“Deciding
to buy
a new Passat Estate
is the easy bit.
The hard part is
choosing from the
vast range of engines
and transmissions...”
THERE ARE MANY versions of the Passat Estate to choose from — they
are available with FSI direct injection, with petrol and TDI diesel engines
in sizes ranging from a 1.6 to a 3.2-litre V6, with five- and six-speed manual,
automatic tiptronic and DSG transmissions, with front-wheel drive as well
as VW's 4Motion four-wheel drive and in S, SE, Sport and SEL trim levels.
Prices currently range from £16,440 to £26,455. And there are still more models
yet to be added…
The new — and appreciably larger — sixth generation Passat is clearly
set to become a big player in the company car and user-chooser markets. The
fact that the new generation Passats are significantly bigger and have more
road presence than their predecessors will make them popular with customers
who do not want to go down the path of buying the less desirable-to-own Vauxhall
Vectra or Ford Mondeo estates. It will also compete healthily with estates
from the Mercedes C-Class, BMW 3 Series, Peugeot 407 and Volvo V70 ranges.
There's no doubt that the new Passat is a quality product with a more exclusive
image. Immediately noticeable is the thrusting boldly-chromed V-shaped grille
— Volkswagen's new corporate 'face'. Shapely, eye-catching lights at
each corner inject a strong but not brash touch of 'look at me'. In fact,
the Passat now looks much closer to the Audi brand than perhaps even Audi
might like to admit.
Volkswagen expect to sell 32,000 Passats in the UK this year and 13,000 of
them destined to be Estates. Diesel engines will be the stronger sales models,
and the best-selling single model is expected to be the 2.0-litre TDI SE with
140bhp and a six-speed manual 'box.
It is certainly the model I would go for, priced as it is at £19,860 —
that's only marginally more than the lack-lustre 1.9-litre SE TDI I recently
drove — and the 2.0-litre's performance is much better.
However, my test model had the 1.9-litre TDI engine with only 105bhp of power
and 184lb ft of torque and a 5-speed transmission. To put it bluntly, it was
no ball of fire. Its acceleration felt sluggish and it was prone to stalling
when pulling away from standstill — unless it was given more than the
usual amount of engine revs usually needed for a diesel (a very good reason
to go for the 140bhp 2.0-litre engine every time). In fairness to the 1.9,
its 0-62mph time is 12.5 seconds. It did, however, return 45.4mpg so it's
not all bad news. Unfortunately, the lack of driving enjoyment took the edge
off the overall enjoyment of living with the Passat Estate for a week.
That said, if driving performance is not your thing and if you like to use
less fuel and pay lower levels of company car tax and less road fund licence,
then the 1.9 is fine. From both the outside and inside it looks an expensive,
upmarket car — it is just this particular engine option which lets it
down.
The new Passat is bigger — longer, taller and wider — than the range
it has replaced. This means a more substantial road presence plus there's
significantly more interior passenger space both front and rear, making it
a full five-seater. And there's lots of storage space for all the paraphernalia
of family life, be it bottles or buggies. Hey, there's even
a slot for an umbrella in the driver's door! The load bay dimensions have
increased slightly, although they do not quite match up to the latest Vectra
estates. With the Passat's rear seats in use there is 513 litres of luggage
space. But fold down the 60/40 spilt rear seats and this more than triples
the carrying capacity to a huge 1,641 litres.
The new car is also stronger, with improved rigidity and a stiffer chassis.
Add to this the use of a new multi-link rear suspension and the handling is
better, showing 'big car' levels of refinement in the way it absorbs the worst
potholes and copes with poor roads surfaces. The semi-electric power steering
offered good feedback and, despite the Passat's size — remember, it is
a 4.7-metre family estate — the Passat proved to be neat and nimble to
drive. At the risk of labouring the point, so much so that the lack of performance
from the 1.9-litre engine proved even more frustrating.
Neither is the Passat Estate short of new technologies. An electronic stability
programme is fitted as standard to all models, as is anti-lock braking. There
are also front, side and curtain airbags and active front head restraints,
along with fast-acting LED rear lights — all good safety features which
we have come to expect these days on all quality cars.
The interior specification has moved up market as well. Initially, the interior
looks a tad uninteresting — unless you opt for the two-tone finish. Get
behind the wheel and take in the shapely facia and logical dash layout and
you quickly appreciate that VW has lost none of its knack for making a driver
feel truly at ease and in control. For its price, the Passat really does lack
for nothing (there's now an electronic parking brake with an optional 'auto-hold'
function that can keep the car and an attached trailer stationary on a hill).
Apart from the under-powered performance from the 105bhp 1.9-litre engine,
'my' Passat grew on me with every mile I drove it. It's very comfortable,
and even after a long drive I didn't feel the least bit tired.
The biggest plus points for this classy estate car are its build quality,
stylish on-road presence, undoubted driving refinement and, of course, its
roominess. Just choose one of the more powerful engines — I cannot recommend
the 1.9-litre diesel engine when the 2.0-litre TDI is so markedly better —
and you'll be more than satisfied. Residual values should be good, too, so
although it costs more than the Vectra estate the Passat should, in the long
term, prove to be much better value.
Do watch the options list, though — specify a 'winter pack' (including
heated front seats), a satellite navigation system, some 'must-have' parking
sensors plus a few other goodies and you can kiss goodbye to a further £2,500.
— David Miles
 Volkswagen Passat Estate 1.9 TDI SE | £18,555 Maximum speed: 115mph | 0-62mph: 12.4 seconds Test MPG: 45.4mpg | Power: 105bhp | Torque: 184lb ft Visit Volkswagen's website  |