Volkswagen Passat review

The Passat and Tiguan share the VW Group’s MQB evo platform, but the news in this department is much rosier in the lower-slung estate. Where the Tiguan crashes abruptly over urban road furniture, the Passat is a much comfier place to be. There’s still a firm edge to its suspension particularly on poor quality UK roads, and even on meek 18in alloys (you could also have 17s or 19s depending on spec) that don’t do its embiggened dimensions justice, but it’s at least better than the SUV. As you’d hope with less mass to keep in check.

Handling is classic VW, in fact; the steering is intuitive and nicely weighted and the car’s responses utterly faithful. The front tucks sharply into corners, especially in the lighter mild-hybrid car, before the rear axle follows obediently round. It’s not dripping with fun, this chassis, but grip is always strong despite the fact UK cars will only come in front-wheel-drive format. 4Motion AWD is reserved for the larger petrols and diesels which we’re denied.

How’s that entry level mild-hybrid powertrain?

Of course, we’re well used to VW’s 1.5-litre turbocharged four-pot by now, but in the ninth-gen Passat – which is considerably bigger than the one that went before – it does feel a little underpowered without an electric motor to properly back it up. Figures of 148bhp and 184lb ft of torque don’t sound all that bad, but the seven-speed DSG hunts for the highest possible gear in search of maximum efficiency, so there’s a considerable delay before any real acceleration after you’ve put your foot down. 

A stretched four-pot engine also doesn’t sound all that premium, and even though fancier-badged rivals have also downsized to just four-cylinders, there’s a sense that VW perhaps needed a little more focus on refinement under acceleration in order to compete.

We specify ‘under acceleration’ there because once you’re up to motorway speeds this new Passat is mightily impressive. It’s supremely hushed at a cruise and has a real feeling of solidity. You might also learn to love the styling when you know what tricks its aero is weaving.

Plus, if you’ll rarely fill every litre of luggage space to weigh things down, the mild-hybrid is the neater car to drive thanks to its 250kg-lower weight. There is actually much more boot space to fill too – more on that over on the Interior tab of this review.

I want a plug-in hybrid, which should I have? 

Britain’s best-selling version is expected to be a plug-in hybrid, reflecting the huge company car appeal these things still possess. While the two options are topped by a 268bhp peak output, you’ll rarely extract every ounce of performance in either that or the 201bhp iteration, not least because the slightly coarse nature of the 1.5-litre TSI engine at higher revs discourages it.

Better to lean into the PHEV’s efficiency credentials and use the throttle with a little more maturity. It’s got enough pep in EV mode around town, too, and is pleasant to punt around with zero tailpipe emissions, even if the whine of the e-motor occasionally cuts through the quiet.

A demerit for the brake regen system, too, which is never especially strong in any of its modes and is difficult to adjust via a touchscreen sub-menu. Yep, it’s taken until now to start firing shots at the Passat’s ergonomics, but this issue really grates. It’s a quicker, simpler process to change the colour of the digital dial surrounds than it is to crank the brake regen up enough to avoid riding the brake pedal on downhill dual carriageways.

Automatic only, you say?

Absolutely, and seemingly no chance of a manual. VW has taken the opportunity to spring clean the centre console by moving the DSG selector up to the steering column, so you now flip between drive, reverse or park via the right-hand stalk, much like in a Mercedes-Benz or one of VW’s ID. badged EVs. The indicators and wipers are grouped together on the left.

All cars get steering wheel paddleshifters; flick one in a sportier drive mode and the DSG stays in manual until you instruct it otherwise. With a relatively sharp chassis beneath, there are moments you might be tempted to get this involved, too. The transmission always shifts up itself as the redline approaches, though, regardless of mode.

It’s a minor shame the larger 2.0-litre petrol and diesel engines are denied to British buyers. We sampled both on the continent and in each case the Passat felt more in its comfort zone. It’s understandable that such a fleet-focused car would go purely hybrid in the UK, but private buyers are perhaps missing out on a couple of more satisfying specs.