The VW Passat is one of the best all-rounder cars on the market today. It’s practical, well-built, fast enough, and it looks pretty good too. The Passat has been in production since 1973 and is available in sedan or estate form. It’s a very good car that sells globally, though some markets have different body styles that are larger.
The Passat is a very reliable car, but should you buy one? Let’s find out.
via: wikipedia.org
Upmarket Quality For Mainstream Prices
The Passat is actually quite an upmarket car inside and out. The current EU and US models have amazing interiors that are very organized and include high-quality materials. The overall fit and finish is just as good as an Audi or Mercedes. Exterior-wise, the Passat looks a lot more expensive than it actually is. The EU and US models both look very different, with the US model being a larger car, however, both of them look very classy and very refined.
North America and China both received different larger Passat models in 2011 in order to keep up with competitors. The North Amerian and Chinese Passat are not built in Germany. The Chinese Passat is built in China whilst the North American Passat is built in America. The platform of these cars is actually just an extended version of the European Passat, and it is the same size as say a BMW 5-Series.
The European Passat is a smaller but better-looking car and is offered in estate form. The current European Passat sedan model has just gone out of production but the estate is still being built. The Passat makes a great company car in Europe due to its cheaper costs, reliability, image, and overall build quality.
Elder Passat’s may look dull, but they too are very well built. It is not uncommon to find a Passat in good condition that has done over 100,000 miles. This is why the Passat makes a great taxi due to its dependability and durableness. The Passat shares a lot of parts with other cars such as the Audi A4, as it shares the same platform and engines.
What Are The Performance Models Like?
The Passat performance models have never ever sold well, but that doesn’t make them bad cars. The first-ever performance-orientated Passat was the very rare Mk3 VR6 model. The VR6 featured the new VW 6-cylinder unit that packed 172hp and could push the car up to speeds of 139 mph which in the late 1980s early 1990s was pretty good. The Mk4 also got a VR6 model with similar power figures.
The Mk5 Passat introduced a new design language for VW as well as a few new engines. The fastest Mk5 model was the W8 4motion which included a 4-liter 8-cylinder engine that used VW’s W-Engine technology. That car was completely flawed in every single way. Reliability was a huge concern and despite its many cylinders, the W8 isn’t very fast at all. However, it’s a very cool car and you can now get one for peanuts.
The MK6 Passat then split into two different body styles for Europe, China, and North America. Only the EU MK6 received a performance model, and that was the R36. The R36 was yet another failure but like the W8 Passat, it is very cool. Under the hood was a 3.6 liter VR6 6-cylinder engine with 296hp and 258 lb-ft of torque. The name R36 comes from the engine displacement.
The R36 includes a body kit, bigger alloys, two large exhausts at the rear, 4-wheel drive, lowered suspension, R engraved pedals, heated front and rear Recaro seats, and Bi-Xenon headlights with cornering ability. Quite a lot a then for your money and this car really did go like the clappers. Unfortunately, it never caught on, and as such, it is one of the rarest VW performance cars ever.
The MK7 was a facelifted MK6 however, the R36 nameplate was not carried over. You could still get a VR6-powered car though just it wasn’t as fast or as cool as an R36.
The MK8 Passat then axed the 6-cylinder engines, as VW favored smaller 4-cylinder ones instead. However, a new performance variant was launched called the GTE. That car packed a 4-cylinder 1.4-liter turbo 4-cylinder engine and an electric motor that has a range of 31 miles. The GTE overall had 201hp and 258 lb-ft of torque and could hit 60 in 68 seconds. It’s not a very fast car at all, and the smaller Golf GTI is a far faster car. However, it’s a pretty decent everyday car that is quite economical.
The US and China got Passat models that included 6-cylinder engines as well as a GT model which had a slight body kit and larger wheels.
The Passat CC and Arteon Are a Good Shout For Style.
The Passat CC and Arteon models are essentially coupe models of the Passat. They include different body styles that look sportier thanks to swooping rooflines and pillarless doors. The CC was launched back in 2008 on the MK5 platform and it’s a very good car. Then in 2012 it was facelifted and rebranded as just CC. The term CC stands for Comfort Coupe and it is a very comfortable car.
It featured the same engines as the normal Passat which ranged from 1.4 to a 3.6 liter VR6. The CC in 2017 was replaced by the Arteon which is a liftback coupe-sedan that rivals the A5 Sportback and 4-series Gran Coupe. That car includes a performance-oriented R model that packs a 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder that pushes out 316hp and 310lb-ft of torque. The 0-60 time is around 5 seconds and the car is available in liftback or shooting-brake (estate) body styles.
The CC and Arteon are slightly less practical in comparison to the Passat due to the sloping roofline. However, as a personal car, they are so much more fun due to their looks. The overall build quality is excellent and it can definitely rival more premium German brands.
The Passat CC and Arteon are also very reasonably priced or what you get. Overall, it provides great value for money.