Volkswagen Passat

The Volkswagen Passat has always been the most impressive vehicle in its segment and pretty popular in other markets but has been overshadowed by its rivals here in India. Even the current Passat is loaded to the brim with tech and soon VW will be bringing in the eighth generation Passat to our shores. The manufacturer has earned a lot of name in the market now and this new car will be better than ever improving its chances of success this time.

A lot has changed in this new Passat. The looks have evolved over time and it has got aggressive styling as compared to the current car. The hood flows nicely into a low hung chin and it surely looks upmarket. The new is based on the MQB platform and is lighter by around 85 Kgs than the one it will replace. The wheelbase has gone up and the interior space is now comparable to many premium sedans. The dashboard looks really nice with the air con vents integrated nicely into the slats on the dashboard. There are other features like Google Earth and Android app mirroring apart from the usual set of features it used to have. The ride is a bit on the softer side but still it manages corners well.

The new car will be powered by the 2.0 TDI engine generating a peak power of 187 bhp. The engine is very refined and manages to pull the car effortlessly. There is a new 237 bhp twin turbo diesel engine as well but there are slim chances of it arriving in India, at least initially. The engine will be coupled with the immensely popular VW DSG dual clutch gearbox.

Despite being powerful, the 2.0 TDI engine is quite efficient. Expect fuel efficiency figures of around 16 kmpl on highway and 11 kmpl in city driving conditions.