2019 Vw Passat Station Wagon
Volkswagen Passat 2019 Review
The market for performance-oriented wagons isn't particularly booming – but when they're this much fun, we reckon they ought to be!
What's it all about?
The Volkswagen Passat has been on the road since the 1970s, enduring generations of iterations and updates, and a new model just months away. Over those years, it's stayed true to its passenger car origin, but VW has also given it a little extra to help spread its appeal wider than the humble family car.
The 206TSI R-Line wagon we're testing here is the most powerful Passat variant on sale today. Added to that, it's also the spec currently being used by Victoria Police to fight crime – so it's clearly doing something right.
How much will a Volkswagen Passat cost?
It's the most powerful wagon in the Volkswagen Passat range, which also makes the 206TSI R-Line the most expensive, with an asking price of $62,290 (plus on-road costs).
There are cheaper variants available if performance and luxury aren't you're main priorities, like the base-spec 132TSI wagon which costs $39,790 (plus ORCs) or the 132TSI Comfortline which asks another $6000.
When it comes time for a service (recommended every 15,000km/12 months), Volkswagen offer an Assured Service cost package. Pricing for the R-Line is $452 for first year, $652 for the second, $722 and $1239 for the third and fourth year.
Every Passat model also comes with a five-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty and 12 months' roadside assist.
Why should/shouldn't I buy a Volkswagen Passat?
If you've got upwards of $60k to spend and want a sporty wagon, then there are plenty of reasons to take a look at the Passat R-Line.
It's effortless to drive and beautiful on the inside, with Carbon Nappa 'pleather' seats and carbon-fibre patterned additions and there's loads of head room and leg room in all five seats, making the perfect passenger car. There are also three top-tether and two ISOFIX child-seat anchor points in the back seat.
It's also full of tech, with digital displays up front and an easy to use infotainment unit with in-built nav and smartphone mirroring.
If you need the space of an SUV but would rather something lower to ground, sleeker and (arguably) better looking than most 4x4s, the flagship Passat is a worthy contender.
What kind of features does the Volkswagen Passat get?
A full suite of driver assistance systems and almost all the tech you'd want.
That includes keyless entry with push-button start, electric tailgate, LED headlights and tail-lights, LED foglights with cornering (to light up the path you're about to turn on to), three-zone climate control (rear passengers can control their aircon settings) and electric adjustable driver and passenger seats with heating.
The 9.2-inch infotainment unit is seamless and offers Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, navigation, Bluetooth, gesture control and more, while the driver's display is also fully digital with more functions than you could poke a stick at.
A wireless phone charging pad is located in a small pocket in front of the gearstick, however the enclosed space is annoyingly too small for an iPhone 8 Plus. So, it's only for smaller phones compatible with wireless charging.
There's a 12-Volt charging socket located up front, centre armrest with two cupholders in the back and plenty of storage all round. Huge door pockets up front can fit a 1.5-litre water bottle and a small bag, then there's a deep centre console and map pockets and small door pockets for back seat passengers.
Driver assist features include adaptive cruise control, rear cross-traffic alert, blind spot monitoring, front and rear parking sensors, lane assist and autonomous emergency braking (AEB). It also gets park assist to help navigate you into those tight parallel parking spots.
And, because it's the top-spec R-Line, it comes standard with larger 19-inch alloy wheels, rear tinted windows, sports suspension, head-up display and progressive steering. An analogue clock also sits atop the dashboard, somehow failing in its attempt to be either useful or elegant.
Who will the Volkswagen Passat appeal to?
Who won't it appeal to is the real question here. The Passat wagon's exterior styling is modest and low-key, and the appliance white paint-job on our test car does no favours in helping it stand out, but it doesn't really need to boast.
It'd make the ultimate cool-parent-car, or even a lux Uber-X if you felt like sharing. It even gets a decent 2200kg braked towing capacity and lots of luggage space in the boot.
With the rear seats in place, it'll hold 650 litres – with handy luggage hooks in multiple spots for grocery bags etc. With the seats folded flat you'll fit 1780 litres, so plenty of space for couples or small families and a week's worth of camping gear. The rear seat can also be folded in multiple configurations thanks to a 40:20:40 split.
Where does the Volkswagen Passat fit?
The Passat R-Line sits in the relatively lonely performance wagon category, with its only real competitors being the Subaru Levorg STi Sport ($52,440 plus ORCs), Skoda Octavia RS 245 ($46,990 plus ORCs) and Skoda Superb 206TSI ($53,490) – the latter of which the Passat shares its engine. The top-spec Mazda6 Atenza wagon is also worth a look, priced from $51,190.
There are still plenty of other wagons on offer, but none of which are as powerful or any more luxurious.
What's the Volkswagen Passat like to drive?
So much fun. With paddle shifts at the ready, switching to Sport mode and knocking the gear stick over to 'S' allows you to zip around in manual mode, where you soon forget this thing is a family wagon because it just handles so well.
The exhaust gives off a noticeably deeper tone in this setting and even lets out a few farts when you're pushing it!
There's a brief delay when sticking your boot into the throttle, before it seems to wake up and send its 206kW to all four wheels and launching you on your merry way. And, in case you didn't know, that 2.0-litre turbocharged donk is borrowed from the Golf R hot hatch, so it's no surprise how fast this feels.
And under normal driving conditions, where you're not asking it to take off like a scalded cat, it's just as sweet, thrumming through and coasting with ease. It also handles beautifully in every scenario – from a full set of passengers and three large suitcases, to coasting over broken country roads in Comfort mode.
The Passat's driver assistance systems also make longer drives less engaging (if that's your thing), with lane assist and adaptive cruise control able to do most of the work for you on highways and straight roads. But, if you'd rather do the driving, those systems can be disengaged. In our test cars' case, lane assist was off more than it was on, as it can start to get overly sensitive.
Another sensitive spot – the parking sensors. Driving in multi-lane peak-hour traffic (with plenty of distance between surrounding vehicles) proved a little too much for the Passat's multiple sensors which were abuzz with warnings every couple of metres, even picking up the centre concrete road-work barrier when there was more than a metre gap between us.
Overall, it's really enjoyable, lacking the heavy, bulky feeling that often comes with larger passenger cars.
So, what do we think of the Volkswagen Passat?
We think the Volkswagen Passat R-Line wagon would make the perfect addition to almost any family's needs.
A family wagon the kids will never be embarrassed about being seen in? Check. A fun thing for singles or couples to whip around in and get to work? Check. A wagon that'll carry your goods to the farmer's market and get you there in haste? Check.
But what the 206TSI R-Line wagon does best we reckon is make wagons great again.
How much does the 2019 Volkswagen Passat 206TSI R-Line Wagon cost?
Price: $62,290 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 206kW/350Nm
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Fuel: 7.4L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 170g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star ANCAP (2015)
Related reading:
2019 Volkswagen Passat International review
Volkswagen Passat facelift due November
Passat v Commodore v Outback
Source: https://www.carsales.com.au/editorial/details/volkswagen-passat-2019-review-121185/
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