Volkswagen Passat 2011 Highline DSG first drive : A sea change « New and Used Car Listings

Volkswagen Passat 2011 Highline DSG first drive : A sea change

Volkswagen launched the new Passat in India only a week back and we have now driven it in India. To begin with, the new Passat isn’t a new generation car, but one that has heavily been reworked, be it looks, mechanicals, equipment or technology. Moreover, unlike the previous car which was finally only sold with a petrol engine, the 2011 edition of the Passat only gets a diesel. So let’s find out what the new Passat is all about.

Highlights

■Prices of the new Passat start at Rs 20.8 lakh for the base Trendline version with the top of the line Highline costing 25.6 lakh.
■2011 Volkswagen Passat only comes with a 2-litre, 170bhp diesel engine. The engine is both more driveable and efficient.
■The new Passat is available in three variants – the base Trendline which gets a manual gearbox; middle of the range Comfortline with a dual clutch automatic (DSG) and the top of the line Highline version which gets a DSG and a host of other features.
■The new Passat comes standard with Bluemotion technology which includes a start-stop system and regenerative braking to reduce fuel consumption.
■The Highline Passat also gets Parking Assist; a system that makes the car park itself be it reverse or parallel parking.
■2011 Passat Highline comes with Attention Assist that detects lapse in driver concentration. It also gets a reversing camera and parking sensors both front and back.

Equipment, performance, ride quality, comfortable seats

No petrol engine, interiors too similar to older car, steering feel

On the outside, the new Passat is completely different to the car it replaces. Besides the roof, every other panel on the car; the bonnet, the doors, the fenders, the bumpers and even the lights and alloy wheels are totally new on the 2011 Passat. All for the better, we say, because the Passat now looks more contemporary and stylish. And, the younger audience will find it appealing as well.

The car looks particularly good from the front. The healthy dose of chrome, the sharp headlamps and the new Volkswagen family grille give it good road presence especially when seen in the real world in the flesh. The rear end of the Passat though is a tad staid.