Test drive Volkswagen Passat

In Russia, the updated Passat will differ markedly from the European one, and a number of updates will generally pass us by. But we will get something that will not be even in Germany

It took about 210 seconds to take a picture of the dashboard with the figures of 15 km / h, and these were not the safest seconds in my life. The technique did not mind that I completely let go of the steering wheel in the left lane of the unlimited autobahn, and plainly continued to keep the car in the lane even on the bends of the highway, but I was very uncomfortable. Strictly speaking, at that moment I did not drive the car at all, trusting the radars and cameras of the Travel Assist high-speed complex, and only 15 seconds later the electronics demanded to return my hands to the steering wheel.

It would be enough just to touch it, since the updated Passat determines the presence of the driver not by the micromovements of the steering wheel, but by the presence of a hand on the steering wheel in principle. This leaves the driver some room for deception, but believe me, at the Travel Assist maximum speed of 210 km / h, you won't want to inflate the electronics. If you do not react at all to the calls of the system, the car will not give up steering, as it was in previous iterations of the adaptive cruise control, but will go into emergency stop mode and smoothly, looking around the radars and cameras on the sides, will park on the side of the road - in case the driver got sick.

A step forward can also be called those angles to which the updated Passat is able to turn on its own. The cruise control is so smart that it brakes ahead of the bends in the track, and this is really necessary, given that the Passat's tight corners, even in automatic mode, go at high speeds. And it also does not turn off if the marking on one side disappears, I focus on the grass or gravel of the roadside.

In the same way, the cruise control slows down in front of settlements and signs of slowing down, and if they are not spelled out in the navigator, then it does so in fact, having seen the plate with the eye of the camera. At the same time, smart Line Assist normally recognizes concrete blocks and yellow markings, does not get confused in the diversity of time lines at the repair sites.

I do not presume to judge how calmly it will be possible to use all this economy in Russian conditions, but I am ready to guarantee that in the sense of traditional driving disciplines Passat has remained true to itself. The chassis, even in the case of a heavy off-road wagon, works just gorgeous in all modes, the brakes are perfect, the steering wheel is precise, and the DSG preselective boxes (by the way, seven-speed on all variants) work as clearly and imperceptibly as possible. Therefore, it is not entirely clear why the Germans made a multi-stage adjustment of the shock absorber stiffness for the adaptive DCC chassis: only a person with a particularly keen sense of the stool can feel the shades of the settings in the range from good to very good.

There are no surprises in the engine range either, but the Germans had to adapt all engines for Euro 6, which means the same evolutionary changes that have already taken place with other models on the MQB platform. In Europe, the alignment is as follows: the place of the initial 1,4 TSI is taken by a 150-liter engine with the same 2,0 hp. sec., followed by 190 TSI engines with a return of 272 and 120 horsepower. Two-liter diesels develop 190, 240 and XNUMX hp. with., and there is also a more economical hybrid version with an increased power reserve.

The irony is that none of this has anything to do with our market, with the exception of the 190-horsepower petrol engine, which will replace the well-deserved 1,8 TSI. But the initial one, as now, will be a 1,4 TSI engine paired with a 6-speed DSG, but in this case there should be no difference with the European 1,5 TSI - the increase in volume only compensates for some environmental burdens.

The only thing to regret is the 272 hp engine. with., which so easily allows you to dial the 200+ allowed in Germany and so directly hold a place in the left lane of the Autobahn. And if the dynamics do not seem crazy, then this is only because the Germans have already brought the equipment to the ringing, providing the most comfortable acceleration without jerking and hysterical howling of the engine.

Here is a 190 hp diesel. with. not impressed, but this is not the engine that will carry the Passat along the left lane of the Autobahn. By the way, diesel will still be brought to Russia, but another, with a capacity of 150 liters. with., with which the car will be moderately dynamic in the city, not too ambitious on the track, but definitely very economical. Hybrid? Alas, there is an understanding that it will be too expensive for our market and will not justify any certification costs.

Meanwhile, for the Germans, the hybrid Passat is almost a key product. That is why it was made a little more friendly, and if earlier it was a modification for technologists, now the driver only needs to know where to insert the socket. The Passat GTE charges from a household outlet, wall station or AC fast charging, or charges itself, depending on the availability of current and the need for autonomous driving.

