Test drive Volkswagen Passat B6 2005 - 2010 sedan

The sixth went

VW Passat changed into the tailcoat
 
This car was forced to wait. However, before telling him, we will pay tribute to his predecessor. Eight years in the market - such longevity is available only to the best of the best, the rest of such a race simply cannot withstand. But the deserved ones someday leave, opening the road to young, hot, full of strength ... And each such shift becomes a really significant event. So, gentlemen, the relay wand received the VW Passat No. 6 - a car that managed to intrigue Automir long before his appearance.
 
You need to look at this car with your own eyes - not one, even if the super professional photo will convey and half of what you can see, so to speak, live. You need to feel the car, feel with your fingertips, otherwise you will not understand anything. However, all these are emotions, although in this case it is quite appropriate.
 
Passat has changed a lot. This is not the good -natured cimpedic as we knew his last years: he has become more modern, large, solid and aggressive. He truly evolved, which is interesting, in the literal sense of the word. Evolutionary development can be imagined in the form of an ascending spiral, when the observed form at a certain moment returns to the starting point, but at a different level - which happened to the German. Remember the first generations of the model - their similarity with the design of cars now integrated into the Volkswagen of Audi is very noticeable. As you can see, everything returned to its circles, but only with a slightly different accent.
 
On the one hand, Passat greatly resembles the flagship Phaeton. The verified forms of a stylish sedan is a rapid, slightly elongated front end, a classic roof profile that falls on the trunk lid. But the details ... a huge trapezoidal grille of the radiator, transparent headlights with expanding lower edges - A6, not otherwise. However, a little further, in the passenger compartment, instead of the usual rear window, we see the so -called hofmaster bend, more characteristic of BMW. The Volkswagen features in the car are slightly larger - horizontal lanterns and a large proprietary emblem, among other things, also performs the functions of the trunk lock handle.
 
It is obvious that many people worked on the creation of this image: perhaps the sketches of his magical hand and the notorious Walter da Silva or some representative of the Munich school (Wolfsburgers prefer not to spread). But most likely, the designers did not re -invent the wheel and combined the best in their creation - whoever worked on the exterior of the car, he completed his mission perfectly.
 
Naturally, it would be foolish to assume that, working on a new generation of the model, the Germans left its interior without due attention. There was no trace of the Teutonic severity of Passat. Now inside the elegant Hi-Tech, in our case, generously decorated with inserts under a tree. The front panel, as is customary today, has become more like a sloping windowsill with a plastic lid that turns into a visor visor visor: the solution is no longer new, but, given the appearance and status of a car, quite appropriate.
 
In general, it is modern, elegant and solid inside. To this, it is worth adding decent materials, excellent assembly and very good equipment - a leather interior, a full electric package, seats, two -zone climate control, a rain sensor, heated windshield, as well as excellent music with a dozen speakers. Of course, most of the above are options. But the minimum Trendline package can not be called the poor - for $ 24,815 a car will be equipped with six pillows, a complete set of passive safety electronic systems, which includes even automatic drying of the brake discs. At the same time, the salon will be equipped with an electric drive and heating mirrors, front electric windows and air conditioning.
 
However, the choice of equipment is a very subjective process, so we will continue the conversation about the advantages of the interior. It is also worth noting comfort, and it is convenient in Passat to everyone: both the driver and sitting behind, because the car has become even more spacious in the cabin. And the reason here is in one of the main design features of the novelty. Passengers B5, I remember, did not complain about tightness. However, this did not prevent the car from making the car even more spacious. Of course, one and a half centimeter appendage of space for the shoulders or legs of the rear riders is quite difficult to feel, but the cargo compartment that grew into 90 liters is more than noticeable. And, characteristic, this is by no means a consequence of a banal increase in dimensions, although it took place. Volkswagenovites saved on another - they returned to the transverse location of the engine, so that there was an additional space for the driver, and for passengers, and for baggage, and for special crushed security zones in the front line.
 
However, this turn has a side effect - now from the gamut of Passat engines, a 4 -liter W8 W8 with a capacity of 275 hp has disappeared. However, this is not the only loss - in Wolfsburg they completely abandoned the very popular 150 -horsepower turbocharged four, so we will no longer see Passat with a wool of 1.8t on the trunk lid. However, this sacrifice is non-prophet-a turbo engine found a decent replacement in the form of a 2-liter atmospheric with direct injection, which is able to give out the same one and a half hundred horses. In the dealers salons, today you can also purchase a sedan with 1.6-liter gasoline FSI power units with direct injection, developing 115 horses. However, if a desire arises, you can turn to turbodiesel engines less popular in our country: volumes of 1.9 and 2 liters, with a capacity of 105 and 140 hp. By the way, the second option could be a good alternative to the test car, especially when you consider that the engine produces its maximum 250 nm torque at 1900 rpm. So he should go at least no worse. Surely a 200-horsepower 2-liter TFSI turbo engine will be good, which in the near future will replenish the range of power units.
 
But today, the top engine in the line is 2.0 FSI, it was under the hood of the sedan that came to our test. The author of these lines had already encountered him first on the Audi A3 Sportback, and then on the new Skoda Octavia, so a certain impression of him has already developed. In principle, Passat has not brought any special changes here, only strengthening the belief that, buying a car with such an unit, it is better to prefer the machine gun. It is probably also not bad with the manual transmission, but, given the rather low recoil of the motor in the bottoms and, as a rule, a slurred adhesion, the car delivers much less with mechanics. With the 6-speed Tiptronic, going is much more pleasant. Of course, like most automatic transmission, he has some thoughtfulness and is very noticeably switches to the next step. However, it is worth switching the selector to the sports mode, its character changes dramatically - the transition to the next gear occurs at higher speeds, providing dynamic acceleration in the almost complete absence of jerks. If desired, you can use the manual mode, but, as a rule, surpass Tiptronic in dynamics and smoothness, even after prolonged training, is very rare.
 
A comfortable suspension (despite the large size, the chassis of the new Passat is unified with the VW Golf V and Audi A3), even with an aggressive driving manner, does not spoil the impression, practicing unevenness in full. At the same time, the car is very stable, although non -rowing and relatively small rolls still cannot be avoided. But the hollow in the near -Voil zone, on the contrary, turned out to be inappropriately - you won’t notice this in the city, but on the highway of an inattentive driver can take aside. However, given that the electric power challenge has nine factory pre -installations, it is enough to call on the service station to correct the situation.
 
Otherwise, the novelty was even a little boring. Everything is so correct, so good and thoughtful that sometimes it becomes not uninteresting. However, these are no longer emotions, but empty nit -picking, and they are completely inappropriate here, especially when it comes to VW Passat, a worthy successor of the traditions of a glorious family, which is able to become no less popular than its predecessors, and a large finger raised upwards of what a hand -up -The random neighbor in traffic is the best confirmation of this.
 
Text: Vladimir Zhidkov
 

Source: Mkobil magazine [08.08.2005]