The Volkswagen 2.0 TSI Passat Elegance – Good enough but ….

This car saves me a lot of fuel!
Wait till the towing and repair bills come 

It’s filled with technology!
More to break in the future

It handles so confidently and comfortably
Have you tried the competition?

Anyone who positively praises a VW would surely come across these negative comments and to be fair, everyone is entitled to their own opinions.

But not all opinions are fair.

Considering the amount of customer complaints (mine included) that peaked in 2014 and 2015 due to numerous technical issues related to the mechatronics & piston rings found in almost every Volkswagen model sold during that time, it’s understandable that the cumulative horror of being stranded & waiting for your friendly neighborhood tow-truck to appear as well as the uncertainty of not knowing when you can retrieve your car that’s parked at the service centre while you’re still servicing your bank loans creates a huge base of …. non-fans that isn’t shy in making their experience known publicly. Five years into the future and VW is still doing it’s best to climb out of the dive it took on its reputation.

The good news is with the improved components and parts, the frequency of breakdowns has been reduced. Indeed one of the few key reasons why I still stayed on with the brand involve

1. continuous improvements to after sales
2. 5-years full warranty + 2-years Goodwill makes it the longest customer assurance against expensive repair bills
3. driving dynamics that’s not commonly found in sub-RM200k vehicles.

The superb fuel efficiency is just a bonus.

That said, I wouldn’t be too quick to recommend everyone to go get one; much of what reviewers do is to review the car as seen from the needs of the buyer and there’s much to consider for a buyer new in owning a Continental model such as a VW. It’s not to say that their build quality is inferior to Asian-made models (far from it) but there are nuances that a buyer needs to be aware when taking the keys to a vehicle that generally has a bit more new technology than your typical Korean/Chinese/Malaysian/Japanese vehicle.

So that brings us to the topic today; Is the latest facelifted Volkswagen Passat B8 worth looking into?

To delve deeper into this, one needs to be free of prejudices and bias that may be caused by all the negative reviews of VW cars whose ownership authenticity is in question (ie would it make sense to be influenced by a review of an owner who’s had bad experience with a model 2 generations old in 2014, sold the car in 2015 and continue to lambaste the brand till today? I think not)

Reset done? Good, let’s get on with this.

 

DESIGN

The facelifted Passat was introduced in our shores in January 2020 and to the time of this writing, only one variant is available – the Elegance. While aesthetics is a highly subjective topic, most of my circle of friends agree that the B8 Passat is a handsome car. The FL keeps to this design language with some tweaks to its exterior to make it appear more modern.

Personally I prefer the pre-FL front fascia. Looking at the side-by-side pictures above, you’ll note the bend on the lower part of the grille has been moved closer to the middle which in turn gives the front headlamps a longer appearance. This has the effect of making the mid-section of the grille look thicker, reminding me of the B7 Passat.

Measuring 4,775m in length, 1,832mm in width and 1,462mm in height, the dimensions of the FL virtually identical to the pre-FL (just 8mm longer and 6mm taller). Wheelbase-wise, the FL measures 2,786mm and for wheels, you get 18-inch “Liverpool” alloy wheels wrapped in 235/45 tires. I love this gun-metal rim design – combined with Tamarind Brown paint, the darkened rims makes the car look tastefully menacing.

At the rear, the PASSAT lettering makes it clear that you know what car you’re trailing from behind. For some, it’s gaudy and unnecessary. I don’t really mind it to be frank. I can’t decide if debadging it would make the rear look a tad bare and I tell myself it could have been worse if they decided to increase the font size. I’d probably find an alphabet “N” and rearrange the PASSAT to spell PANTAS just for kicks.

Also while you’d admiring the rear, one thing I do like over the pre-FL is the three-wing light design that gradually comes on when you switch on the headlamps as well as the all-LED headlight system, front and rear sequential turn signals. The exterior lighting system alone almost makes me forgive the front grille design.

Almost.

 

PERFORMANCE

Under the hood, the new Passat is powered by a new 2.0TSI turbocharged engine paired with a new and improved 7-speed wet clutch direct shift gearbox (DSG) that produces an impressive output of 190PS and a torque of 320Nm. With max power coming in at 1,500rpm, it is effortless to accelerate the vehicle to join fast moving traffic.

VW claims the Passat has a fuel consumption of approximately 6.5l/100 km, based on real-life driving data as defined by the WLTP (Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure). On the highways at an almost constant 110km/h with cruise control activated, I scored an impressive 5.4l/100km with an estimated total range of almost 1,500km. I could go all the way up Penang then head to JB before ending in KL in that same tank. Easily the best range I’ve ever got from a petrol powered vehicle. Diesel range the best? Hybrid fuel consumption low? The Passat reminds us all not to look down on a well engineered petrol engine.

