New VW Passat Revealed

Published Date: 4th Jul 2014

VW have announced the release of the 8th generation Passat, which on the surface seems to have a more premium feel.

The wrapping paper has finally been ripped of this new generation VW Passat and will debut at the Paris Motor Show in October. VW has designed a more upmarket feel to the new Passat, which looks a lot sleeker and has bags and bags of new tech on the inside. VW hope the new Passat will be able to compete with the BMW 3 Series and Mercedes C-Class.

The Passat benefits from smoother lines and a kinetic design, VW have made the car 14mm lower and 12mm wider than the current Passat. The new grill is a favourite of ours, as it merges into the headlights to give swept back look. The back has evidence of influence from the premium VW Phaeton, with a couple of chrome exhaust that sit nicely against the rear bumper.

On the inside, comfort and technology are main objectives; normal instruments have been overhauled with a 12.3 inch TFT display with full configuration capability. There is some bad new though, this is not standard on lower models.

The new 8th Gen VW Passat is a little shorter than the current model (2mm), though it does offer a little more space for passengers. This is because of shorter rear overhangs, which adds an impressive 33mm and in-turn much happier passengers. The taller people will benefit from extra headroom and the boot receives a boost of 21 litres - making the overall boot space 586 litres. The Estate model also has more boot space, with an impressive 650 litre capacity.

Underneath the new sleeker body there have also been changes, VW have managed to shave 85kg off the overall weight. There have also been many improvements to the Engine line-up, with fuel consumption cut by an impressive 20 percent. An all-new plug-in version will be offered by VW, with a 154bhp 1.4-litre TSI engine combined with a 107bhp electric motor from the VW Golf GTE. The Plug-in version will be on sale a short time after the official launch.

There is another new engine in the shape of a 237bhp TDI BiTurbo engine, which outputs a huge 500Nm of torque. This engine tops the current version by 62bhp and 120Nm of torque, though this engine is only available with the DSG gearbox and 4WD. Combined MPG is expected to be around the 53mpg area.

VW expect the car to be very popular with fleet buyers, especially with the variety of engines available – a 118bhp 1.6 litre TDI and 148bhp and 188bhp versions of the 2.0 litre TDI. VW with reveal official pricing at the much anticipated Paris Motor Show, with prices expected to begin at around £22,000.