New VW Passat spied in the Alps

Text: Paul Bond / Photos: SB-Medien

May 2010

The wraps are off the latest update of VW’s Passat! These shots of the new saloon were taken by our spies in the Alps, and give us a sneaky peek of how the fresh interior will look.     

The German giants are aiming to take the Passat more upmarket to fend off premium rivals like the BMW 3-series and Mercedes C-class. To give it a ‘classier’ feel the interior borrows heavily from the sportier Passat CC, with the three-spoke multifunction steering wheel and chrome rimmed dials both carried across.  

On the outside, the front-end has been altered to match the new VW ‘family’ look already seen on the Golf and Polo, so the lower air intakes are wider, while the upper grille is narrower and flatter than on the previous car.

The headlights have been redesigned to include LED running lights, and will be more squared off to echo the look of the new Phaeton. To lift the look of the rear, the light clusters have changed shape, and the model shown features the same chromed exhausts found on the CC.

Like the Mk 6 Golf, this new model will be more of a fine-tuning than a total overhaul, so expect the same choice of three petrol and four diesel engines from the current range. That means a 1.4 TSI and 1.8 TSI for the petrols and a 1.6 and 2.0 TDI diesels in various states of tune, but the hardcore R36 with 300bhp is likely to be dropped.            

The new Passat will be unveiled to the public in September at the Paris motor show, and is due to go on sale early 2011.