The 2013 Volkswagen Passat

Estimated Price Range. “$21000-$33000”  
Passat Starting Price: N5.0Mill
Passat CC Starting Price: N5.3Mill

The 2013 Volkswagen Passat is one of those cars that combine subtle, understated design with a luxurious interior and wraps it in wonderful German engineering. It is one car designed for people who want something spacious but not very conspicuous and showy.  The Volkswagen Passat also enjoys a rather unique position as it the only European entry in the family sedan segment. This however doesn’t mean that Volkswagen have relaxed with the car’s aesthetics and performance, in fact being the only family sedan from Europe puts a lot of weight on Volkswagen, thankfully VW haven’t shelved and they’ve taken their time to build a car that represents everything European vehicles are known for.

This is evident as soon as you take a look inside. The interior has this classy, straight to the point design, everything including the information on the dashboard is legible and direct, the buttons on the centre console are few and specific. The gearbox has a solid feel and gives this general sense of engagement “form following function” in its overall design.  The new Passat is in fact the ideal car for the elderly. I have been driven inside the 2012 VW Passat and I can’t deny I was really impressed and since this new one has the same features with some upgrades, you can be sure that this new model would have more grandeur.

 To say that the 2013 Passat is a perfect fit for the elderly doesn’t mean it’s also bland and tasteless. It is in fact very solid and well balanced. The same no-nonsense approach taken on the inside was also applied on the exterior as well; so to some the exterior might look a bit too plain.

However, this Passat isnt all that old school in terms of design. VW actually builds this car in Tennessee expressly for the American market. VW knows what Americans want, and thats why theres an impressive amount of legroom, while the trunk is above average in size. And if its power you desire, theres a strong 3.6-liter V6 good for 280 horsepower available.

And if simplicity and legroom isn’t all you desire and you want a car with a bit more style and sex appeal, not to worry; the VW Passat also has a sleek, more youthful brother, the VW Passat CC. It comes with the same features and engines as the regular Passat but with a very different exterior design. In fact the Passat CC looks a bit like a stretched, sportier version of the Passat. . To distinguish it further from the base Passat, the CC comes with sportier 17” rims, and doors with no window frames and the car has lots of curvy lines flowing through its sides. I should also note that the Passat CC has only four seats.

Basically what Volkswagen has done is to make two cars with everything being the same except the exterior design. If you’re a CEO or and ED or a businessman that wants something executive; something that looks bold but not too ostentatious, has a luxurious and comfortable interior and still comes with hints of subtlety, the regular Passat is the best choice, but if you’re are the lucrative youthful type who wants a car to looks exciting and has excellent driving dynamics, the Passat CC is definitely the one you should go for.

The Passat CC

Trim Levels and Options.

The VW Passat comes with basically the same options especially on the inside though there are small differences in what’s offered in the US and what’s offered here in Nigeria.

In the US, there are three trims levels “the S, SE and SEL” all available with three different engines, a 2.0L TDI diesel, a 2.5L 5cylinder and a 3.6L V6 engine.

The lineup starts with the "S" base model (2.5-liter only), which comes standard with 16-inch steel wheels, automatic headlights, keyless entry, full power accessories, air-conditioning, a six-way manual driver seat with lumbar adjustment, cloth upholstery, a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, audio controls on the steering wheel, cruise control, a trip computer, Bluetooth with streaming audio and a six-speaker sound system with a CD player and an auxiliary audio input. An available Appearance package adds a six-speed automatic transmission, 16-inch alloy wheels and a rear-seat center armrest.

Move up to the SE trim level and you get 17-inch alloy wheels, chrome exterior trim, heated mirrors, a six-way power driver seat, heated front seats, rear seat air vents, leatherette (premium vinyl) upholstery, a sliding front armrest, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, upgraded gauges and displays, rear air vents and an eight-speaker sound system with a touchscreen audio interface and satellite radio.

Options on SE models include a sunroof or the sunroof bundled with a navigation system and iPod integration. TDI SE buyers can add 18-inch alloy wheels and foglights as well. The 3.6L SE comes standard with these options except the navigation system, which remains optional. A nine-speaker Fender audio system is also included.

The 2.5 SEL models include all of the above (minus the foglights but keeping the 17-inch wheels), plus upgraded front seats, live traffic updates, dual-zone automatic climate control, a rearview camera, a rear-seat pass-through and wood interior trim. The 2.5 SEL Premium adds the foglights, keyless ignition/entry, remote ignition, partial leather upholstery and power front seats with driver memory functions. Both the TDI and 3.6L can also be had in SEL guise, but the Premium package is mandatory.

In Nigeria, there are also three different options though each uses the same 1.8L turbocharged engine. The base model here is exactly the same as the S model though it comes with an automatic transmission standard. It also comes standard with 16-inch steel wheels, keyless entry, full power accessories, air-conditioning, a six-way manual driver seat with lumbar adjustment, cloth upholstery, a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, audio controls on the steering wheel, cruise control, a trip computer, Bluetooth with streaming audio and a six-speaker sound system with a CD player and an auxiliary audio input.

