi 80 was replaced by A4, and its platform hosted a pretty different body. Result: The model-line that has a loyal clientele under the slogan “Das Auto”.

After the recently replaced B6 which appeared in 2005, VW Passat leaned on its own forces, namely the Golf 5.

We just got the new B7 generation on our test and wondered how much it was actually new, and on the other hand, how much it was a well manicured model?

What are evident at first glance are the new body sheet panels (except roof) and, as usual, like in any other facelift – light clusters. The difference is that we have been able to see this form of front lights for last several years. It “blinked” at us first time from the Scirroco, Golf VI and then from the new Polo and Touareg. Tail lights represent an attempt to transfer the style of the VW Phaeton to the new Passat. It is pure “déjà vu”, and we leave to you to evaluate whether it is good or not. I belong to the latter.

What else is not new?
What else isn’t new in the new Passat? For example – all the rest. The mechanical platform is still from the Golf V, which was developed back in the nineties. It came to the market in 2003. It is not an error. The current Golf VI has its predecessor’s architecture. VW said (and I disagree) that investing money in a new platform would not have brought noticeable progress, so it wasn’t worth it. How nice! Let’s not change anything for 12 years because it doesn’t pay off! I wonder out loud, so where would the car industry be today if the former VW visionaries, strategists and engineers kept up with the old Beetle platform. What a supreme arrogance. To be clear, I do not claim that the platform is bad, but what about the new models nomenclature? Is it just for advertising?

New Interior?
Is the design of the interior really new? To be realistic, just a little bit. Déjà vu again. OK, a traditional and impeccable German precision is here, and there is not much to complain about.

The ergonomics is correct. The electronic parking brake with practical Hill Holder system are included in the Confort trim package, just as the leather steering wheel and gear knob, along with pretty good sound system. The electronic key and stop-start function are standard. Space offer is excellent, but the front seats are of a modest size, perfect for my “slender” figure, but what about those who eat an inch of headcheese or something like that for dinner? At the end, what is missing? The car lacks the major element that people by a car for, and that is the excitement brought by an unexplored model.

At Least Something New
It is good that at least the Passat B7’s engine portfolio is up to date. VW has long been inclined toward the engine downsizing but kept the popular two-liter TDI line, which became cleaner and more efficient with the BlueMotion. Assuming that the Passat 2.0 TDI will be the most common model, I can assess with no doubt that the powertrain of the German sedan is great. It is smooth with good flexibility and provides sufficient 140 hp and 320 Nm of torque. Thus, the popular diesel engine remains popular and with no blemish. Manual six-speed gearbox is a cheaper choice, while the DSG is recommended but more expensive, just as possible 4MOTION. The performances of this package are not fascinating, but they are quite sufficient. The car accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in less than 10 seconds with the top speed of 210 km/h. Those features meet the requirements both in the city and on the open road. One can notice a bit softer suspension and steering, which reduces driving dynamics to some extension, but successfully increases comfort, which is a good news considering our roads. The Passat B7 rides quite well. It is fairly balanced with a flexible engine and powerful brakes. It has good cabin sound insulation and is good for long trips.

Who Is Joking Here
And now, who is joking here? The Passat, a car known for its quite high price has never been cheaper. How so? New models are always more expensive than their predecessors. You had always to pay extra to have a new model in your garage. Remember the price of the first mobile phones that cost 10,000 DM? Is that the secret source of this cosmetic decoration or to say it proper – face lifting? Isn’t it so that the customers of the B6 paid too much for their tin darlings and indulged the customers of the new B7, which suddenly became one of the cheapest in the segment? Isn’t it so that VW has had its development costs paid off long time ago, trying to sell something not exactly old now, but certainly not significantly new, and all that with the “new” label?

However, this whole story is strange to me. The Passat B7 is quite a good car that will retain a fine price even as a used car, but it does not deserve to wear the label of a “new” generation, as it has been presented on our market and therefore does not even deserve my sympathies.