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Volkswagen Passat 1.4 TSI ACT BMT (M) First Drive Review
07 Nov 2014|25,094 views
There's an infamous video commercial by Volkswagen featuring a kid dressed as Darth Vader who attempted to wake his dog and start a washing machine by using 'The Force'. His efforts, needless to say, were fruitless until his dad came home in a Volkswagen Passat and he successfully started the car (which left the kid funnily startled), not knowing it was his dad who actually did it using the key fob.
Interestingly, there's another Passat commercial made for Canada's market where the slogan read 'But people will think you paid more'. This witty advertisement showed two girls selling lemonade for 25 cents a glass but immediately changed the price of the drink to $1.00 when they saw a Volkswagen Passat driving towards them. The intended message for the audience was, no doubt, clear and concise.
Cargo capacity has been increased by 21 litres to 586 litres
Now it seems like that very message is set to continue in the latest Volkswagen Passat.
Up close and Personal
Comparing the Passat to its predecessor, this car is decidedly leaner and sleeker, thanks to sharper lines that adorn the sides, plus a pair of stylish-looking head lamps that integrate seamlessly with the front grille.
Interestingly, there's another Passat commercial made for Canada's market where the slogan read 'But people will think you paid more'. This witty advertisement showed two girls selling lemonade for 25 cents a glass but immediately changed the price of the drink to $1.00 when they saw a Volkswagen Passat driving towards them. The intended message for the audience was, no doubt, clear and concise.
Now it seems like that very message is set to continue in the latest Volkswagen Passat.
Up close and Personal
Comparing the Passat to its predecessor, this car is decidedly leaner and sleeker, thanks to sharper lines that adorn the sides, plus a pair of stylish-looking head lamps that integrate seamlessly with the front grille.
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At 4,767mm x 1,832mm x 1,456mm (L x W x H), the Passat saloon sits closer to the ground compared to its predecessor, allowing it to gain a much more hunkered and sportier stance.
What's magical, though, is the fact that despite the length of the car being only 2mm shorter than before, the wheelbase has been extended by a significant 79mm, which puts the Passat ahead of the Chevrolet Malibu and the Toyota Camry. Thus, rear passengers are bound to enjoy the abundant space meant for royalty.
There's also more space in the 586-litre boot of the Passat when rivalled with the Chevrolet Malibu, the Mazda6 and the Toyota Camry. In fact, the luggage capacity here is even more spacious when compared to premium brands like the Audi A6 (530 litres), BMW 5 Series (520 litres) and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class (540 litres).
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The Drive
It isn't hard to find a comfortable position, even for a pint-sized driver like this writer. What isn't hard for the driver, too, is the need to find a suitable gear to match the revs. Despite being fitted with a manual transmission, you're rarely in the wrong gear, which makes it such a cinch to handle.
Steering wheel is sharp and precise, which helps when tackling long and winding roads
Once up on speed, the Passat delivers poise and precision unwaveringly. While it's only a 1.4-litre powerplant residing underneath the bonnet, it squeezes out 148bhp and 250Nm of torque to the front wheels without any strain. It acquits itself by providing the driver with certainty and a creamy delivery that are often associated with premium cars from Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
The car we tested along the switchbacks of sunny Sardinia also came equipped with the Active Cylinder Technology (ACT), which shuts down two of the four cylinders to conserve fuel.
It isn't hard to find a comfortable position, even for a pint-sized driver like this writer. What isn't hard for the driver, too, is the need to find a suitable gear to match the revs. Despite being fitted with a manual transmission, you're rarely in the wrong gear, which makes it such a cinch to handle.
Once up on speed, the Passat delivers poise and precision unwaveringly. While it's only a 1.4-litre powerplant residing underneath the bonnet, it squeezes out 148bhp and 250Nm of torque to the front wheels without any strain. It acquits itself by providing the driver with certainty and a creamy delivery that are often associated with premium cars from Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
The car we tested along the switchbacks of sunny Sardinia also came equipped with the Active Cylinder Technology (ACT), which shuts down two of the four cylinders to conserve fuel.
However, you'll need to be driving under certain conditions such as cruising with a relatively light foot or between a certain rev range for the ACT to kick in. Unfortunately, we were unable to experience it due to the lack of light foot driving.
Conclusion
It's safe to say that as far as driveability goes, the Passat saloon scores more than just your average executive sedan. While it isn't as delirious as its diesel counterpart (which we also tested), the 1.4-litre mated to a slick six-speed manual here gives us an insight of how much go the car has if it arrives in Singapore after the 1.8-litre and 2.0-litre saloon variants arrive in the second quarter of next year.
On paper, the car takes 8.4 seconds to reach the 100km/h mark, but it feels faster in real world driving conditions
Maybe then we'll get to watch another one of Volkswagen's cheeky commercials again.
Conclusion
It's safe to say that as far as driveability goes, the Passat saloon scores more than just your average executive sedan. While it isn't as delirious as its diesel counterpart (which we also tested), the 1.4-litre mated to a slick six-speed manual here gives us an insight of how much go the car has if it arrives in Singapore after the 1.8-litre and 2.0-litre saloon variants arrive in the second quarter of next year.
Maybe then we'll get to watch another one of Volkswagen's cheeky commercials again.
