Some doubted whether either or both of these still relatively new big wagons would succeed. Volkswagen seems to have silenced the scepticism by selling a combined close to 150,000 units Europe-wide in 2025. Of course the Passat comes only as an estate whereas the ID.7 can also be bought in hatchback form. And buyers have the choice of many propulsion systems, something else which sets the two big VWs apart from other cars in their size class.
Slovakian synchronicity
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Given that most owners of the previous Passat went for the estate, not replacing the European market’s saloon was a sensible cost saving move. The car also became more premium for the latest generation, and with a combined 71,379 sold in the EU, the UK and EFTA countries plus 76,408 ID.7s, it’s clearly a winning strategy. We must not also forget the Passat’s Škoda Superb twin (52,828): they share not only the MQB Evo platform but a production line in Bratislava.
Just to confuse matters slightly, there is in fact not only a four-door Passat but a pair of them. Special models for China, these are the SAIC VW Passat Pro and FAW VW Magotan. The estate isn’t available in the PRC as there would not be enough demand, this body style being at its most popular in Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Sweden.
I initially wondered if a 1.5-litre engine would be big enough to propel what is a fairly large albeit not too heavy car. The Passat eTSI, which came in R-Line trim for my test, is not only rapid enough to keep up with many premium brand rivals, but more economical than just about all of them. In short, I simply could not get this 48-volt petrol mild hybrid to use much fuel, the test car’s average being 49 mpg. On several drives, it even returned more than sixty miles to the gallon. Incredible.
A VW which feels upscale of its Audi equivalent
Soon I’ll be publishing some thoughts on another of the Volkswagen Group’s latest large wagons. Suffice to say, the Passat is in many ways more of an upscale vehicle than the new Audi A6 Avant. Yes really. Perhaps the giant OEM was stung by criticism of perceived low quality interiors a few years ago – around the time of the Golf’s introduction. Whatever has happened, VWs are becoming nicer nowadays.
I’m talking about weighty doors, the return of tactility to many of the controls, softer plastics on door cards, no annoying ‘greeting’ and ‘goodbye’ lights and sounds, and so on. The glovebox shuts with a thunk, as does the central cubby, the huge door bins have soft linings, haptic buttons have been replaced by real ones, almost everything feels solid and built-to-last.
Even the digital key (heavy and a beautiful silver and black design) feels and looks upmarket. Compared that to the lightweight, easily-scratched matte-black blob-fob which Audi now specifies. This is the first impression of the car. Just like mushy-feeling haptic door handles. Proper pull-out handles are returning and the worst flush ones are even being banned in China, for safety reasons.
Touchscreens are being tamed, next: sunroof controls?
It’s almost funny that VW and other brands lost so many once loyal customers by ditching the very things which people bought the cars for. Audi needs to remember this. More on that soon. But a big round of applause to Volkswagen for honing the Passat, even since its launch in 2023. If you know where to look (and touch), you notice improvements.
A few things could still do with changing, such as the flimsy-thin sun-blind which fails to block dangerous UV light. How hard is it to specify the proper fabric which we used to take for granted? And photochromic alternatives just aren’t as good. At least the Passat’s overhead haptic controls, whilst being a step back from what always worked perfectly and had a satisfying action, aren’t as bad as some. Why for example must you prod-swipe a finger in an attempt to work out what does what? Two hard plastic alternatives would be SO much better.
Superb-sized roominess
Again, comparing the Passat to the new A6 Avant, there is an extraordinary amount of room for all occupants and their luggage. Back seat space has to be seen to be believed. I gave a friend a lift and he happens to be 203 centimetres tall (6’8”). Darran needed the front passenger seat to go back further, which was a shame. Otherwise he was impressed by headroom and the back seat was a safer place, given how close the front-seat airbag was to his face. Cars are hard to design for everyone but VW seems to be doing it better than many brands.
Those front seats are one-piece with integrated head restraints, so VW is still cutting costs where it thinks people won’t notice. Remember this is the company which, under its former CEO, became near-obsessed with copying Tesla. Happily those days are gone.
As good as its Czech brother
German engineering excellence and a near-obsession with details have returned to Volkswagens. I would go so far as to say the Passat now looks and feels as expensive as most Škodas. Sadly Audis nowadays tend to have the feel of being below both of those brands, even if they do at least almost always look gorgeous.
Volkswagen’s minimalist approach to exterior design is another welcome echo of what used to set its cars apart. So it is that we see a beautifully illuminated VW emblem (in red when you lock/unlock the car), and just the word P A S S A T on the tailgate. There are no engine identifiers and the sports trim R is one simple, stylised letter on each front door.
Long yet not excessively wide, the big VW is easy to keep in its lane, though the annoying alleged ‘assistance’ is too intrusive, something which afflicts so many of the brand’s models. You also have to fiddle on the screen to turn it off. This soon becomes part of the normal start-up, as it does for most cars nowadays. Also, emergency braking activated itself a few times during my week: something else which, in my experience in recent years, is far from unusual.
Conclusion
Overall, the Passat must surely be close to class-best, plus it offers a lot of choice. That includes not only the engine line-up but trim levels too. These are called Life, March, Elegance, R-Line and Black Edition. The base engine is the as-tested 110 kW (150 PS) 1.5 turbo MHEV (eTSI) and this comes with a seven-speed DSG. The transmission is now beautifully smooth, so here is another thing which the company has greatly improved. Pricing is high but that’s not unusual for Volkswagen and clearly, it isn’t putting off buyers, as the results for 2025 attest.
The VW Passat range starts at GBP40,860 (Life trim, 110 kW 1.5 eTSI mild hybrid).
