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With over 15 million cars sold, the Volkswagen Passat is one of the most successful automobiles in the world. Now there is a new Passat. It is the seventh generation since 1973. The styling of the bestseller was completely re-interpreted, and its front end shows parallels to the Phaeton and is more impressive than ever. Furthermore, the VW Passat has always mirrored the course of technological progress. And this applies unreservedly to the seventh Passat, which will launch simultaneously as a saloon and estate car. The overall range of technological innovations now implemented in the Passat Trendline (entry-level), Passat Comfortline (mid-level) and Passat Highline (top model) has reached a scale previously found only in upper and luxury class cars.

Superior Styling: New Passat follows front-end design of the VW Phaeton

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After the Phaeton, presented in the summer of 2010, with the new Passat Volkswagen is introducing its second model whose front end is highlighted by a grille with four crossmembers; the height of the grille approximately matches that of the headlights. While a comparatively narrow radiator grille with two crossmembers typifies styling of models beneath the Passat and Phaeton, as well as the vans, Head of Design for the Volkswagen Group Walter de Silva and Head of Design for the Volkswagen Brand Klaus Bischoff deliberately chose this distinguishing feature on the radiator grille to highlight the status of higher positioned vehicles. Now the Volkswagen Passat's look also follows the new Volkswagen "design DNA."

The entirely new front-end design gave the Passat - now 1,820 mm wide and 4,769 (Estate: 4,771) mm long - an even more dominant look. Although the car has not grown in width, it has a greater presence and more visual dynamism. The heights of the two body versions also remained constant (saloon: 1,474 mm; Estate: 1,519 mm).

Side Profile

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The front end blends into the side profile via the side contour of the V-shaped bonnet, in the style of the Phaeton, and the car's distinctive wing panel lines. The significantly crisper lower and (new) upper character lines stand out here. These two lines now give structure to the height of the Passat and give it a lower profile and a more powerful image. In one clean stroke, the upper character line joins the highest point of the headlights with the window line up to the C-pillar. Beneath this is the second character line; it joins the side sections of the headlights and rear lights which extend into the side profile. In the sill area, a black (Trendline) or chrome (Comfortline and Highline) trim strip upgrades the lateral surfaces between the flared wheel housings; this trim strip is continued in the front and rear sections. The side profile, with its new door mirror design, is also characterised by a very fluid sweep from the roof section to the rear. Visually, the equipment lines differ in side profile by their different wheel-tyre combinations.

Rear Section

The significantly reduced wedge shape compared to the previous model, along with the new line styling in particular, give the rear section a lighter and more elegant appearance. This makes the rear of the saloon appear lower, and the end surfaces of both body versions are wider. Very distinctive here are the rear lights that now wrap around into the wings with a significant contour of the main light. There are basically two versions of the rear lights; the top version utilises LED technology for the main light and brake light as well as the rear fog light. Beneath this, starting with the Comfortline the rear is framed by a chrome trim strip here too. In the estate car bumper, it runs right across the full width of the car; on the saloon it is split by the licence plate frame that is situated lower on the car.

The Passat has different exhaust pipes that are specific to the engine type. So, the lower area of each rear bumper was modified accordingly. On the natural gas powered Passat 1.4 TSI EcoFuel, no tailpipe is visible. The base engines (1.4 TSI with 90 kW and 1.6 TDI with 77 kW) each have a single tailpipe on the left side. All of the more powerful front-wheel drive Passats are characterised by a dual exhaust pipe on the left. The all-wheel drive 4MOTION versions, meanwhile, can be recognised by a two tailpipes, one on the left and one on the right.

Interior

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Modified in many aspects is the dashboard. Its upper section, where the air vents are integrated, has a new surface texture. Chrome accents upgrade the bezels of the vent screens. The decorative strips in the instruments also have new and higher-end material composition; they visually separate the upper and lower areas and are now designed with a slight curvature.

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In the Trendline base version, "Matt Chrome" decorative inserts are used. For the first time, door trims of the VW Passat are treated with special accents. Four other decor types are available for the higher versions Comfortline (standard: "Iridium Printed") and Highline (standard: "Brushed Aluminium"). Genuine "Walnut" and "Zebrano" wood accents are offered on the Passat Comfortline at extra charge and as a selection on the Passat Highline. Always designed in brushed aluminium is the centre console aboard the Passat Comfortline and Highline. Visually coordinated with this are the chrome bezels of the illuminated switches for lights, mirror adjustment and window lifts.

Engines & Gearboxes

As is usual for Volkswagen, the new Passat also sets standards in sustainability. All ten engines (77 kW / 105 PS to 220 kW / 300 PS) were made more fuel-efficient - and indeed by up to 18 percent. The TDI versions are equipped with BlueMotion Technology as standard equipment. This efficient technology pack includes low rolling resistance tyres, a Stop/Start system and a battery regeneration mode. VW Passat models with petrol engines also have standard battery regeneration technology that recovers braking energy. In the case of the smallest petrol engine, battery regeneration and the Stop/Start system are options. The standard transmission in all Passats is a six-speed gearbox. Except for the 105-PS TDI, all other engines of the new Passat may be combined with a dual clutch gearbox (DSG); in the case of the V6, DSG is already aboard as standard equipment.

Most Sustainable Volkswagen Passat Ever

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The most fuel-efficient Passat engine is the 1.6 TDI (turbodiesel) with 77 kW / 105 PS). It consumes just 4.2 l/100 km in the Passat BlueMotion; that is equivalent to 109 g/km CO2. Meanwhile, downsizing and technologies such as the Stop/Start system also enable extraordinarily low fuel consumption values among the petrol engines. Pioneering here is the 1.4 TSI with 90 kW / 122 PS; in the BlueMotion Technology version it is satisfied with 5.9 l/100 km. The equivalent CO2 value: 138 g/km.

TSI and V6 / Petrol and Natural Gas Direct-Injection Engines - Five Charged Four Cylinder Engines and One Six Cylinder

The petrol engines of the Volkswagen Passat output 90 kW / 122 PS (1.4 TSI), 118 kW / 160 PS (1.8 TSI), 155 kW / 211 PS (2.0 TSI) and 220 kW / 300 PS (V6). The top engine has six cylinders, while all other petrol engines are charged four cylinders. Also charged is a 1.4 TSI with 110 kW / 150 PS that is configured for natural gas (EcoFuel). A derivative of the 1.4 TSI is the MultiFuel engine (118 kW / 160 PS) that is designed for use with petrol fuel with up to 85 percent ethanol content.

Six and Seven-speed DSG - Efficient Dual Clutch Gearboxes

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Except for the TDI with 77 kW / 105 PS, any of the other engines of the new Passat may be combined with a dual clutch gearbox (DSG). This is a six-speed or seven-speed DSG, depending on the engine's torque. Both DSG versions are characterised by maximum economy and dynamic shifting performance never before realised to this degree. Besides differing in the number of forward gears, the two DSG units also differ technically in the types of clutches used. While two dry clutches operate in the seven-speed DSG, the dual clutches of the six-speed DSG operate wet in an oil bath. This is true of both gearboxes: Even highly experienced drivers cannot approach the shifting speeds of the DSG gearboxes. More than any other automatic, the dual clutch gearboxes also have the potential to reduce fuel consumption and thereby emissions. Compared to an automatic with torque-converter clutch, this advantage may amount to up to twenty percent depending on the engine.

Meanwhile, the two DSG versions are specialists at their given tasks. While the six-speed DSG shows excellent performance with torque-strong engines (up to 350 Newton-metres) thanks to its broad torque range, the seven-speed DSG is especially well adapted for use with smaller engines (up to 250 Newton-metres).