The next trim level like the SE model adds 17-inch alloy wheels, chrome exterior trim, heated mirrors, heated front seats, rear seat air vents, leatherette (premium vinyl) upholstery, a sliding front armrest, dual climate control, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, upgraded gauges and displays, rear air vents and an eight-speaker sound system with a touchscreen audio interface and satellite radio. Available is the sunroof package “which adds a very long sunroof that almost reaches the rear seat” and the driver assistance package “which adds parking sensors and the parallel parking assist aid”.

The final trim level like the SEL models includes all the already listed features and adds a sunroof, auto lighting headlamps with LED lights, special sporty looking 17” rims with black and silver strips, foglights and keyless ignition. Surprisingly though you don’t get a rear view camera. That option seems only available in Nigeria on the Volkswagen Touareg.

Performance.

In terms of performance “US”, there are three engine options available. A standard 2.5L five cylinder engine option rated at 170hp and 177lb/ft of torque “130kW and 240Nm”, a 2.0L four cylinder TDI ® Clean Diesel option rated at 140hp and 236lbs/ft of torque “104kW and 320Nm” and a more powerful 3.6L V6 engine rated at 280hp and 258lbs/ft of torque “209kW and 350Nm”. Volkswagen’s automated manual transmission known as the DSG is optional in the diesel and 2.5L engine but is standard on the V6.

In performance testing, an automatic-equipped 2.5 Passat accelerated from zero to 60 mph in 9 seconds, which is about average for the class. EPA-estimated fuel economy for the manual transmission stands at 22 mpg city/32 mpg highway and 26 mpg combined. The automatic drops slightly to 22/31/25 mpg. These figures are about average for the class. The 3.6L V6 was on the other hand able to get from 0-60mph in 6.4secs which is impressive for its class. EPA-estimated fuel economy for the V6 stands at 20/28/23 mpg.

the 1.8TSI engine found in 9ja

In Nigeria, the only option available is a 1.8Litre turbocharged four cylinder engine good for 118kW “160hp” and  210Nm of torque. Myself and some guys at the VW centre quietly tested its 0-100km/h time and we clocked 8.4secs on one of our runs. Estimated fuel economy should be in the range of 25mpg city/ 30mpg hwy and 28mpg combined. This translates to 9.4litre/100km city, 7.8litre/100km hwy and 8.4litre/100km combined. 

Safety “from edmunds”

Standard safety features for the 2013 Volkswagen Passat include antilock disc brakes, hydraulic brake assists, traction and stability control, front side airbags and side curtain airbags. In the event of a crash, the Intelligent Crash Response automatically cuts off the fuel supply, unlocks the doors and turns on the hazard lights

In US government crash testing, the Passat scored a perfect five out of five stars overall, with five stars for frontal impact protection and five stars for side crash protection. Similarly, for 2012, the Passat was also one of nine vehicles from Volkswagen to be enlisted for the IIHS “Insurance Institute for Highway Safety” top safety picks, they awarded the Passat its top score of "Good" for frontal-offset, side-impact and roof-strength tests. In brake testing, both a Passat 3.6 SEL and TDI came to a stop from 60 mph in about 130 feet “40 metres”, which is longer than average. A 2.5 SE delivered a class-average 123 feet “37.5 metres”.

General Impressions.

Everybody loves a Passat; especially here in Nigeria. I mean they are very subtle and fun to drive and are nowhere near as expensive as the other German vehicles featured in Nigeria. The estate version of the Passat is also very famous amongst cab drivers.

Older models were popularly referred to as the VW passa passa by taxi owners, most of them liked the Passat because of its interior space and because it’s relatively easy to maintain.  

I also was a fan of the Passat. Back when I was in hi-school, my Dad also owned a stick shift estate version of the 2005 Passat CL “he wasn’t a cab driver” and I used to enjoy the long rides in it from home to my boarding school which was about 200km away. I think one of the main things I loved about it was its cool 17’’ alloy wheels. I also remember that I hated washing it “the car was too damn long”.

Anyway back to this new generation Passat, I think what most people would appreciate about it is its quiet understated feel. I like that the Passat doesn’t look or feel proud “though your female companion would feel otherwise especially when she gets into it”. I really like the interior of the Passat, everything has its sense of place and the controls aren’t so many as to confuse you but plentiful enough to know that you’re in a well stocked car. The base S model can be a bit boring especially since it doesn’t have the touchscreen audio and climate controls. I feel the SE trim with the driving assistance package is definitely the trim to get.  

At this point I should note that I’ve noticed a couple of issues with this new generation model and it has to do with its gearbox system “particularly its mechatronics”. I believe Volkswagen haven’t quite finished it yet as a lot of times, most Passat owners complain about this. Luckily, the mechatronic in the gearbox has a life time warranty so you can replace it for free “as long as you bought it from the authorized dealers” Hopefully there would have corrected this with the 2013 models.

Used Models. “from cheki.com”

2007 model

A 9ja used 2010 model should go for about N3.1Mill, i also found a used 2007 model for N2.1Mill. Foreign used models were quite highly used with a 2010 Passat CC model going for as much as N4.7Mill. In the US, a 2010 model goes for $17600 while the 2007 model goes for as low as $9800.

Download