It's no secret that Volkswagen has been one of the fastest growing brands in Singapore over the past couple of years. The number of Golfs, Sciroccos and Jettas proliferating on our roads has been nothing short of astounding. And to think that merely a decade ago, Volkswagen as a brand had been something of a non-entity in Singapore.
Aside from external factors like favourable currency rates, and COE prices, Volkswagen's success locally can also be linked to their ever-expanding range of top quality and competitive models, as well as their savvy and aggressive marketing strategies. One certainly can't deny that the Golf is among the best family hatchbacks available out there, while the Scirocco is an affordable (relatively speaking) yet exciting car for the increasingly-affluent and discerning young driver.
With the lower end of the premium family car market all but conquered, Volkswagen is setting its sights upwards. The Passat sedan has always been a bit of an underdog locally, when pitted against the likes of the mighty Japanese, such as the Toyota Camry and the Nissan Teana. But with Volkswagen's stock on the rise, and the Japanese on the decline, can the all-new Passat finally make some ground on the local executive sedan market?
Exterior
Volkswagen is a carmaker that holds the bastion for classic designs. Its mainstream models have always been a variation of a theme, never straying far from the original look. Witness the way the Golf has evolved over the years. Ditto the Polo and even the Beetle.
Aside from external factors like favourable currency rates, and COE prices, Volkswagen's success locally can also be linked to their ever-expanding range of top quality and competitive models, as well as their savvy and aggressive marketing strategies. One certainly can't deny that the Golf is among the best family hatchbacks available out there, while the Scirocco is an affordable (relatively speaking) yet exciting car for the increasingly-affluent and discerning young driver.
With the lower end of the premium family car market all but conquered, Volkswagen is setting its sights upwards. The Passat sedan has always been a bit of an underdog locally, when pitted against the likes of the mighty Japanese, such as the Toyota Camry and the Nissan Teana. But with Volkswagen's stock on the rise, and the Japanese on the decline, can the all-new Passat finally make some ground on the local executive sedan market?
Exterior
Volkswagen is a carmaker that holds the bastion for classic designs. Its mainstream models have always been a variation of a theme, never straying far from the original look. Witness the way the Golf has evolved over the years. Ditto the Polo and even the Beetle.
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The Passat is no different. New it might be, but the car looks unmistakably Volkswagen. The front features the Volkswagen family look, with its grille design giving it an imposing presence. It bears a strong resemblance to the Phaeton luxury sedan in fact.
The firm look then softens as you go onto the side profile, with its smooth lines forming out a typical Passat shape. It then blends onto a curvier and lighter rear end, which helps to tone down and contrast against the somewhat muscular front.
Some may lament that the car looks dull and boring, but it's all down to personal taste. For me, I think the Passat, like most Volkswagens, pulls off the understated look well. Volkswagen's family cars have always been about having a refined and subtle stance anyway, letting the drive and performance do the talking.
The new Passat is a car where pictures can be deceptive. While it looks like a standard mid-sized car in photos, in the metal, the car is huge. It certainly feels like a car from a class above.
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Interior
The feeling of largeness continues inside. Most people expressed surprise at how spacious and commodious the interior was, especially at the rear.
Most certainly, the Passat seems to have grown, and the car now feels a lot like a car to challenge not just its traditional European executive car rivals, but also the popular Japanese plush-mobiles like the above-mentioned Camry and Teana.
Another impressive feature of the Passat is the level of standard equipment offered. To list down every single one of them would take a long time, so I'll just mention those that stood out.
There is KESSY, or Volkswagen's keyless entry system, heated front seats (lovely on a cold, wet day), paddle shifters and steering-mounted audio and function controls, an infotainment system screen which features satellite-navigation and a reverse camera (among other things), air con vents for the rear passengers, two 12V power sockets (one in front and one at for the rear passengers), pop-out cup-holders in the rear armrest, automatic lights in the front visors, automatic headlights that can be adjusted to be switched off and on at a set timing, heated and foldable wing mirrors, rain-sensing wipers, and electronic auto hold function for the brakes when moving off on an incline.