There's an infamous video commercial by Volkswagen featuring a kid dressed as Darth Vader who attempted to wake his dog and start a washing machine by using 'The Force'. His efforts, needless to say, were fruitless until his dad came home in a Volkswagen Passat and he successfully started the car (which left the kid funnily startled), not knowing it was his dad who actually did it using the key fob.
Interestingly, there's another Passat commercial made for Canada's market where the slogan read 'But people will think you paid more'. This witty advertisement showed two girls selling lemonade for 25 cents a glass but immediately changed the price of the drink to $1.00 when they saw a Volkswagen Passat driving towards them. The intended message for the audience was, no doubt, clear and concise.
Now it seems like that very message is set to continue in the latest Volkswagen Passat.
Up close and Personal
Comparing the Passat to its predecessor, this car is decidedly leaner and sleeker, thanks to sharper lines that adorn the sides, plus a pair of stylish-looking head lamps that integrate seamlessly with the front grille.
Interestingly, there's another Passat commercial made for Canada's market where the slogan read 'But people will think you paid more'. This witty advertisement showed two girls selling lemonade for 25 cents a glass but immediately changed the price of the drink to $1.00 when they saw a Volkswagen Passat driving towards them. The intended message for the audience was, no doubt, clear and concise.
Now it seems like that very message is set to continue in the latest Volkswagen Passat.
Up close and Personal
Comparing the Passat to its predecessor, this car is decidedly leaner and sleeker, thanks to sharper lines that adorn the sides, plus a pair of stylish-looking head lamps that integrate seamlessly with the front grille.
At 4,767mm x 1,832mm x 1,456mm (L x W x H), the Passat saloon sits closer to the ground compared to its predecessor, allowing it to gain a much more hunkered and sportier stance.
What's magical, though, is the fact that despite the length of the car being only 2mm shorter than before, the wheelbase has been extended by a significant 79mm, which puts the Passat ahead of the Chevrolet Malibu and the Toyota Camry. Thus, rear passengers are bound to enjoy the abundant space meant for royalty.
There's also more space in the 586-litre boot of the Passat when rivalled with the Chevrolet Malibu, the Mazda6 and the Toyota Camry. In fact, the luggage capacity here is even more spacious when compared to premium brands like the Audi A6 (530 litres), BMW 5 Series (520 litres) and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class (540 litres).
What's magical, though, is the fact that despite the length of the car being only 2mm shorter than before, the wheelbase has been extended by a significant 79mm, which puts the Passat ahead of the Chevrolet Malibu and the Toyota Camry. Thus, rear passengers are bound to enjoy the abundant space meant for royalty.
There's also more space in the 586-litre boot of the Passat when rivalled with the Chevrolet Malibu, the Mazda6 and the Toyota Camry. In fact, the luggage capacity here is even more spacious when compared to premium brands like the Audi A6 (530 litres), BMW 5 Series (520 litres) and the Mercedes-Benz E-Class (540 litres).
The Drive
It isn't hard to find a comfortable position, even for a pint-sized driver like this writer. What isn't hard for the driver, too, is the need to find a suitable gear to match the revs. Despite being fitted with a manual transmission, you're rarely in the wrong gear, which makes it such a cinch to handle.
Once up on speed, the Passat delivers poise and precision unwaveringly. While it's only a 1.4-litre powerplant residing underneath the bonnet, it squeezes out 148bhp and 250Nm of torque to the front wheels without any strain. It acquits itself by providing the driver with certainty and a creamy delivery that are often associated with premium cars from Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
The car we tested along the switchbacks of sunny Sardinia also came equipped with the Active Cylinder Technology (ACT), which shuts down two of the four cylinders to conserve fuel.
It isn't hard to find a comfortable position, even for a pint-sized driver like this writer. What isn't hard for the driver, too, is the need to find a suitable gear to match the revs. Despite being fitted with a manual transmission, you're rarely in the wrong gear, which makes it such a cinch to handle.
Once up on speed, the Passat delivers poise and precision unwaveringly. While it's only a 1.4-litre powerplant residing underneath the bonnet, it squeezes out 148bhp and 250Nm of torque to the front wheels without any strain. It acquits itself by providing the driver with certainty and a creamy delivery that are often associated with premium cars from Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
The car we tested along the switchbacks of sunny Sardinia also came equipped with the Active Cylinder Technology (ACT), which shuts down two of the four cylinders to conserve fuel.
However, you'll need to be driving under certain conditions such as cruising with a relatively light foot or between a certain rev range for the ACT to kick in. Unfortunately, we were unable to experience it due to the lack of light foot driving.
Conclusion
It's safe to say that as far as driveability goes, the Passat saloon scores more than just your average executive sedan. While it isn't as delirious as its diesel counterpart (which we also tested), the 1.4-litre mated to a slick six-speed manual here gives us an insight of how much go the car has if it arrives in Singapore after the 1.8-litre and 2.0-litre saloon variants arrive in the second quarter of next year.
Maybe then we'll get to watch another one of Volkswagen's cheeky commercials again.
Conclusion
It's safe to say that as far as driveability goes, the Passat saloon scores more than just your average executive sedan. While it isn't as delirious as its diesel counterpart (which we also tested), the 1.4-litre mated to a slick six-speed manual here gives us an insight of how much go the car has if it arrives in Singapore after the 1.8-litre and 2.0-litre saloon variants arrive in the second quarter of next year.
Maybe then we'll get to watch another one of Volkswagen's cheeky commercials again.
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