The German Engineered Passat is another addition to the great line of cars that VW has released in the past few years. Tailored towards an Indian car market, the Passat is a great midsize sedan that will have enough power to keep you interested in driving and enough space to keep your kids at bay as you take them to school. The Passat has everything you’re looking for in a well rounded vehicle and will help keep cost down with its improved fuel economy. EverydayGuide took a look at the new Passat and shares it’s thoughts with you to help you decide if it’s right for you.
EverydayGuide Rundown
Price: 22.35 lakh
Good
- Front air bags
- Quality German interior and design
- Sharp handling and ride control
- Diesel powered means good fuel economy (9km/l in the city and 13.5 km/l highway)
Bad
- Not many options for the vehicle
- Sterile
Why You Should Take it For a Test Drive
The Passat leads in the luxury class in India for its combination of comfort and safety. You’ll notice the item to take first place on the “good” list is air bags. Many of India’s cars don’t have air bags and Passat saw this as a problem. By introducing front passenger airbags, the Passat has managed to receive a five star safety rating from India’s road safety board as one of the safest cars on the road.
Under the Hood
Under the hood of the Passat is a 2.0L inline 4 cylinder engine powered by diesel. While we would have liked to have seen something a bit more powerful, VW have figured out how to push 140HP out of what they’ve got, a truly impressive feat. You may not be able to race your friends around the block with the family in the back seat, but you’ll be sure to give other cars a run for their money as you step on the gas. The car comes with available automatic or manual transmission options, although we prefer the manual. It’s quicker out of the gate and can crank out a little more power at top speed. All of the transmission options are 6 speed and come standard with the price of the vehicle.
Design
Rear Seats Interior
The design of the Passat, like all German cars, is truly beautiful. The Germans have a knack for designing cars and the Passat is no different. The curves and stylings on the interior are all purposeful in their placing and you won’t find anything out of place. It may be a bit sterile (discussed below), but we’ll let it slide because of the quality of the car.
The Central Console
The Roof
The Driver's Seat
The Passat’s front wheel drive allow for sharp handling around corners. We noticed a little bit of power loss coming out of corners, but unless you’re doing drag racing through the town, the handling of the car is phenomenal for a family car. This, coupled with anti lock brakes, makes the car easy to handle and safe to drive.
Consider the Competition
The Passat is in the same class as the BMW 3 series and any of the cars in the Mercedes C-Class. You’ll be paying about the same amount of money for the same German quality. The Passat can’t really compete with a name like BMW or Mercedes, but it does its best.
The one thing that struck us about the Passat is how few options it has. You can’t really customize the vehicle to be something you want. You either want the Passat in its current form, a 2 liter diesel sedan, or you look elsewhere. You’re sure to find more customizable options on other vehicles, but we’re not sure you would want to. The Passat is very capable of standing on its own as a luxury vehicle.
Some may consider the design of the Passat to be sterile, but we quite liked it. The German sleekness of the Passat isn’t for everyone, but it does look neat and tidy when kept clean.
The EverydayGuide Wrap Up
The Passat is a powerful family car that will surely keep your family safe as you drive through town. It’s a higher end luxury vehicle that costs more than an average car, but delivers a lot more punch. The 2.0 liter diesel engine is capable of decent fuel economy and even better performance. You may be left wanting more from the vehicle in terms of sheer power, but for a family car, you can’t really ask for much else. It’s going to stay at the top of our list as one of our favorite luxury Indian vehicles until something comes along and knocks it down.
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