While we’re on the topic of highway cruising, the Passat is an absolute joy to be in. Composed, quiet (well, at 110km/h that is) with an excellent posture-supporting driver’s seat (that has massage function!), those 827km felt as tiring as a grocery run to a to a nearby store. The journey is made less of an effort thanks to the competent sound system featured in this car (more on this later)

 

RIDE AND HANDLING

As mentioned earlier, the new Passat now features a new WET clutch 7-speed  gearbox; a point that’s good to know but not as game changing as some would think. Why do I say this?

If you’re one still using a 7-speed dry clutch, you’ve probably resolved all issues with all the component changes & has made peace with all the quirks it had (or still has)
If you’ve used a 7-speed dry clutch and sold the car cursing the day you bought it and swearing you’ll never touch a VW again, well, this piece of news is of little relevance to you

If you’re approaching the Passat with an open mind, know that this new 7-speed Wet clutch negates all clutch related complaints on any 7-speed Dry clutch found in the Golf, Jetta, Beetle, Passat B7, CC, EOS, Scirocco and Cross Touran that was sold in the past (quick recap; warm climate, humid environment, frequent stop-go traffic are said to be the culprit of dry clutch related issues. A wet clutch like the one found in this Passat should be, in theory at least, more durable)

Having used a 7-speed Dry clutch for 8-years and a 6-speed Wet clutch in the Tiguan, I find the 7-speed Wet clutch in the Passat to be smoother with less jerkiness and hesitancy at low speed that’s often associated with DSGs. To say it’s smooth at high speeds is quite redundant given even regular modern torque converters today have achieved a high level of discretion that’s not easily perceived by the vehicle’s occupants. Even so, DSGs such as the one found in this Passat takes it a notch higher in providing imperceptible levels of refinement when chugging between gears at high speeds.

It’s good and except for sudden jabs in the pedal where it hesitates for a split second, power is quickly summoned for the driver to use. The fact that it has the assurance of a Wet clutch system is a bonus.

The handling of VAG cars has always been good (I had a Skoda for a few years so I can attest to this) and the Passat is no exception. Poised and composed, the car follows bends and corners well and though power is channeled to the front wheels, at no time did I feel any cause for alarm as I steer around some B- and hillside roads at relatively high speeds.

There’s still some road noise intrusion but overall I find the NVH to be improved over the pre-FL. On well maintained roads & driven sensibly, the Passat provides a hushed commute that, when combined with the improved smoothness of the 7-speed wet clutch makes even slow moving traffic less of a chore to get through.

 

CABIN CONVENIENCE

The cabin of the Passat holds no surprises to those familiar with VW. Expect a well built interior with ergonomics built with such clinical precision to a fault. At a glance everything looks … simple but don’t let that fool you. Though the interior lacks physical buttons, a lot of the cabin functionalities are hidden in that 9.2 inch touchscreen Discover Pro infotainment system. This system has gesture control that reveals more details when it detects a finger close by and features AppConnect system allows Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity.

If you compare the dashboard design of the FL vs the pre-FL, the wood accents found in the 2.0TSI Highline has been swapped for the silver piece in the 1.8TSI pre-FL. I abhor this thing! During midday when the sun is at its zenith, the reflection would bounce off this piece and assault your eyes, making it uncomfortable to drive without sunglasses. The lacquered wood in the 2.0TSI pre-FL also has this effect but to a lesser degree. If you ever buy this, please get a good front tint and keep a pair of sunglasses with you. If you do keep the latter, you’ll also discover one tiny inconvenience, hardly worth mentioning really; there’s no sunglasses holder so you’ll have to stuff it in the glove compartment, center compartment or door side pocket. Fortunately, they are amply sized.

There’s a additional stuff  of customization with this infotainment system. You can manually select among 30 ambient lighting colors though this is one feature I don’t use often once I found the color I like (did you know that Purple has been associated with royalty, power and wealth?)

I mentioned earlier that long distance driving is a snooze in the Passat and much of it has to do with the supple leather seats and 12-way driver electric seat (did I mention it comes with massage function?) with 3-zone Climatronic air-conditioning system for all passengers. You also get a power-operated roll up rear sunshades and roll up shades at the rear door for greater rear passenger comfort. Legroom and headroom is decent.

The 8-speaker system has good bass reproduction that makes pop music livelier but don’t expect audiophile level of staging and imaging. Still, good enough for the undiscerning music lover.

