The new Volkswagen Passat has been revealed, but it won’t be coming to Australia.
Orders for the current Passat closed earlier this year, alongside orders for the sportier-looking Arteon and Arteon Shooting Brake, and the Golf Wagon.
Deliveries of the current car will continue into the end of 2023 (and potentially the start of 2024) for existing order holders.
When stock dries up, the death of the Passat leaves Volkswagen without a mid-sized sedan in Australia – although the next Skoda Superb liftback and wagon from within the Volkswagen Group are coming, and have traditionally occupied a similar price point to the Passat.
Volkswagen also hasn’t ruled out bringing the electric ID.7 in liftback and wagon forms to Australia at some point to fill the void.
As for the new Passat? It rides on the latest version of the MQB platform that features in the latest Golf and Tiguan, and will be wagon-only.
Two new plug-in hybrid powertrains will be offered, with 150kW or 200kW of power. Both will feature a 19.7kWh battery pack good for around 100km of electric range before the 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine needs to fire.
Two turbocharged petrol and three turbocharged diesel engines are also on offer, with front-wheel drive at the bottom end of the range and all-wheel drive at the top end.
Inside, the new Passat has a newer, larger take on the touch-first infotainment setup debuted in the latest Golf.
The standard screen measures 12.9 inches, but a 15-inch display is optional. The driver is faced with a 10.25-inch display capable of showing maps, trip information, or a more pared-back view.
Volkswagen says the new car’s longer wheelbase frees up an extra 50mm of rear legroom, and boot space is 690 litres (+40L) with the rear seats in place. Fold them down and you get 1920L (+140L).