And there's more yet. Two of the niftier safety and convenience features are arguably the first in its class locally. The first is the Fatigue Detection system, which senses the driver's behaviour the moment it is being driven. If it detects any anomaly in the pattern, it will send an alert to the driver as a warning. I didn't get to try this out though, and I'm not exactly sure how it would respond after the car has passed through the hands of multiple drivers.
The feeling of largeness continues inside. Most people expressed surprise at how spacious and commodious the interior was, especially at the rear.
Most certainly, the Passat seems to have grown, and the car now feels a lot like a car to challenge not just its traditional European executive car rivals, but also the popular Japanese plush-mobiles like the above-mentioned Camry and Teana.
Another impressive feature of the Passat is the level of standard equipment offered. To list down every single one of them would take a long time, so I'll just mention those that stood out.
There is KESSY, or Volkswagen's keyless entry system, heated front seats (lovely on a cold, wet day), paddle shifters and steering-mounted audio and function controls, an infotainment system screen which features satellite-navigation and a reverse camera (among other things), air con vents for the rear passengers, two 12V power sockets (one in front and one at for the rear passengers), pop-out cup-holders in the rear armrest, automatic lights in the front visors, automatic headlights that can be adjusted to be switched off and on at a set timing, heated and foldable wing mirrors, rain-sensing wipers, and electronic auto hold function for the brakes when moving off on an incline.
And there's more yet. Two of the niftier safety and convenience features are arguably the first in its class locally. The first is the Fatigue Detection system, which senses the driver's behaviour the moment it is being driven. If it detects any anomaly in the pattern, it will send an alert to the driver as a warning. I didn't get to try this out though, and I'm not exactly sure how it would respond after the car has passed through the hands of multiple drivers.
The other innovation is more of a convenience feature, and consists of a motion sensor beneath the rear bumper. If you have the key fob with you and perform a kicking motion (without actually kicking the car that is) under the bumper, the boot opens. Very neat if you are carrying bags of groceries from the supermarket.
The cabin itself feels reasonably classy and well-sorted, with your usual high level Volkswagen build quality. The chrome-look trim across the dashboard and on the centre console matches well with the soft leather-like material that sandwiches it. The analogue clock in the centre is also a nice touch, although a few thought it was out of place. Personally, I like it though. It lends a nice classy contrast to the theme.
The seats are upholstered in a mixture of Alcantara and leather, which didn't really suit me. I would have preferred full leather, but that is just a minor bugbear of mine really.
As mentioned before, the Passat's cabin is a vast and spacious place to be in, and that extends to the boot as well. A massive 565 litre capacity is certainly impressive, and the seats fold down too if you decide that is not enough.
The cabin itself feels reasonably classy and well-sorted, with your usual high level Volkswagen build quality. The chrome-look trim across the dashboard and on the centre console matches well with the soft leather-like material that sandwiches it. The analogue clock in the centre is also a nice touch, although a few thought it was out of place. Personally, I like it though. It lends a nice classy contrast to the theme.
The seats are upholstered in a mixture of Alcantara and leather, which didn't really suit me. I would have preferred full leather, but that is just a minor bugbear of mine really.
As mentioned before, the Passat's cabin is a vast and spacious place to be in, and that extends to the boot as well. A massive 565 litre capacity is certainly impressive, and the seats fold down too if you decide that is not enough.
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The Drive
At the moment, the Passat is available with just a 1.8-litre turbocharged engine, which produces 160bhp and 250Nm of torque. Although it's been said that Volkswagen are planning to bring in a 3.6-litre V6 version with 300bhp and 4Motion four-wheel-drive soon.
Still, though, the 1.8-litre unit more than hold its own. The unit feels very torquey and responsive, and actually fooled me into thinking that it was a 2.0-litre unit. Mated to Volkswagen's 7-speed DSG gearbox, power is delivered smoothly and swiftly, and overtaking is performed with ease on the expressway.
