Volkswagen Passat

Our verdict

The Volkswagen Passat is a well-behaved and well-built car with lots of room and perceived quality. Yet somehow it doesn’t light our candle.

Comfort

There's plenty of space in here and it slips down the road quietly, but the ride isn't entirely untroubled by certain kinds of bump.

Performance

The four-cylinder petrol engines are all from VW's TSI and T-FSi families, which means lots of torque and smooth running with comparatively low CO2. So although the base 1.4TSi takes 10.5 sec to do 0-62, it feels more lively. The diesels come in the usual VW 105, 140 and 170bhp flavours, but the 105 struggles to propel such a big car. The V6 4Motion feels weighty and surprisingly sluggish, and even the R36 doesn't really sparkle.

Cool

The Passat, especially with the current generation's sightly ornate styling, is pretending but not quite managing to be classy. Not a cool place to be.

Quality

The old-generation Passat was famously superb in cabin quality, but this one doesn't really move the game on. Still, against increasingly over-complicated rival interiors, the Passat's classic simplicity has an appeal.

Handling

The Passat's road manners are respectful but a bit dull. The basic underpinnings are related to the enjoyable Golf's, but it shows its extra weight as a numbness and slight slow-wittedness.

Practicality

The Passat saloon is big and has a bigger boot, with through-load. But there's nothing here beyond class norms.

Running costs

A Passat will be worth more than most mainstream rivals when you trade it in, and that will shave down your running costs. Other costs, like CO2 and long-interval servicing, are more than competitive.