The declared electric range is 55 km in real or 70 km in the test cycle, and the prepared route with variable steep roads Passat GTE overcame with an average consumption of 3,8 liters of gasoline per 100 km and did not drain the battery at all. The recuperation works very efficiently, the graphics of the devices in terms of the distribution of energy flows turned out to be very clear, and of the five operating modes, three were left: electric, hybrid and sports GTE. The amount of energy saving is adjusted via the menu.

In short, in urban conditions, GTE tries to use the electric drive more often, and when the battery is discharged, it tries to fill it up faster. Together, the 1,4 TSI motor and the electric motor produce 218 hp. with. and offer very decent dynamics without regard to which unit is connected at what moment and what needs to be done to save more.

There is almost nothing to say about what impression the updated Passat makes live. The test cars are R-Line, Alltrack and GTE with powerful bumper cheekbones of varying degrees of strength and their own special finishing style. And all of them are generalists who will not be taken to Russia. The Passat R-Line looks more brutal than the others in this trinity, especially in the new dense gray color Moonstone Gray, but we definitely won't have such an option. Alltrack will not be brought, but at least it is painted in a juicy green color, in which sedans will be painted especially for the Russian market, and this is already a kind of exclusive.

The cheekbones of the bumpers and a slightly slid down radiator grille are a common feature of all versions, which will also be in the sedan in a simple configuration. Judging by the photos, even the regular Passat now looks more severe, has more chrome and more kinks in the bumper, as well as transparent techno-optics with LEDs. The coolest option is with matrix headlights, but those that are simpler both shine and look very good.

If we omit the mention of improved finishing materials, then the surest sign of renewal in the cabin is the illuminated Passat lettering in the place where the watch used to be. The Germans explain the abandonment of watches only by the fact that time is already everywhere - both on the instrument display and on the screen of the media system. The instrument display here, like the Tiguan, is now slightly smaller, but with better graphics and customizable themes - the view changes with a button on the steering wheel, and if you dig deeper into the settings, you can change everything: from the set of information components to the color of the instrument edging.

You can choose from three media systems with screen sizes of 6,5, 8,0 and 9,2 inches, as well as a whole digital platform under the general name Volkswagen We. She is not yet able to do so much: for example, automatically pay for parking, open a car to couriers of a delivery service, or suggest restaurants and shops based on the owner's preferences. There is no need to regret the absence of these functions in Russia, since we will still have Volkswagen Connect with an application for remote control of the car with the ability to set the climate, as well as the function of an electronic key.

Volkswagen promises that prices will rise insignificantly, but they do not give exact figures yet. Dealers expect an increase of about 10%, that is, the base Passat will pick up close to $ 26. A sedan with a 198 TSI engine will be the first to come to Russia by the end of the year, a 2,0 TSI version will appear at the beginning of 2020, and only in March of next year we will receive a two-liter diesel engine. Station wagons, including the Alltrack version, hybrids and even the R-Line are not worth waiting for, so from Russia this update will look a little formal. But we will have a green sedan, if, of course, here, in principle, someone is ready to abandon black and silver.

Body type	Universal	Universal	Universal
dimensions (length / width / height), mm	4889/1832/1516	4889/1832/1516	4888/1853/1527
Wheelbase, mm	2786	2786	2788
Curb weight, kg	1645	1722	1394
engine's type	Gasoline, R4 turbo	Gasoline, R4 turbo + electro	Diesel, R4
Working volume, cubic meters cm	1984	1395	1968
Power, hp from.	272	156 + 115	190
Max. cool. moment, Nm at rpm	350 at 2000-5400	400	400 at 1900-3300
Transmission, drive	7-st. DSG full	6th st. DSG, front	7-st. DSG full
Maximum speed km / h	250	225	223
Acceleration to 100 km / h, from	5,6	7,4	7,7
Fuel consumption (city / highway / mixed), l	8,9/5,9/7,0	n. d.	5,8/4,6/5,1
Cargo space, l	650-1780	n. d.	639-1769
Price from, $.	n. d.	n. d.	n. d.