The new Volkswagen Passat is the European Car of the Year for 2015. This full sized sedan, the 8th generation Passat was launched last year and has been well received over in Europe. Well, this award solidifies that I suppose.

I had viewed the B8 Passat sometime late last year and the good thing about this new one is that it isn't very uncle-like anymore. It sits low and wide instead of upright and a little dull. It looks genuinely sporty. Much like how Volkswagen removed some of that extra roof height from the Mk6 Golf and morphed it into the lower, sportier Mk7 version.




 The interior too is a piece of work too. It has that look of simple luxury to it. I love it how the air vents are lined up in a single unbroken line from the left to the right of the dashboard. The ergonomics are good, as it tactility of its controls, its ambiance overall has risen a notch or two and the overall interior build quality is now very, very, very close to what you see and feel in an Audi A6. For a Volkswagen, it is luxurious. This tells me that the next Audi A6 will raise the bar higher still. So basically in terms of exterior and interior packaging, I like this new Passat.

This car isn't sold here in Malaysia as yet but I suppose it will be soon as stocks of the Passat B7 are cleared. Engine specification could be the same 1.8liter TSI coupled to the seven speed DSG. Loads of tech equipment too as usual. Lots of promise and potential, this Passat.



PRESS RELEASE
THE NEW PASSAT IS “CAR OF THE YEAR 2015”

Coveted honour as Europe's “Car of the Year” goes to the eighth 

generation of the best-seller

Wolfsburg/Geneva, 2 March 2015 – Europe's “Car of the Year 2015”

is a Volkswagen: the new Passat wins the prestigious award, which

is presented every year by the international “Car of the Year” jury.

The winner was announced on the afternoon before the Geneva

International Motor Show.


“We are extremely proud of this accolade,” explained Prof. Martin

Winterkorn, CEO of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, at the prize-giving

ceremony in Geneva. “In the new Passat we have again succeeded in

developing a car that sets the standards for its class in terms of

technology and quality. This honour is a tremendous confirmation for the

work of our engineers, designers and the entire team. The new Passat

shows that the Volkswagen brand has the right answers to the challenges

of our time.”

Heinz-Jakob Neusser, Member of the Board of Management Volkswagen

Brand for the Development Division, received the award for the new

Passat: “We are delighted by the honour of “Car of the Year 2015”. This

accolade has a very special significance for us because it is awarded by

independent international trade journalists. In addition, the honour is

known to have a high standing for our customers.”



One of the oldest and most well-known awards in Europe, “Car of the

Year” has been honouring the best new releases in the car industry every

year since 1964. The jury, consisting of 58 European motoring journalists

from 22 countries, had nominated seven candidates ahead of the final. In

the preceding months, these candidates had undergone detailed testing,

comparisons and evaluations based on criteria such as economy,

comfort, safety, driving characteristics, functionality, design and technical

progress. In the 52nd edition of the traditional competition, the new Passat

clearly triumphed over its six rivals in the final with a total score of 340

points. Two current Volkswagen models have already received the

coveted award in the recent past, namely the Polo in 2010 and the Golf in

2013. In addition to the “Golden Steering Wheel 2014” and “Auto Trophy

2014”, the top position as “Car of the Year” was preceded by several

accolades at home and abroad. The new Passat, in all its versions, is one

of the most successful mid-class cars in the world and with 1.1 million

units (in 2014) one of the highest-volume series of the Volkswagen Group

worldwide. Now in its eighth generation, the best-seller is regarded as one

of the most innovative cars in its class. Thanks to advanced engineering

methods, it was possible to introduce a significantly more dynamic design

(including lower body, longer wheelbase, larger wheels). Despite the

unaltered length in the interior dimensions, the new Passat has still

expanded considerably. At the same time the latest technologies have

been added: they include systems such as Active Info Display (a

completely digital instrument cluster), extendable head-up display, and

also systems such as an app-based Rear Seat Entertainment for tablets,

Front Assist with City Emergency Braking and Pedestrian Monitoring as

well as three further global firsts: Emergency Assist (vehicle stops in

emergency), Trailer Assist (assisted manoeuvring with a trailer) and

Traffic Jam Assist. The new Passat is available with ten direct injection

turbocharged petrol and diesel engines which cover a power range from

88 kW / 120 PS to 206 kW / 280 PS.


The Passat GTE* – the first Passat to feature a plug-in hybrid drive – will

arrive at dealerships beginning in late summer of this year. The 1.4-litre

TSI engine develops a power of 115 kW / 156 PS; the electric motor

produces 85 kW / 115 PS, while the maximum torque of the plug-in hybrid

drive system is 400 Newton metres. Its power and torque are utilised in

an extremely eco-friendly and efficient way. The car's NEDC fuel

consumption (for hybrid vehicles) is less than 2.0 l/100 km and 13.0

kWh/100 km; these values equate to CO2 emissions of less than 45 g/km.

In combination with the TSI, this results in a driving range of over 1,000

kilometres with a full 50-litre tank and fully charged battery.

Passat GTE is not on sale yet. Preliminary data: Passat GTE: Fuel consumption

in l/100 km: combined: less than 2l; CO2 emissions combined in g/km: less than

45.