2015 Mk8 VW Passat

Background Information
"Premium class car without premium costs", the words of VW Group Chief Martin Winterkorn to describe the 8th generation of the VW Passat.

The 8th generation of the Passat was unveiled on the 3rd of July at a ceremony held in the VW Design Center in Potsdam with the world media invited to view the event.

Echoing Martin Winterkorn's words, the 8th generation of the Passat has become more upmarket and grown in size to fight vehicles in the compact executive class such as the BMW 3-Series, Audi A4 and the Mercedes C-Class just to name a few.

The 8th generation Passat has lost up to 85kg in weight and is up to 20% more efficient than it's mk7 predecessor.

Prices in the UK have not been released yet, neither have the trims for that matter but we should expect a rise in price and a rise in standard equipment across the range.

Meanwhile in Germany, prices for the Passat Saloon start from €25,875 (£20,652 at current exchange rates) for a 1.4 TSI 125PS in Trendline trim while the Passat Estate starts from €25,950 (£20,713, again at current exchange rates).

Back in the UK, the current Passat Saloon starts at £20,375 while the Estate starts at £21,740.
Expect prices to be in and around £20,750 for the 1.6 TDI 120PS in S trim for the saloon and £22,150 for the estate with the same engine in the same engine.

Trims should be named just like the current range of VW cars in the UK starting with entry level S, mid-spec SE and a top of the range model called GT with the mid-range SE to be replaced later on in it's life by Highline trim as witnessed in the mk6 and mk7 models.

Engines
VW has decided not to bring any petrol engines to the UK citing low demand on the mk7 model so all engines will be diesel with no word on whether the petrol hybrid will be available in the UK.

At launch in Germany the 1.6 TDI 120PS and the rumoured 2.0 TDI 184PS is not available but should be available by the time it is on sale in the UK with deliveries expected in January 2015.





Diesel
1.6 TDI 120PS (118BHP) single turbo 4 cylinder
2.0 TDI 150PS (148BHP) single turbo 4 cylinder
2.0 TDI 184PS (181BHP) single turbo 4 cylinder (unconfirmed)
2.0 TDI 240PS (237BHP) twin turbo 4 cylinder

Size
The mk8 Passat has increased in size overall from the mk7 with size increases/decreases being:
Length:          -2mm
Height:          -14mm
Wheelbase:   +80mm
Width:          +12mm

Overall the dimensions for the saloon are:
Length:         4.767m and 4.866m with a towbar in place
Height:          1.456m
Wheelbase:    2.791m
Width:           1.832m (excluding exterior mirrors) and 2.083m including exterior mirrors



Overall the dimensions for the estate are:
Length:         4.767m and 4.882m with a towbar in place
Height:          1.477m
Wheelbase:    2.791m
Width:           1.832m (excluding exterior mirrors) and 2.083m including exterior mirrors

The boot space of the saloon has been boosted by 21L from 565L to 586L and the estate by 47L from 603L to 650L.






Interior
The whole interior has been redesigned with an emphasis on technology and quality.
An optional Active Info Display replaces the traditional instrument cluster with a 12.3-inch display which can place an emphasis on the dials or the satellite navigation system and can be highly configurable and also comes with a heads up display.

A new generation of park assist is available as an option with 360 degree Area View function with cameras giving a 360 degree view around the vehicle and the car can parallel park or reverse into a bay automatically with the driver only operating the accelerator and brakes.

City Emergency Braking, a world first Trailer Assist, Side Assist with rear traffic alert, Traffic Jam Assist and an Emergency Assist which can steer and bring the vehicle to a stop when sensors in the seat detect that the driver is incapacitated.


Exterior
The designers at Volkswagen have injected a sense of a mini Phaeton into the Passat with more restrained styling and sharp lines.

More chrome is used on the front than in the previous iteration creating a premium feel with sharp angled headlights incorporating full LED technology on top spec models.

The 4 chrome bars on the grille bend towards the headlights with the top bar being thicker than the rest and blending into the headlight design.

Moving round to the side of the vehicle, a strong shoulder line with the exterior door handles being incorporated into the line to give a BMW F30 3-Series and F10 5-Series sort of impression as those cars have this feature too.

The rear of the vehicle seems to have been kept as simple as possible with a straight sided rear with full LED taillights and dual rear exhausts incorporated into the lower rear bumper.


My Opinion
Personally, I would buy it over it's competitors the Ford Mondeo, Peugeot 508, Mazda 6, Kia Optima, Vauxhall Insignia etc the list goes on and on in the D-segment.

The 8th generation Passat stands out from the crowd in it's conservative looks which to some would seem too boring but VW are targeting the class above: the deadly compact executive class where vehicles either are a success or suffer from dire sales, very risky from VW.

If for a company car, the Passat and the BMW 3-Series were on the list, most people would go for the 3-Series. Call me mad but for me I would go for the Passat as I love the looks of it and if I was chugging down the motorway everyday I'd rather have a Passat than a 3-Series as you'd be driving straight for many miles, no chance to enjoy the handling of the 3-Series if I had one and the Passat would cope better in the snow too.

The problem with the Passat is that VW are trying too hard to position it in the compact executive segment but I think it should stay in the D-segment and compete against the likes of the Mondeo and Insignia.