NEW VW Passat Variant Sport R line 2018 Interior Exterior Review

Описание: NEW VW Passat Variant Sport R line 2018 Interior Exterior Review

The Passat’s cabin quality and materials are terrific, and so too are the ergonomics. It all just works, with a premium finish that takes it a clear class above the Ford. You can even get full digital dials, with a complementary screen in the centre console, if you really want to impress others with your touch-swiping skills.

MQB underpinnings bring a longer wheelbase that means there’s even more room in the rear, while the 650-litre seats-up boot stretches to 1,780 liters with them folded. In other words, it’s absolutely enormous – much bigger than the new Mondeo estate, for example. That’s the sort of surprise that Passat customers will take kindly to.
For ultimate on-paper economy you’ll need the plug-in hybrid GTE Passat Estate. This car returned 157mpg in EU fuel tests, although to achieve that figure in normal driving you’ll need to regularly plug in to make the most of its pure electric range of up to 31 miles. Remember too that on the motorway with a depleted battery the petrol engine will struggle to return much more than 35mpg.

For most people, therefore, one of the diesels might well make more sense. Both the 1.6-litre and the 148bhp version of the 2.0-litre returned 69mpg in EU tests, while the Bluemotion version of the diesel managed 74mpg, matching the most efficient Ford Mondeo. However, in reality you need to work the smaller engine harder, meaning it’s more difficult to get close to such figures.

Opting for the DSG automatic gearbox reduces fuel economy by about 5 mpg. Go for the top-spec twin-turbo model with four-wheel drive and DSG, and you can expect to achieve about 40 mpg in normal driving.