Unlike the American version of the Passat, presented in January in Detroit, the European variant is still built on the MQB platform and is equipped exclusively with turbo engines.
Externally, the updated Passat features modified bumpers and matrix LED elements, simpler in base trims and adaptive in higher ones. The rear lights now have LED boomerangs that do not increase brightness when braking but simply change the pattern.
Inside, the digital instrument cluster has been updated, USB Type-C ports have appeared, and a modernized media system with a large set of online services. The updated model allows you to make purchases, automatically pay for parking, remotely monitor the vehicle's condition, and share the digital key with friends.
The facelifted Passat is equipped with a suite of driver assistance systems that the Germans combine under the IQ.Drive sub-brand. With the full set, the Passat becomes semi-autonomous and can drive itself on the highway, maintaining speed, steering along lane markings, and pulling away automatically in traffic jams. The model has a capacitive steering wheel that detects hands by skin contact rather than by steering inputs, like other similar systems.
The suspension now features adaptive dampers, as in the larger Arteon. The 150-hp 1.4 TSI engine has been replaced by a 1.5 TSI unit of the same power. The lineup also includes two-liter engines with outputs of 190 and 272 hp. The diesel range includes units of 1.6 liters (120 hp) and 2.0 liters (150, 190, and 240 hp).
The 1.4 TSI engine remains only in the plug-in hybrid Passat GTE. Paired with the turbo unit is a 115-hp electric motor, with a combined output of 218 hp. The updated hybrid's range has been increased to 55 km on the WLTP cycle, or up to 70 km according to the NEDC method.
European sales of the updated Volkswagen Passat will start at the end of summer.
