Pure practicality

When Volkswagen offered me the new Passat for a test-drive, I wasn't not very interested. After all, I had driven most variants of it. While they are all perfectly competent cars, driving another one isn't enough to get me excited. But a new car is a new car, so I pick it up from from their office.

There is a shiny new Passat parked in front of the showroom, but I don't bother because the car looks like the 2.0T until I walk in front of it and my eyes fall on the fog lights in the bumper. I stop, there is something different about this car. I walk back and see the 3.6 badging. That's it, the new V6.
This one I have to drive. Why? Because this Passat version has paddle shifters for changing gears. And this version is loaded.

But the thing that excites me is the paddle shifters. I insert the electronic key fob and the V6 rumbles to life.

This you will be able to hear only if the windows are down. I slip the car into Tiptronic and the display in the instrument cluster shows the gears 1 to 6 with 1 lit up. I let go off the accelerator and the car moves forward slowly. After waiting for the traffic to clear on the way, I finally hit Shaikh Zayed Road moving slowly towards Jebel Ali. Luckily, the traffic thins out and then it is time to shift into 2. I tap on the + shifter behind the steering on the right and car shifts smoothly into 2 lunging ahead. Another tap and it's into 3 zooming ahead.

The engine feels a big tight, but still the car has a lot of go. Gear shifts are smooth, every change happening crisply. Even though the car is in "manual" mode, the transmission does not shift into a higher gear until the pre-determined speed is reached.

So no matter how much I tap the paddle shifter, it refuses to shift into 6 with the car under 60km/h. Same thing with 4 not coming in till the car is doing at least 40km/h and so on. Downshifts happen automatically.

Not too many enthusiasts will be happy with the automatic downshifting. But you have to agree it's a great convenience tool. And then, the car is never in true manual mode.

Outstanding braking

There is an empty stretch of road along the coast after Mamzar, where it's possible to let yourself go at the right time of the day.

Soon the car is poised for take-off and it is time to unleash all the 250 horses of this beast. I hit the pedal at 30km/h in 3, press on it and the car zooms ahead touching 50 in no time. Tapping the paddle shifts, I have the car in 5 and moving swiftly. Even with the tightish engine, the car feels really free revving. In no time I am doing the legal limit in 6 and the car actually feels like it is doing about 60km/h.

Gear control is smooth when shifting manually using the Tiptronic. Braking is excellent. The four-wheel discs (ventilated in front) provide direct feedback, and the ABS threshold is set high enough to allow a good measure of late braking for the sporty driver. Overall brake feel is superb, and the car stops from high speeds with little drama, aided by Brake Assist. NVH (noise-vibration-harshness levels) is apparently the new mantra at Volkswagen, and it's been taken to new heights in this Passat.

The car feels really smooth and quiet at that speed.
The reason? According to Volkswagen, a number of interlinked systems in the Passat assure optimal safety and protection. The 4-link rear axle and suspension strut front axle compensate for uneven road surfaces and keep it safely on the road. I find the car to be very stable at high speeds, tracking straight and true.

The electro-mechanical power assisted steering reacts precisely even when driving briskly. A 16-inch brake system with integrated "disc wiper" is standard equipment. This "wipes off" any water film that may have built up due to wet roads and therefore shortens the braking distance.

This may not be much of an issue in the UAE, but roads can get wet anywhere anytime.

The Passat V6 is also equipped with 4Motion as standard. 4Motion is the multi-plate clutch system integrated in the rear axle drive (first seen in the Tiguan). As soon as speed differences develop between the front and rear axles and the clutch detects slip at the front axle, the engine applies more torque to the rear axle.

Normally, 90 per cent of the propulsive force is sent to the front wheels and ten per cent to the rear. In extreme cases, however, nearly 100 per cent can be transferred to the rear axle. What this means is a safer, sharper drive.

Like the other Passats, the V6 too does not have an ignition key in the conventional sense. Most of the transmitter components for unlocking and locking the central locking system have been moved into a retainer to the right of the steering wheel. The engine can now be started by pressing the transmitter. The optional keyless entry start and exit system enables the vehicle to be started by pressing
a button.

Another new option, the Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), ensures comfort and convenience on long journeys. The ACC automatically brakes and accelerates the car up to a vehicle speed defined by the driver which enhances ride comfort – especially during long drives. The system can even brake the car to a full stop if required by the traffic situation.

