The solid Passat is quintessentially German and among VW’s most popular cars, but is that enough USP?

ou’re looking at the car Volkswagen will officially enter the Indian market with. Note the word officially. While the Phaeton and the Touareg are simply imported by dealers, the brand-new Passat will be homologated by VW in India, in time for a grand year-end launch. VW has chosen the 2-litre turbo-diesel auto version of the Passat to mark its entry and will initially rely on this single model to fly the flag from Wolfsburg. The Passat will be imported directly from Germany but later, when VW finally puts a factory in India together, the Passat could be made from knocked-down kits, which would lower the customs duty and hence, the price.
The Passat is the latest model in VW’s range and was launched exactly a year ago at the Geneva show. Built on VW’s new B6 platform, it’s a generation ahead of its immediate rival in India (and Czech cousin), the Skoda Superb that uses the earlier Passat’s B5 platform.
This, the sixth generation Passat has upmarket aspirations and is aimed at the BMW 3-series, which is expected in early 2007, and the Merc C-class. And to combat its fellow Germans, VW has armed the Passat with a new set of clothes, better performance and features that will propel it from a mainstream European saloon to a more aspirational one. Will all this work in India?
The styling is a good start and unlike the conservative approach of the earlier Passats, the new one looks a lot more interesting. It still doesn’t have the flair of the 3-series nor the street cred of a C-class, but the Passat with its sculpted look and taut surfaces does provide an air of sophistication that leaves cars like the Superb looking distinctly pedestrian.
The interiors are classy as well; something we have come to expect from cars wearing the VW badge. The amazing plastic quality, the damped feel of the switches and even the way bins open and shut smack of superb build. Cover the badge and you could be in an Audi. There’s loads of space with ample head, leg and shoulder room and the large overhang creates a whopping 565 litres of luggage space.
However, bring the Superb into the game and not even the Passat can compete with the big Skoda, which, built on a stretched version of the old Passat platform, has substantially more legroom. Besides, the interior design, though classy, lacks imagination. Parts like the air-con vents and rotary switchgear are too conventional.
The 16-valve, 138bhp, 2-litre turbo-diesel provides adequate punch, especially in the mid-range where the torque flows in thick and fast. There is a bit of lag initially and this four-cylinder diesel isn’t as refined as the Superb’s 2.5 V6, which is not only smoother but substantially more responsive and quicker too.
A brief drive around the block made it hard to gauge how good the Passat’s ride is. However, the car did a good job of soaking up the few bumps that were thrown at it. I am sure that stability at all speeds will be phenomenal.
A thoroughly competent car no doubt, but the VW badge on the Passat’s nose doesn’t have the pull of a three-pointed star. In fact, priced at Rs 28 lakh, the Passat will first face the ignominy of tackling the Superb, a car which, though more downmarket in the rest of the world, is a serious luxury player in India and on the face of it, still better value. However good the Passat maybe, it will have its work cut out here.

FACTFILE
Price Rs 28 lakh (plus options)
Top speed 206kph(estimated)
Power 140bhp@4000rpm
Torque 32.63kgm@1800rpm

Length 4765mm
Width 1820mm
Height 1472mm
W’base 2709mm
Weight 1476kg
Fuel tank 70 litres

Engine 4 cyl in-line, 1968cc, TDi
Installation Front, transverse
Compression ratio 18.5:1
Specific output 71.14bhp/litre Bore/stroke 81/95.5mm
Gearbox type 6-speed, automatic

Front suspension MacPherson struts with lower wishbones, anti- roll bar
Rear suspension Four-link suspension with separate spring/shock
Front brakes Ventilated 312mm discs
Rear brakes Solid 286mm discs
Wheel 6.5J x 16
Tyre 205/55 R16 V

First Verdict
Top quality luxury saloon, but faces formidable competition.