Accessing the 586-litres space behind is a powered boot that can be opened hands-free by performing a kicking motion on an imaginary ball at the space below the bumper between “S S” of the PASSAT lettering or by pushing the upper part of the VW logo on the boot. Closing the boot has to involve pressing the button on the boot. The rear seats can also be folded easily from the boot to free up more space.

 

SAFETY

As their flagship sedan, the Passat is equipped with the following safety features;-

• 6 airbags (x2 front, x2 front side, x2 curtain)
• Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) with Brake
  Assist (BA) and Electronic Brakeforce
  Distribution (EBD)
• Anti-theft alarm system with immobiliser, interior monitoring and towing protection
• Cruise Control system with speed limiter
• Driver Alert System (Rest Assist)
• Electronic Stability Control (ESC)
• Hill Hold Control (HHC)
• Proactive passenger protection system
• Side Assist with Rear Traffic Alert
• Tyre Pressure Monitoring System with pressure display

Side Assist is essentially a Blind Spot Indicator System with a yellow light on the inner side of the side mirrors. If there’s traffic on the left or right, this light will light up (similar to other systems where an indicator is on the mirror itself) and if you flick the indicator & there’s incoming traffic, the light will flash urgently. I never found BLIS to be useful but in this journey up north and back, it has aided me a bit in maintaining road awareness as I constantly maintain a cruising speed of 110km/h without tapping on the brakes much.

There is one other safety feature I accidentally triggered earlier today; Maneuver Braking which helps to automatically brake the car when it senses objects up to 10km/h. This is an excellent feature to have, particularly for those who frequently collects dings and scuff marks due to poor parking judgement. For seasoned drivers, this can be an annoyance since we’re able to estimate space to the inches & the system slams the brakes for us despite us still having 4Fingers worth of clearance (hey, that’s plenty already okay!).
Nonetheless, it is still a good thing to have since even the best drivers can sometimes miss a kerb that’s low enough to be missed but tall enough to “decorate” your rims.
OWNERSHIP

The new Passat Elegance has a retail price of RM182,878.64 and there’s a kit-upped version called UNITED that is RM12k dearer but you’ll get extra stuffs like LED doorlight with VW logo, 19″ Verona alloy wheels, aluminium side scuff plates, aluminium sports pedal, VW dynamic wheel hub cap, VW tint and UNITED emblem (quite worth it considering the rims alone is probably worth the whole upgrade cost)

Colors include Aquamarine Blue, Manganese Grey, Reflex Silver, Tamarind Brown (as tested), Deep Black and a new Oryx White (the latter two are pearl-effect colours)

Like all Volkswagens sold here, the Passat Elegance comes with 5-years unlimited mileage warranty, 3-years free maintenance and 5-years roadside assistance.

So is it worth owning?

As a person who travels regularly outstation, having a capable and comfortable vehicle is a must and the Passat fulfills this role with aplomb. The IQ Light LED headlight system and sexy taillight silhouettes makes this car look premium and the interior has a minimal yet sophisticated aura. The new 7-speed wet clutch helps mitigate fears on clutch failures.

What’s not to like about it?

But  ….

The biggest challenge the Passat faces isn’t related to its brand image or the perception of its durability; I think we’ve covered enough about that at the start of this article.
No, the issue lies with the growing consumer preference for SUVs.

To quote me as an example, I chose an SUV over the Passat because the SUV has a larger cabin space, provides a commanding view of my surroundings and comfort levels that’s on par if not better than most sedans in the market. In an SUV, people see you and make way for you without you flashing them off. The same can’t be said with a sedan. Also, SUVs have become less expensive with features that’s equal to sedans and considering the asking price of the Passat Elegance is close to RM200k, there’s a sea of choices open to those with this budget.

Yet ….

As an SUV owner for 3-years, reviewing this Passat is like visiting an old flame. Have I changed? Has she changed? Would we rekindle the love we once had? Or have I gone too far into the 2-tonne diesel powered AWD SUV?

And my answer is Yes, it’s still there.

No doubt the SUV offers all the advantage I states above but the enjoyment between driving an SUV and the Passat is different. The utilitarian satisfaction of driving an SUV can never be matched by any sedan but at the same time, driving the Passat makes me unwind and helps me relax. As capable as an SUV can be, it is still a tall & heavy vehicle so I’m always a bit more mindful of my speed particularly around corners. I do not have the same reservations with the Passat hence the reason why I say it lets me hang my worries outside the moment I step in.

To drive a car that makes you forget your worries of the day ….. priceless