VW’s seventh-generation sedan gets with the times
Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, USB ports all part of refresh
Vermont is lovely in autumn. It’s invigorating to wind through open roads and vibrant turning leaves in the Green Mountains while sampling the recently updated Volkswagen Passat.
I feel as though I’m supposed to make a joke here about stinking up the mountain air with noxious fumes in the process.
The attempt at humour would fall flat, though. For obvious reasons — namely that Volkswagen’s non-EPAcompliant diesel products remain under stop-sale status in North America — there was no TDI version on hand at this preview.
That leaves two gas-powered engines for the moment in what VW calls a “significant refresh” of the seventh-generation Passat: a 1.8-litre turbocharged in-line four cylinder, and a 3.6-litre VR6 that sells so infrequently it’s available only as an afterthought in the top-tier Execline trim.
Most people looking for a mid-size sedan will find the 1.8-litre engine suits their needs just fine. It’s steady, smooth and responsive enough to comfortably make passes on twolane mountain roads. And although its 8.0 L/100 km combined fuel rating doesn’t approach diesel territory, it’s a respectable enough number that’s been improved slightly through aerodynamic tweaking.
In Canada, we get a special treat that the U.S. market doesn’t, an available five-speed manual transmission. It can only be equipped on the base model, but that adds the benefit of keeping a lower starting price of $23,295, $680 less than last year’s car.
In my opinion, the most important part of the Passat’s refresh is that it gets with the times. Every car has at least one USB port, plus the infotainment system incorporates Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for hands-free phone interaction on the road.
An R-Line package is an option on mid-level trims for the first time, likely a nod to the many sporty midto-large sedan options flooding the market. It adds paddle shifters, aluminum pedals, a rear diffuser, sport seats and more. You’ll have to wait for it, though. While 2016 Passats are already in production, models incor- porating the R-Line package won’t be available until the spring.
The exterior and interior have been restyled compared with the outgoing model. A backup camera is standard, while buyers can add available forward collision warning, autonomous emergency braking, and rear traffic alert systems. At the Execline trim level you can have lane keep assist and automated parking systems.
And how does it drive? Not much differently than before, but in this case that’s a good thing.
Steering feel is relaxed but precise, and the front and rear independent suspension makes it a steady, easygoing handler.
Bringing the rest of the car up to the times is the most important development here.
Now, my only complaints are that the suede-like inserts in the leather seats have given way to full leather — I found the suede helped to prevent painful slouching on long drives — and VW still doesn’t seem interested in adding a miles per hour reference on Canadian speedometers for those trips south of the border.
A conversion can be displayed on the digital readout in the centre of the dash, but then that screen can’t be used for other things such as navigation instructions, which gets annoying quickly if you spend much time driving in the States.
The remaining barrier is whether consumers will have much interest in buying a car — as good as it may be — from a company that’s recently been unmasked as having lied to them.
And that enormous elephant won’t be leaving the room for a while yet. Freelance writer Stephanie Wallcraft is a frequent contributor to Toronto Star Wheels. The vehicle for this story was provided by the manufacturer. To reach her, email wheels@thestar.ca and put her name in the subject line.