Front headrests that can be adjusted not just for height but longitudinally as well are, however, standard. Our test unit’s front seats were electrically adjustable, but this was part of a R24 050 Luxury Package option that includes foldable mirrors, a DynAudio sound system and an ambient light package. Standard in the Executive spec are seat inserts, bolsters and the centre armrest covered in Nappa leather.

Much like a well-tailored suit, the interior chooses classic lines over flair, with a design that sees the straight lines of the facia reflected in the similarly horizontal quilting of the seat squabs and backs. The Passat’s interior remains a CAR favourite, with a host of soft-touch materials and plastics that would embarrass more expensive cars, with brushed chrome inserts and piano-black trim adding to the high-quality feel. It’s only high-frequency road imperfections that penetrate to the cabin but, to be fair, only sedans costing considerably more than this VW are able to successfully dampen these irritations. This Passat presents a refined ride that, even shod with 18-inch Marseille alloys as standard, remains composed and supple, easily shrugging off speed bumps and remaining unflustered on the highway. As mentioned earlier, there is a sport mode that weighs up the steering, but again the handling feels well sorted rather than razor sharp. The electromechanical, speed-sensitive steering, while lacking somewhat in feel, is very accurate, making it easy to confidently place the Passat though a corner with a high degree of grip and traction to get on the gas early should you be so inclined. Engaging it is not – no 3 Series will lose sleep – but, that said, you do get a sense this chassis could handle more power. “Relaxed” and “sensible” are adjectives that describe the ride and handling as well.

Our fuel run, as we had anticipated from this frugal engine, returned an impressive 5,5 L/100 km.Īlthough you can add a little hustle by choosing sport mode thanks to the standard Adaptive Chassis Control, the gearing feels quite long, with the Passat’s ECU opting to engage the next ratio at a relaxed and sensible tempo. A downside of all that torque in a front-wheel-drive car is a degree of axle tramp when pulling away at speed. Our testing returned a respectable 8,43 seconds for the 0-100 km/h sprint, while the in-gear acceleration runs of 2,3 seconds between 60 and 80 km/h and 4,07 seconds from 120 to 140 km/h confirmed our sentiments. It’s also punchy, delivering strong pace and easy overtaking at low and highway speeds.

Dsg 6 passat maximum torque