Top Car

36 TOPCAR.CO.ZA|January 2016

FIRST DRIVES.

The push for posh

If you’re named after a trade wind then changing tack is

probably the best way forward. ByWayneBatty

B

ACK INTHE1990s families of

planet Earth drove Mondeo,

Accord, Camry and Passat.

Sensible, affordable and spac ious,

these were the real volume players

of the global sedan market , easily outselling

compact executive offerings from Germany’s

morepremium brands. Since then buying

patterns have shifted dramatically the world

over. It has beenno different in SA where the

Camry is now just a memory, the Accord has

turned all niche Yank on us and the

Mondeo’s two disapp earing acts will not

have done the handsome Fusion any favours.

This, along with th e popularity of crossover

SUVs and increasingly image-conscious

consumers has put the skids on traditional

volume brand sedan sales leaving the old,

perennial ly underrated Passat lang uishing

among the also-rans. What to do, what to do?

If premium is the new volume then heading

upmarket would seem the only viable

survival stra tegy. So in the good old spirit of

adapt or die, Volkswagen looked to the stars

and set its sigh ts on a certain three-pointed

one. Apparently. Is th e all-new, eigh th-

generation Passat able to cruise with th e big

ships? Time to find out.

You know within the first few metres of

forward motion that this new Passat is a

quality machine. If refinement was actually

measured in spades, there wouldn’t be

enough space in the legendary boot to fit

them all. You feel it in the suspension, the

whispering engine at idle and the uncannily

quiet cabin at speed. You can see it in the

build and design of the interior too.Sure

there’s not the sweeping architecture of the

C-Class or the intense sportiness of the 3

Series but the beautifully slim dash flaunts

its clean lines and fine details with a swagger

not seen since the Phaeton. Having just

recently driven the excellent new Audi A4,

there’s no doubtVWhas taken notes from its

Ingolstadt-based co usins here. This also

means you can order your new Passat with

enough mind-blowing kit to well, blow the

minds of jaded middle managers everywhere.

Want traffic monitoring radar-based cruise

controlwith automatic emer gency braking?

Tick the box marked ACC. Fond of a

Swedish knead? Opt for 12-way electric front

seat s with a massage function for the driver.

Bored with conventional in strument dial s?

Active Info Display repl aces them with a

configurable 12.3-inch screen that will tur n

your MD green, unless he’s just bought an

Audi Q7. You can even get continuously

variable dampers (DCC), though only with

the 2.0TSI. The list goes on: fatigue

detection, head-up display, Dynaudio sound,

self-steering park assist, LEDs all ro und,

dynamic cornering lights and a powered

boot. Of course there’s plenty of standard

VOLKSWAGEN PASSAT

Volkswagen Passat 1.4TSI Comfortline Manual

>PriceR3 7880 0 (R398 800 -DSG)>Engine

1 395cc, 16v, 4cyl turbo 110kW@ 5 000 -6000rpm,

250Nm @ 1 50 0-3 000rpm>Transmission

6-speed manual(7-speed dual-clutch auto), FWD>

SuspensionMacPhersonstrut front, multi-link rear

>Performance0-100kph in 8.4sec, 220kph, 5.3(5.2)

ℓ/100km, 124g(121g)CO 2 /km>Length/Width/

Height4 767/1 832/1 456mm>Kerb weight1 38 7

(1 413)kg

Volkswagen Passat 1.8TSI Highline DSG

>PriceR4 44200 >Engine1 798cc, 16v, 4cyl turbo

132kW @ 5100-6 200rpm,250Nm @ 1250-5 000rpm>

Transmission7-speed dual-clutch auto, FWD

>SuspensionMacPhersonstrut front, multi-link

rear>Performance0-100kph in 7.9sec, 232kph,

5.8ℓ/100km, 130gCO 2 /km>Length/Width/

Height4 767/1 832/1 456mm>Kerb weight1 480kg

Volkswagen Passat 2.0TSI R-Line DSG

>PriceR4 76800 >Engine1 984cc, 16v, 4cyl turbo

162kW @ 4 50 0-6 200rpm,350Nm @ 1 50 0-4 400rpm

>Transmission6-speed dual-clutch auto, FWD

>SuspensionMacPhersonstrut front, multi-link

rear>Performance0-100kph in 6.7sec, 246kph,

6.2ℓ/100km, 143gCO 2 /km>Length/Width/

Height4 767/1 832/1 456mm>Kerb weight1 505kg

>On SaleNow

UPAGAINST

BETTERTHAN

Theequivalent BMW 3Seriesin terms of

comfort, refinement andvalue

WORSE THAN

Theequivalent BMW 3Seriesin terms

ofdynamics, sporty appeal andbadge

snobbery

WE’D BUY

A 1.8TSI with all the cool tech