2024 Volkswagen Passat - High-end Comfort and First-Class Quality!

Thanks: Volkswagen Tamaş New Volkswagen Passat review The 2024 Passat looks to be the best yet – although you can only have it as an estate car The estate version of the Volkswagen Passat has just celebrated its 50th birthday, and to mark the occasion, it’s become the only body shape available in the Passat range. You read that right – the latest Passat is available only as an estate car. Volkswagen hopes you’ll consider the all-electric VW ID 7 if you’re looking for a saloon executive car. While the “Estate“ in its name has been dropped, the Passat continues to offer space and practicality, making it an attractive choice for family buyers. It’s bigger than before and shares the same suspension, engines and gearboxes as the new Skoda Superb Estate. VW and Skoda are not the only car makers offering roomy family haulers of course, so potential buyers might also be considering, say, the BMW 3 Series Touring and Citroën C5 X. If they have a slightly bigger budget, the BMW 5 Series Touring and Mercedes E-Class Estate are in the running too. So, read on to find out how the new VW Passat ranks among the best estate cars... Performance & drive What it’s like to drive, and how quiet it is The new VW Passat will initially be offered with a mild hybrid petrol engine. It develops 148bhp and has plenty of poke for everyday driving, with a 0-62mph time of 9.2 seconds. Diesel power won’t be offered, but two eHybrid plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) arrive in summer 2024. They combine a petrol engine with an electric motor and a battery, and can be had in 201bhp and 268bhp guises. When we tried a near-production example of the 268bhp eHybrid, it kept up with traffic on electric power alone, with the petrol engine kicking in only when pressing on. The PHEVs have an official electric-only range of 62 miles, but 50 miles is more realistic in real-world driving. That beats the official ranges of the BMW 330e Touring and Citroën C5 X PHEV. As ever, long-distance comfort is high on the Passat’s priority list. Our test cars were fitted with DCC Pro adaptive suspension (which costs around £1000 extra) and delivered a polished ride. DCC Pro’s Individual drive mode offers 15 increments between firmest and softest. There’s also a preset Comfort mode, which trades a little softness for tighter body control, and a Sport mode that prioritises body control. In Sport, body lean is reduced and the steering gains weight for more confidence during cornering. The Passat’s handling is much more composed than the C5 X’s but it never puts as wide a grin on your face on a twisty road in the way a 3 Series Touring can. Read More 📌 Instagram ▶ 📌 Tiktok ▶ @cartvpress