And it does this mostly unruffled, with its smooth ride quality easing out all but the harshest of bumps. There is a tiny bit of noise as the speed builds up, but nothing too major to disturb any of the occupants.
Being a reasonably large car, the Passat naturally isn't suited for rally-style cornering, as it feels somewhat front-heavy when tossed into corners. Then again, not many people who buy a Passat would tackle turns at high speed. But otherwise, the steering is sensitive and accurate enough for everyday driving.
However, the DSG gearbox can be a bit jerky in first and second gears, especially if you don't keep up with it, and the brakes come across as a tad too sensitive to the touch. But these are things you quickly get used to, and over time they disappear once you've learnt how to handle the car's characteristics.
So, in short, the Passat is a fairly competent executive sedan, that does what is generally asked of it well.
At the moment, the Passat is available with just a 1.8-litre turbocharged engine, which produces 160bhp and 250Nm of torque. Although it's been said that Volkswagen are planning to bring in a 3.6-litre V6 version with 300bhp and 4Motion four-wheel-drive soon.
Still, though, the 1.8-litre unit more than hold its own. The unit feels very torquey and responsive, and actually fooled me into thinking that it was a 2.0-litre unit. Mated to Volkswagen's 7-speed DSG gearbox, power is delivered smoothly and swiftly, and overtaking is performed with ease on the expressway.
And it does this mostly unruffled, with its smooth ride quality easing out all but the harshest of bumps. There is a tiny bit of noise as the speed builds up, but nothing too major to disturb any of the occupants.
Being a reasonably large car, the Passat naturally isn't suited for rally-style cornering, as it feels somewhat front-heavy when tossed into corners. Then again, not many people who buy a Passat would tackle turns at high speed. But otherwise, the steering is sensitive and accurate enough for everyday driving.
However, the DSG gearbox can be a bit jerky in first and second gears, especially if you don't keep up with it, and the brakes come across as a tad too sensitive to the touch. But these are things you quickly get used to, and over time they disappear once you've learnt how to handle the car's characteristics.
So, in short, the Passat is a fairly competent executive sedan, that does what is generally asked of it well.
Conclusion
After three days with the car, trying to find faults with the Passat is a bit hard. The little things I didn't like were really very minor and didn't detract from the overall experience at all.
I guess the stumbling block for most people though would be the price. As of 16 May 2011, the Passat 1.8 TSI retails at $162,800. This is a significant premium over the rivals it is targeting (the Camry and Teana again), and nudges the Passat closer to Mercedes-Benz C-Class territory.
However, when you look at the amount of equipment you get, and factor in the Passat's driving dynamics and performance as compared to its Japanese competitors, you'll probably feel that the Passat might be worth the extra cash. The 1.8-litre engine also means you save on road tax and fuel bills, so that might be something that could sway buyers' decision as well.
If you choose to stretch your money just that teeny bit further and go for the Passat, you might find yourself with an extremely capable executive sedan, backed by the solidity of the German-built Volkswagen brand.
What do you think? Jot down your opinions at the comment box below.
After three days with the car, trying to find faults with the Passat is a bit hard. The little things I didn't like were really very minor and didn't detract from the overall experience at all.
I guess the stumbling block for most people though would be the price. As of 16 May 2011, the Passat 1.8 TSI retails at $162,800. This is a significant premium over the rivals it is targeting (the Camry and Teana again), and nudges the Passat closer to Mercedes-Benz C-Class territory.
However, when you look at the amount of equipment you get, and factor in the Passat's driving dynamics and performance as compared to its Japanese competitors, you'll probably feel that the Passat might be worth the extra cash. The 1.8-litre engine also means you save on road tax and fuel bills, so that might be something that could sway buyers' decision as well.
If you choose to stretch your money just that teeny bit further and go for the Passat, you might find yourself with an extremely capable executive sedan, backed by the solidity of the German-built Volkswagen brand.
What do you think? Jot down your opinions at the comment box below.
