Volkswagen Passat eHybrid review

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Stalwart estate gets a cutting-edge hybrid system and 80-mile EV range

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Traditional estate cars like the Volkswagen Passat eHybrid can feel like something of an endangered species, but look closer and you will see that there are still plenty of new ones entering the market.

We have recently seen an all-new BMW 5 Series and Mercedes E-Class (Here's how they compare), we drove the new Audi A5 Avant just a few weeks ago, and Volvo even reintroduced the V60 and V90 to the UK after a brief absence. Other markets don’t care for them, but here in Europe the estate car remains very popular.

The enduring usefulness and popularity of the estate car, combined with the fact that the Volkswagen Passat is the firm's oldest nameplate (pre-dating the Golf by one year), made it inconceivable that there wasn’t going to be a new generation. VW really is going all in on the estate, as the new Passat won’t even be available as a saloon.

Still, this ninth generation has had quite a different genesis from previous iterations. It was developed alongside the Skoda Superb, with the project actually led by Skoda. Although it’s unusual for it to be effectively spun off the Superb, it’s not the first time the Passat has used the bones of another VW Group car: a number of earlier generations were based on the Audi A4.

The Superb got the full five stars when we road tested it in diesel form earlier this year, so it’s a good start. The question is whether the Volkswagen Passat can still justify its existence next to its Czech cousin.

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DESIGN & STYLING

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vw passat review 2024 02 side panning

Like the Superb and many other VW Group cars, the ‘B9’ Passat uses the latest version of the familiar MQB Evo platform, which brings two major advancements in particular.

One is the improved in-car tech, which we will get to in due course, while on the mechanical side it’s that a large, 25.7kWh hybrid drive battery can be accommodated with minimal impact on luggage space. That is thanks partly to improvements in battery chemistry giving better energy density, and partly to the battery’s placement under the rear seat, with the 45-litre fuel tank under the boot floor.

Elegance trim gets you some classic multi-spoke 17in wheels. I like the lack of sporting pretence but, in combination with the tall ride height, there is a hint of MG 5 about the Passat.
Illya Verpraet
Road Tester

In Germany, the new Passat is available with the same wide range of petrol and diesel powertrains as the Skoda Superb, and both front- and four-wheel drive, but VW UK is keeping its offering very limited. All Passats over here are powered by a 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder. In the entry-level eTSI mild hybrid, it gets only a little bit of assistance from an integrated starter-generator to produce 148bhp.

Then there are two plug-in hybrids, where the same engine is joined by a 114bhp electric motor integrated into the six-speed dual-clutch gearbox. The entry-level version, as tested here, has a system output of 201bhp and 258lb ft, while the range-topper bumps that up to 268bhp and 295lb ft thanks to an extra 27bhp from the petrol engine. As a result, it is a second faster to 62mph, according to the spec sheet.

The big battery should also take less time to replenish than before. With the right charging hardware, it can take 11kW (up from 3.6kW) on AC power, and it can DC rapid charge at up to 40kW.

The new Passat has grown quite considerably since the eighth generation, to match the Superb. It’s 144mm longer than before, with some of that coming from the 50mm-longer wheelbase, and the rest from the longer overhangs.

INTERIOR

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vw passat review 2024 08 dash

Having been launched in 2015, the outgoing Passat belonged to a very different generation of VW, so the new one’s interior follows a quite different philosophy. Out are the copious buttons and aluminium trim strips and in go big screens and elaborate mood lighting.

Thankfully, the current generation of VW’s screen interface, known as MIB4, generally works quite well. Conventional buttons grace the steering wheel, the touch bar for the interior temperature control lights up at night, and the main touchscreen provides plenty of permanent and customisable shortcut buttons. This way, most of the functions that you might need frequently while driving are only one or two taps away. That said, we did notice some graphical glitches, and the connected functions weren’t working on our test car.

Apart from losing some underfloor space, the boot of the plug-in hybrid Passat isn’t really compromised. It comes with some sturdy hooks and levers to fold the rear seats flat.
Matt Saunders
Road test editor

It all adds up to an atmosphere that is more modern and tech-heavy than in the Superb, if not necessarily more upmarket. The Skoda’s physical ‘smart dials’ also add some really useful tactile controls, without making the cabin look like an Airbus flight deck.

