Advanced and efficient Passat
Date Published: 14-Oct-2010
It is set for its Irish arrival this December and the eagerly anticipated all-new Passat is making its international debut in Paris this month.
This is the seventh generation and Volkswagen has sold a staggering 15 million in 37 years across 100 countries around the world. It has been a very great success story in Ireland too with over 63,000 cars sold since the Passat was first launched in 1973.
Volkswagen says this new Passat is not only the most advanced yet but also the most efficient, with both the 1.6TDI 105bhp and 2.0TDI 140bhp engines in VRT band A attracting only €104 annual road tax. The new model sees a 4.2l/100km (67.3mpg) fuel economy along with a completely new styling configuration.
Powering the new Passat is a range of advanced and highly efficient petrol and diesel engines. The 1.4-litre TSI petrol engine producing 122bhp with emissions of only 138g/km qualifies for VRT band B attracting only €156 annual road tax.
The diesel range starts with the most efficient engine, the 1.6-litre TDI unit producing 105bhp. Equipped with this engine and the BlueMotion package of changes including aerodynamic modifications, Stop/Start and battery regeneration, the new Passat can achieve a combined 4.2l/100km(67.3 mpg) while emitting just 109g/km of CO2 placing the car firmly in VRT band A and only €104 annual road tax. This equates to a range of over 1,600 kilometres on a single tank of diesel. Joining the 1.6-litre TDI is the highly acclaimed 2.0-litre TDI engine available in two power outputs – 140bhp and 170bhp. Each of the engine ranges can be specified with a choice of manual or DSG gearboxes.
Volkswagen says that is making genuine progress in the area of safety too. We are told that the new model takes safety to a new level with features such as an automatic City emergency braking function.
The fatigue detection system, which Volkswagen is introducing for the first time in this class, is continually active; it detects reduced driver concentration and warns the driver with an acoustic signal; a visual message also appears in the instrument cluster recommending that the driver should take a break from driving.
Volkswagen will continue to offer customer oriented Option Packs (i.e. Sports Pack, Media Pack, Comfort Pack and Safety Pack) on the new Passat following the highly successful launch of option packs on the current model in 2010 which offered customer savings of approx 30%.