Prices for the new Passat start at £38,505 for a mild hybrid in Life trim, rising to £44,105 for the entry-level plug-in eHybrid. Life is actually quite well equipped, and VW offers separate options to add the features you find important. Elegance trim, like our test car, offers luxuries such as a panoramic sunroof, while R-Line adds sportier styling.
Pricing for the eHybrid is quite competitive, being on the same level as an equivalent Skoda Superb, and cheaper than a Peugeot 508 or any of the premium options from Volvo, BMW or Mercedes. VW currently offers a £5250 deposit contribution, making PCP deals very attractive.
We have seen it in other VW Group products, but this new PHEV system really moves the game on. With a claimed EV range of 80 miles, it incurs just 5% company car tax, and there are very few alternatives that can match that. We made it 73 miles before the engine kicked in on a motorway-heavy route, averaging an equally impressive 3.6mpkWh. Given it charges pretty quickly too, you could run this as an EV. As our touring and everyday economy figures indicate, it remains frugal even when the battery runs out.
A few of our attempts at a range test were thwarted by the engine starting up long before the battery was empty, even though we had set the car to EV mode. In normal usage, this would be little more than a slight annoyance, but it seems the car’s control systems still leave something to be desired. This was reinforced by the car refusing to go into drive for about five minutes on two occasions. In both instances, the drive battery was flat, but this simply should not happen.
VW warranties all its cars for three years or 60,000 miles, and the hybrid drive battery for 70% of its capacity for eight years or 100,000 miles. Other manufacturers offer stronger warranties, and reliability surveys show that MQB cars are far from trouble-free.