Our Elegance-trim test car had the upgraded ErgoActive comfort seats with massage function. They are adjusted through a slightly strange combination of manual and electric controls but are very comfortable and supportive indeed.

Rear space is outstanding, with the same amount of leg room as in the Superb, and 65mm more than in the Mercedes E-Class. The boot space is not obviously compromised by the hybrid battery. You lose the mild hybrid’s variable-height floor but retain some underfloor space to store cables. There’s an assortment of hooks, and the rear seats can be folded flat by the pull of a lever.

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

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vw passat review 2024 20 engine

The plug-in hybrid powertrain in our Passat test car is the same one as in the Golf eHybrid. Thanks to the dry conditions this time around, we recorded the same 7.2sec 0-60mph time as the Golf, despite the Passat’s heavier body.

Although there is plenty of performance in evidence, this is not a powertrain that gives it up all that willingly. The 1.5-litre petrol is quite a strained-sounding lump when revved hard.

However, the electric boost means that it is entirely possible to drive the Passat eHybrid briskly on the road without the engine ever exceeding 3000rpm. Driven in this way, the Passat becomes quite a relaxing car in which to make progress. Although there are sport and manual gearbox modes, they don’t always behave as you would expect and are better left alone.

In pure electric mode, the Passat took 11.2sec to get to 60mph and 15.2sec to 70mph. Not particularly quick, in other words, but there’s more than enough performance to keep up with traffic, and – with some circumspection – to get up to motorway speeds. Maintaining 70mph is entirely unproblematic.

Braking is well resolved, with predictable response from the brake pedal and off-throttle regen. The strength of the latter can be adjusted by a number of settings, including a freewheeling mode.

Based on wider test experience of the 268bhp version in the VW Tiguan, we would stick with this lower-power hybrid, since the hotter version is just slightly faster but no more dynamic or involving.

RIDE & HANDLING

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vw passat review 2024 21 front cornering

You can always count on VWs being nice to drive, and the Passat is no different. Good grip levels in the wet and dry, relaxed but not loose body control and intuitively sped steering that weights up progressively in bends add up to a driving experience that is not quite sporty or fun, but just pleasingly harmonious.

As with most modern VWs, we would recommend adding the DCC adaptive dampers. Despite the tall sidewalls on the 17in wheels of our test car, it picked up potholes and corrugations slightly too vividly at lower speeds. The ride smooths out nicely at speed, but the adaptive dampers add some welcome plushness around town. Noise isolation on the motorway is fair, without setting new standards.

All Passats come with adaptive cruise control with Travel Assist (automatic lane following) as standard. It’s a fairly mature system that isn’t easily spooked by cars in other lanes and usually slows down smoothly instead of immediately going for the brakes. It can be a bit abrupt in stop/go traffic, and there’s no way to switch it to standard cruise control. The lane keeping and overspeed warning work averagely well and are easy to disable.

MPG & RUNNING COSTS

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vw passat review 2024 01 front tracking

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.

VERDICT

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Volkswagen is back on its way up. It has sorted out its multimedia, made the cars easier to use and introduced a new plug-in hybrid system that offers an ultra-long electric range and low resulting company car tax. Just as impressive is its economy, both on electric and petrol power.

Some bumps in the road remain: reliability could be a worry, and in the case of the Passat, the Skoda Superb combines the same ingredients with a homelier and easier-to-use interior at a similar price. Still, there’s no shortage of arguments in favour of this big, no-nonsense estate car.

Illya Verpraet

Illya Verpraet Road Tester Autocar
Title: Road Tester

As part of Autocar’s road test team, Illya drives everything from superminis to supercars, and writes reviews, comparison tests, as well as the odd feature and news story. 

Much of his time is spent wrangling the data logger and wielding the tape measure to gather the data for Autocar’s eight-page road tests, which are the most rigorous in the business thanks to independent performance, fuel consumption and noise figures.