Image gallery: 2015 Volkswagen Passat (B8) coming to India
The Passat is an important model for Volkswagen, with the German carmaker selling as many as 3,000 units of the Passat in a day. India does contribute to that number, but not significantly so. The eighth generation Passat could change that. We sampled two different 2.0 TDI configurations of the new VW Passat (B8) in Sardinia, Italy recently - a turbocharged mill good for 150PS and around 350Nm and a bi-turbo variant that puts out about 240PS and 500Nm. Here are the images we captured from the first drive.
The Volkswagen Passat is based on the company's new modular platform - the MQB - and will be the first production car to employ the new transverse matrix for engine, transmission and chassis configurations
As many ten engine options, three transmission types and three body styles are expected to be offered by next year. Out of these, a 2.0-litre TDI variant with a six- or seven-speed dual clutch gearbox in the saloon form factor is the obvious choice for India
The Passat cabin has a new design theme now with the most eye-catching element being the seamless air-vent design that appears to extend across the entire width of the dashboard fascia
The instrumentation on the new Passat replaces the hardware clocks with a large display screen like the one in the new S-Class. It displays all the usual clocks and can switch between readouts for the navigation, vehicle, trip and media information
The Volkswagen Passat also lets you choose between various driving modes. The Sport mode, as you would expect, makes for a more eager engine response, while Comfort and Economy modes are sober, meant for city driving, with gear shifts around the mid-range
The suspension, despite its thudding noise, doesn't bottom out and even on rutted surfaces, the ride isn't choppy. The 150PS version, with its front-wheel drive configuration, feels more nimble than its four-wheel drive counterpart
If it does come to India, the new Volkswagen Passat have plenty of entry-level models in the same price bracket as competition - from Audi, and even Mercedes-Benz and BMW
Read our first drive review of the Volkswagen Passat
Images: Ingo Barenschee