Overheard at a coffeeshop recently: “Ehh! Have you guys seen the Passat? No, not the swoopy back one but the normal sedan.”

The rest of the middle-aged men at the table - all four of them - shook their heads, giving the speaker, the leeway to launch into an animated description of his test-drive experience of the car a day earlier.

He was, on the face of it, a Passat buyer in the making.







It was just a week earlier that we had grabbed the keys of the Passat sedan for a four-day getaway.

The foodies in the writer’s family decided to pull an overnighter to Penang island on New Year’s eve to partake of original native fare.

Putting some distance in a new car and splurging on good food in a new setting ... what’s not to like? It beckons the adventurous. And that we are!

It was only last October that VW Group Malaysia had held an impressions drive for the media in the Passat - alongside the Cross Touran and Jetta - to the same destination, so the test car was getting re-acquainted with island charms and salty air sooner than expected.

While it’s not sleek in appearance as the more luxurious and sportier Passat CC coupe, the sedan variant can hold its own in the looks department, hewing to a conservative styling that will still draw buying interest.













Both cars share the same underpinnings except that the sedan is slightly shorter, taller and narrower.

The sedan’s an executive car and VW certainly knows how to stitch one together.

The exterior won’t win any beauty contests but it still manages to look good with clean lines and an understated styling that is likely to stand the test of time.

This seventh-generation Passat keeps pace with trending style, sporting daytime running lights, bi-xenon headlamps and LED combination tail lamps to look thoroughly modern.

It shares the same roof and powertrains as the previous B6 Passat, while all body panels have been altered. New to the latest Passat are a series of features and tweaks to improve comfort, efficiency, safety and value.

The front end has a strong four-bar chrome grille ala Phaeton to liven the Passat’s appearance. A new console layout and fresh trim inside is designed to do the same.

Leather is standard, and so is electric parking brake with hill-hold control technology. It also comes equipped with a newfangled safety system that detects a drowsy driver and issue a warning on the in-dash display. VW says this safety feature is a Malaysian first for a car of this class.

Meanwhile, the 17” alloy wheels fill up the wheel wells nicely and brighten up somewhat the exterior.

Step inside and you will find the understated theme carried further in a cabin that’s roomy.

Much of the interior layout is tastefully done in a no-frills manner and looks well put together, conveying a sense of smart elegance without looking downright spartan.

Generous “Iridium” aluminium inserts on the dash and door panels enhance the cabin ambience. At the same time, you quickly realise that VW has given with one hand and held back some with the other in order to keep the price competitive.

The Passat sold in Singapore, for instance, gets reverse camera and built-in satellite navigation, which are missing from its local counterpart.

The local Passat also does not have a Start/Stop engine button in the centre console, getting instead a key slot on the dash that requires insertion of a key fob to start.

Grumbles aside, we swing with what we have.

Sitting in the Passat is pleasant enough, with seats that are comfortable and supportive. Rear passengers will feel quite at ease as there’s enough head and leg room to wiggle about.

The feel-good vibes are reinforced additionally by an ample boot space at 565 litres.







With a turbocharger on board, the 1.8-litre TSI engine can best be described as punchy, producing 160bhp from 5,000rpm to 6,200rpm.

Prod it past 5,000rpm and this Passat will show itself to be an agile and lively one.

It conducts itself in a sportier manner in “S” mode where upshifts and downshifts are performed at much higher engine speeds during moments of exuberant driving.

It’s otherwise a relaxed and quiet ride at cruising speed as peak torque of 250Nm is on tap from a lowly 1,500rpm to 4,200rpm.

The engine is mated to a seven-speed DSG transmission that offers fluid acceleration.

Brake pedal feel can be touchy but you will adapt to it soon enough, and stopping power from the four anchors is progressive and confidence-inspiring. Brake fade is minimal despite heavy use.

On paper, the 1.5-tonne sedan is good for an 8.5-second sprint from standstill to 100kph, while combined fuel economy is a respectable 7.0 litres/100km.

Rush the Passat through traffic and it does feel solid and secure, armed with a swathe of active safety systems, that work together to give it tremendous grip and control.

A firm suspension ensures corners are taken with alacrity and the car tackles road surface undulations and bumps without losing its poise.







Slow down to take potholes, however, and the firmness can result in the occasional harshness being relayed into the interior.
The steering is on the heavy side but well-weighted and tracks precisely through sweeping bends.

Overall, the Passat impresses with its composure and thereby exposes what it does not possess; it simply lacks the hooliganism of smaller V-Dubs.

But then this car has a different calling.

As an executive-cum-family ride, it ticks all the right boxes in offering a fine balance of comfort, performance and efficiency.

Let the few grouses slide and you will find the Passat sedan to be a car that delivers a high level of comfort and better than average performance in a smart-looking package.

In Malaysia, the Passat sedan is a model in transition.

With the locally assembled version due in coming months, this fully imported test unit serves as a foretaste of what a mass market German mid-sizer feels like.

Word from Volkswagen Group Malaysia is that the specifications of the locally assembled car will stay the same and with some local content mandatory in it, we won’t be surprised if the price tag is knocked down a tad from the current RM185,000 that VW demands for the fully imported model.

Like all VWs sold, this one is covered by a five-year unlimited mileage warranty.

Sounds good, yes?

> More photos in Album link below.

 

Keywords