REVIEW | Volkswagen Passat - Updated Estate is Better Than Ever
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Gardening. My mother would happily spend hours pruning roses. However, that all changed one day when she and my gardening-hating father watched a programme about the rights and wrongs of pruning. An experiment had taken place, one row of roses had been carefully pruned using some secateurs, while the other row was ‘pruned’ using a strimmer. The result the following year was that the roses, which many assumed had been butchered by the strimmer, had the best display of flowers.
At hearing this news, my father was in his element. Justice. He used to annoy my mother whenever she arrived home with a new plant by announcing: ”Well, it’s come to its last home.”
The one advantage of gardening is that it requires a trip to the tip. I find this to be therapeutic. Strange but true. It’s also a handy way of judging the load carrying capabilities of my test cars,the latest of which is the newly updated Volkswagen Passat Estate.
Out with the old, in with the new
The outgoing Passat load lugger was a huge favourite with big estate car fans. A massive load area, excellent driving characteristics and a decent level of standard kit were the major plus points. Okay, it looked a tad boring, but when it came to doing the job of hauling a chest of antique drawers or a heap of luggage for a family camping trip over colossal distances, it was given a unanimous thumbs-up.
And I can report that this latest Passat Estate merely picks up where the previous model left off. It’s also a better car.
Yes, you still have the terrific load versatility, but it’s now better to drive, looks smarter inside and out, and benefits from more safety gadgetry and lifestyle goodies. It’s one of the best estate cars out there.
Powertrain Options
So, what’s new with the latest Volkswagen Passat?
This is the ninth generation of the model. It’s testament to the car’s ability that it’s managed to fend off attacks from the tidal wave of SUVs. One thing that hasn’t survived is the saloon version - the Passat is now estate only.
In terms of power options, everything kicks off with a 1.5-litre 148bhp petrol engine which has a mild hybrid system to eke out as much performance and economy as possible.
At the other end of the spectrum, and if you want straightforward power, head for the 2.0-litre petrol unit, which churns out 201bhp. It’s only available in top of the range R-Line trim.
However, I’d point you in the direction of two plug-in hybrid (PHEV) models which are available in all but the entry level trim. Both use a 1.5-litre petrol powerplant, but the PHEV system gives you added oomph and a very handy predicted pure-electric range of around 80 miles. For a lot of folk, unless you’re a company rep thrashing up and down the motorway network, that sort of figure should be adequate for a day’s commute.
The cheaper of the 1.5 TSI eHybrid PHEVs gives you a power output of 201bhp, which equates to 0-60mph in 8.1 seconds. Prices start at £47,540 in Elegance trim (May ’25). There is a more powerful eHybrid (272bhp), but it ups the price by around £2700 and only slices one second off the 0-60mph sprint. The all-electric range stays at 80 miles, so I’d stick with the cheaper version.
The Passat is something of a rarity in that you can charge the PHEV battery at a standard 50 kW public charger. Once you run out of battery, you’ll still manage around 50mpg, which, for this size of car, is good going. Oh, and diesel power has been dropped entirely.
What is it like to drive?
Out on the road, the Passat Estate is excellent to drive. The ride just shades onto the firm side, but this means that the car is an agile performer and feels really composed at both town and motorway speeds. Bearing in mind that estate cars are usually bought to do a job and can rack up a high mileage, it’s important to make them good to punt around. The 6-speed DSG gearbox works well. One thing which struck us was how quiet the Passat is. Laminate windows are standard in the two higher trims.
Trims & Interior
The build quality is excellent. I thought the quality was better than some of the latest Volkswagen models. There are three trims available - Life, Elegance and R-Line. I’d stick with Elegance, as you get everything you could sensibly ask for, including a tilting and sliding sunroof, matrix headlights, sport front seats with a massage function, heated steering wheel, 12.9-inch central touchscreen, and seriously smart alloy wheels.
As ever, I’d like to see more physical buttons rather than having to dip into the infotainment system, but at least the kit works well. The sat nav deserves praise, it’s quick and clear.
The driver gets a 10.5-inch digital display, which you can configure to show different information. It might be worth going for the Infotainment Pack (around £850) because this adds a head-up display that projects data like your speed onto the windscreen.
Luggage capacity
Load capacity is important for an estate car. This is a strong point for the Volkswagen Passat Estate because the boot will hold a huge 510 litres of baggage. Flop the rear seats forward and you’ll have a load area which extends to 2027mm. If you need a rough idea of what that looks like, I managed, with room to spare, to carry an old bath, toilet, washbasin and towel radiator to the tip. As I mentioned at the start, going to the tip can be very cathartic.
Concluding Thoughts
The Volkswagen Passat Estate might be into its ninth generation, but it has got better with age. Maturing nicely. This latest model is truly outstanding in terms of driving characteristics, standard kit and versatility. Granted, it’s not exactly a styling masterpiece which will turn heads, but it makes up for being a tad anonymous by attracting admiring nods from those who really know that the car is up to the job. It’s a winner.
words: Graham Courtney
pictures: Volkswagen
