The all-new VW Passat made its world debut in Berlin late last evening. The eighth generation premium sedan features sharper and bolder lines, and is available in saloon and estate body styles.
The front fascia of the new Passat gets edgier headlamps and a new chrome grille, the combination of which certainly makes the car look wider than its predecessor. An aggressive front bumper with prominent foglights and a chrome strip running across the breadth of the car further add to the sense of width.
In profile, the new sedan gets a revised glasshouse and doors. The crease that runs along the waistline is sharply accentuated and there is also a shallow groove in the lower part of the doors to break the monotony in the sheet metal design. The rear fascia of the new Passat is highlighted by the combination lights that complement the headlights. There is a deep cut in the region where the bumper meets the boot lid, and the chrome finished dual inverted-trapezoid exhaust tips rounds off the design.
The interior is a whole new place with a new dashboard design and a flat-bottomed steering wheel. The top end variants get customizable Active Info Display which debuted on the 2015 Audi TT. The rectangular aircon vents are seamlessly integrated with the dashboard trim to give a visual uniformity. The centre console gets a large screen for multimedia infotainment purposes.
The new gen Passat is based on the MQB platform and is up to 85 kg lighter than the outgoing model. The eighth generation is powered by a range of 10 direct injection turbocharged petrol and diesel engines with the outputs ranging from 120 PS to 280 PS. VW claims that the new engines are up to 20% more efficient than the ones that powered the old Passat. There is also a plug-in hybrid variant for the first time, with a combined power output of 211 PS and a pure electric range of 50 km.
On the equipment front the 2015 VW Passat offers numerous assistance systems like Front Assist plus City Emergency Braking with Pedestrian Monitoring, Emergency Assist, Trailer Assist and Traffic Jam Assist.
Sales in Europe begin on July 10 from 25,875 euros (around INR 21.01 lakhs) for the sedan and 25,950 euros (around INR 25.09 lakhs) for the estate.
More details available in the press release below.
All-new VW Passat - Press Release
[Head to Slideshare if you can't view the press release.]
