Volkswagen Passat US Test drive since 2011 sedan

Volkswagen Passat B7 Test drive: Passat of the Northern Shirit

The Kolesa.ru portal pulled out the new Volkswagen Passat from the hands of those who want to buy it, was surprised at the similarity of the sedan with the Phaeton luxury, and froze in anticipation of the next generation of the cult German D-class.

I drove Volkswagen Golf, Jetta, Touran, Tiguan, Touareg, Scirocco, Phaeton and even freight Crafter, but until today I have never drove Volkswagen Passat! It’s just in some mystical way that all trips on the mid-size Sedan from Wolfsburg always went to my colleagues. I’m sure you will like it, ”the familiar car dealership manager concluded about my shortage and handed the documents and the key to the sedan. And I knew that he would like it. Can something surprise or upset on the average arithmetic of those Volkswagen cars that you managed to test in five years of work?
The new Volkswagen Passat is on the same platform as the previous generation, but in Volkswagen literally shout that this is not restyling, but a completely new model!

The efforts of Volkswagen designers were aimed at bringing the appearance of the Passat B7 to the Passat B7 to the Phaeton luxury sedan. The effect is achieved. Means: a similar design of the front of the body (a radiator grille with four longitudinal strips, headlights with LEDs of daylight lights), similar to the form of the rear lights, and indeed - the entire type of behind. And when viewed on the side of the association, they arise more with Jetta.

Passat does not make the impression of an expensive sedan! As usual, with taste, it is simple and convenient, but does not echoes the brown and boring interior.

Maybe talk about external resemblance to Phaeton - a distracting maneuver? To distract attention from the fact that some parts in the cabin are completely lower from the car below: the steering wheel and climate control of Climatic from Golf VI! But this should not be very confused by buyers, because in management these devices are convenient, intuitive and deserve places in the D-class sedan.

The focus of the new model is noise insulation. For reasons indicated at the beginning of the text, I cannot compare acoustic comfort in the new and previous passats.
The work of engineers on the silence in the salon of the new Passat was done that the past generation really needed it ...

Here they installed a new sound insulation of the motor compartment, replaced the rattling parts in the suspension, installed thicker glasses ... And indeed in the cabin, quieter than anything in this segment.

The chairs in the new Passat are also new. Flat - that will be appreciated in the back row - and very comfortable; They perfectly hold their backs and justify the ambitions of the manufacturer. The words of the Volkswagen press release assures that the new Passat is an ideal companion not only on city, but also on long trips. I believe.

Under the hood of test B7-a classic combination of a 1.8-liter 150-horsepower turbo engine and automatic transmission. In this case, a robotic 7 -speed gearbox with two DSG clutches.

One and a half hundred horses can be perceived in different ways. It is one thing when they stand and peacefully chew grass, and another - when they rush in a frantic neighing in your direction. 150 hp almost the same differ in the same way. In ordinary atmospheric motor and in Volkswagenovsky 1.8 TSI ...

This is not the fastest and not the slowest version of the power plant, it is enough for fast driving in the city, enough for overtaking on the highway. I am sure that this particular Volkswagen Passat will become the most popular in the Russian market.

We have already seen the motors and transmission of the new Volkswagen Passat on other models, the platform is also not the first freshness. Maybe he is not new, but restyled?

Not really. Experts and experts in car trends with the confidence of the Paul octopus say: the next, eighth generation Volkswagen Passat B7 will really demolish the roof. And the current version is the requirement of marketing that prescribes a systematic change of generations. But it is impossible to call the seven restyling, because without raisins Volkswagen would not have been released on the market.

Do you often kick your own car? I hope not, although Volkswagen will introduce this wild act into the use of passathers! A little later, the unique option Easy Open will be offered for the Russian market: to open the luggage compartment, you need to knock your foot under the rear bumper of the car. Naturally, it is necessary to kick wisely: there is no one to get the luggage compartment, but only to those who will have a key with a radio cod with them ...

In addition, the new Passat B7 (as well as Volvo with Mercedes) has a driver fatigue sensor: if the car understands that the driver is tired, a cup of coffee appears on the dashboard. Like, do not sleep - conceive! ...

Despite all the external resemblance to Phaeton, it seems to me that the new Volkswagen Passat B7 lost premium, which has settled on his body over the past couple of years. It has become more friendly and easier to communicate. Smooth, but persistent acceleration, elastic development of pits and potholes, and even more enveloping silence. The new generation will be more new, but there is something to choose for BE-sech.

New Volkswagen Passat: Prices
The base Volkswagen Passat B7 Trendline costs from 859,000 rubles. The package includes a 1.4-liter 122-horsepower TSI motor with a mechanical gearbox, 6 airbags, ESP, ABS, EBA, Climatic air conditioning, steering electric power steering, an on-board computer, electric winding and electric locking, heating the washer nozzles, an enhanced suspension, a crankcase, a radio With 8 speakers.

On our test drive there was a new Volkswagen Passat in the Comfortline configuration with a 1.8-liter turbiquer and a DSG automatic for 1,064,000 rubles (not counting the optional packages Comfort, Technic and Multimedia). In addition to Trendline - included 2 -zone climate control, multiple with a leather finish, the front seat of increased comfort, the electric drive of the angle of the back of the seat, rain and light sensors, the electric drive of the folding of side mirrors, and alloy wheels.

Volkswagen Passat is collected at two factories in Germany. There are no production plans in Kaluga. And until it is expected.


The car was provided for the test company Sigma Motors, the official Volkswagen dealer.

Author: Alexander Korobchenko
 



 

Source: Wheel magazine [May 2011]