To cap it all, the new Passat V6 also includes another option, the new toy called the Park Steering Assistant. This function enables automatic backing into a parking space parallel to the roadway. The driver simply actuates the accelerator, brake and clutch; the Passat meanwhile steers into the pre-measured space under sensor control. As soon as the driver manually intervenes in the steering process, the Park Assist function is deactivated.

Thankfully! I have experienced this in the Tiguan, where it worked perfectly after a couple of tries. I am sure I will have detractors, but I'd rather do it myself any day. It is only after I get over the driving part, do I take a good look at the new Passat. Usually, it's the other way round. However, with the Passat I know there are no radical departures. This is essentially the same car; only the engine configuration and features have changed.

The cabin remains well designed and continues Volkswagen's tradition of quality materials, sensible gauge layout, and the ergonomic correctness of the controls.

The seating position is commanding, the seats themselves
a good combination of comfort and control, with especially good lateral and under-thigh support.

Standard 12-way adjustability on the driver's side, combined with a fully adjustable steering wheel, ensure a good fit for
all body types. The Passat offers good legroom in the rear. A six-foot passenger can sit comfortably behind a six-and-a-half-foot driver. Rear seat occupants also get window and windshield shades, a welcome addition.

Leather upholstery and wood trim make it feel like a far more expensive German car. The interior ambience
is best defined as understated luxury. Despite the cockpit's many creature comforts and electronic controls, there's a simplicity about the design and functionality that doesn't confuse the driver.

Ambient lighting helps with interior illumination at night.

For safety and trustworthiness

The dashboard design is broken into upper and lower layers, avoiding the monolithic, crowded look of many contemporary control centres. The upper panel houses the air outlets
and a deep cowl shades the gauges; the lower handles various accessory functions, including the button for
the electronic parking brake, a rotary control for the headlamps and, to the right of the steering wheel, the engine start/stop slot. Instead of fitting a key into a column-mounted ignition switch, the entire key fob is pushed into a dash-mounted slot.

To stop the car and eject the fob, simply push it again. What might seem a gimmick is in reality a boon to safety and reliability: a dangling keychain can prematurely wear an expensive ignition switch or cause leg injury during a crash.

The centre console flows rearward from the dash, housing the navigation screen, climate controls and shift lever. Flanking the gear are buttons for ESP deactivation, an Auto Hold function to keep the car from rolling backward on hills, and optional Park Distance Control.

Two large cupholders fit between the seats just forward of the folding armrest. Storage is available in a number of bins, including a sunglasses holder. The Passat now comes with an optional hands-free telephone system with a Bluetooth interface. The wireless integration of the driver's mobile phone into the vehicle allows the driver to leave the mobile in his or her pocket.

A fixed telephone installation in the car takes over the actual mobile phone functions and obtains the necessary data from the SIM card of the mobile phone. The telephone can be controlled via a separate keyboard, the multifunction steering wheel or by voice command.

The Passat has an optional 10-speaker Dynaudio sound system that goes up to 600 watts. As an alternative, the Passat can be equipped with a 250 watt Volkswagen sound system.

Draft-free Climatronic air-conditioning is another feature in the new Passat. The dual-zone automatic air conditioning system provides draught-free ventilation at the touch of a button. It is available as part of the special equipment package.

The controllable bi-xenon headlights of the new Passat provide better long-distance visibility.

The integrated dynamic corner illumination lamp follows the course of the road with a maximum swivelling angle of 15 degrees and thus ensures optimum visibility at all times. It also features fog lights in the front and rear.

A tyre inflation pressure monitoring system which notifies
the driver of a possible tyre pressure loss by means of an indicator lamp is part of the new deal. The self-supporting tyres (SST) on the Monza alloy wheels feature reinforced side walls and allow safe driving even if inflation pressure is low or the tyre deflates altogether.

The Passat wagon can carry a large amount of cargo, even without folding the back seats down. Pulling out the cargo cover hides whatever you may be carrying from prying eyes. Fold the back seats down simply by flopping the seatbacks forward. This expands the cargo area, though the rear seats do not fold perfectly flat.

What more? The new Passat V6 is a sophisticated car with a high-quality cabin. It's roomy and comfortable.
The 3.2 litre turbocharged engine is well mated with the automatic transmission. However, give me the manual override any day. All said, it makes for a highly practical car.

Shiva Kumar Thekkepat is Feature Writer, Friday