The 2020 Volkswagen Passat Receives a Much Needed Update | MotorWeek Road Test
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- Опубліковано 5 вер 2024
- It’s hard to believe it, but this 4th generation Volkswagen Passat has been around since 2012. That’s when this European designed four door helped launch Volkswagen's new U.S. assembly plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee. So for 2020 it’s not all-new but it has received a much needed and quite comprehensive update. So let’s see the results.
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What's with the dumb music?
Yeah
Get off ur ass... and DANCE
If the V6 was still offered i would go for it. It's a nice looking car.
2 liter turbo and it can’t break at least 200 hp. I’ve driven a Ford fusion with a similar power train and that car made 245 hp. Even the Passat before this made 200 hp with a 2 L turbo
Stop with the weird background music
Totally agree !
I rented one of these from Enterprise and I was pleasntly surprised at its ride and handling . I also the power was adequate for an average person!!
I got one from enterprise as well and enjoyed my week with it. I took it on a 9+ hour roadtrip.
We have one and the rear seat room is one reason we got it. It’s huge back there for 2 teens. Also it’s a TDI so the 45mpg is nice....
I don’t think Motorweek is capable of a negative review. This was an okay car 8 years ago when it debuted, now, it’s a joke.
That's probably why a top model Passat MSRP is 32k and most have a 6k discount, so cheap if you're willing to buy an outdated inferior product.
@@ktkof04 it’s not that bad if u got an R line for like 23k and put a tune on it and some stuff to make it handle better
At 1st I thought it was a retro review
This car was a joke when it started and nothing has changed now. Super expensive to fix, no resale value, and self destruct at 50k. Could buy something much better
@@velvetbear7184 Nobody likes a liar. My 2017 SE has 99K and runs fine.
That's a lot of metal for a 175HP motor to pull around, turbo torque notwithstanding. They could have given this car the 228HP tune from the GTI and still had plenty of petformance separation between it and the Arteon.
The 2.0T from 14 years ago had 200HP... what the hell?
Only when it wasn’t eating timing belts.
@@Bartonovich52 and drinking oil
That motor an absolute dumpster fire. Source: our 2006 passat that thankfully got rear ended.
I'd still take an oil consuming FSI and a bag full of cam followers over the TSI that came next.
It’s really hardly changed from the 2014 TDI SEL I had
Honestly, 8.5 is quick enough. Why do they push for faster, more power, more luxury!? As far as power goes, all it does is help some people drive like idiots. Save the high-powered vehicles for industrial and race track / recreational uses.
Mainstream vehicles should focus on safety, reliability, versatility, comfort and being economical / environmentally friendly. But that's just my opinion. 😜
An opinion i agree with!
I’ve got a 2015 Sport model. I leave it in sport mode. It’s plenty quick enough for me.
I like your opinion.
It'll be a great rental car!
You are right. My wife and I rented the previous version and drove it from New Orleans to Atlanta. I believe it was leather, but it was extremely comfortable in both the ride and seats. Not powerful by any means, but the handling was good and the 30 plus mpg was right on point. I would buy one, but Toyota and Honda offer better reliability. European cars require deep pockets.
The anemic engine and the 6 speed auto makes this a “no go” for me. VW get real.
The V6 fwd Passats & CCs is where the speed was at.
Hilarious when watching the retro reviews of cars and 8.5 second 0-60 times were quick.
Truthfully it is more than adequate though.
@@MaestroTJS Exactly. It's ridiculous that people these days complain that an 8-second 0-60 is "slow". I used to have a car that took almost 14 seconds, but it took me everywhere I wanted to go. Sure, it wasn't exciting, but very few cars are when you're stuck in traffic.
UGH....MotorWeek! PLEASE stop playing all the annoying background "music" in your videos! Seriously!
Oh oh oh.... oh oh oh oh ....
mute it
Muting it mutes John Davis
Much needed update? They changed a few body panels... what kind of an update is that? Still the same boring, under-performing car.
It’s stale AF! Sorry not sorry. How is it still being made? Any other midsize car blows this outta the water.
Not everybody wants to drive a wannabe (Kia and Hyundai, I'm referring to you). VWs look German because ummmm, yeah.
Honestly if it still offered the V6 with DSG transmission option and the standard transmission as the 8 speed they use in other models, it'd be a pretty good buy.
I can’t comprehend who Volkswagen would take their 2.0T, a great engine, and detune it to *172* horsepower
The previous Passat 1.8T got that
On top of that, the competition already has an average horsepower number of around 190 or something, plus, the Passat is supposed to be the upscale offering in the segment, other than the Mazda6
C’mon Volkswagen, the new base Camry has 203 horsepower
sebafer2 If they keep this up not that many people are going to buy the Passat anymore. The fact that they “Americanized” the car kinda defeats the purpose of buying a Volkswagen. People usually buy this car so they can brag about owning a German car without paying BMW or Mercedes prices
@@celsovera91 on top of that, the new Jetta has gotten so big and fuel efficient, while still offering a decent experience, and a cheaper price, most people are just going with it instead of the Passat. I believe that the next model from VW to leave will obviously be the Arteon, but after that it might be time for the Passat to sink into history, for Americans at least
The European Passat is excellent
It’s simple. The old 2.0T was a powerhouse but lacked the fuel efficiency needed to raise VW cafe standards. The new Budack Cycle on the new engine sacrifices HP for efficiency. So while it’s just meh and adequate on acceleration, it has better fuel efficiency and better carbon buildup prevention as the engine cycle and the VW508 oil are significantly better at reducing carbon.
@@haroldbeauchamp3770 why didn’t they just go with the 1.8T then, it would get even better efficiency and the same horsepower?
Just asking btw, I’m legit curious
@@sebafer2719 good question. I suspect it’s to streamline efficiency and maximize profit. Although I don’t know this information for certain.
Fantastic review John. Please, no music
So happy this guy is still alive.
John Davis is pretty much a Reptilian, as you know they tend to live forever!
I own a 2021 SE. Its been a great car. My favorite part of driving it is on road trips. It’s super comfortable and gas mileage is phenomenal.
The fact that they tried to scroll on the touchscreen and it didn’t work
We finally deserve the #B8 Version that came out in 2015. I bought a loaded Jetta in January 2015 intending to buy the new #B8Passat. Even after diesel gate, its time.
I'll probably end up with an I.4.
Just the car I wanted! Very smooth, quiet and comfortable. I bought the SE version in Platinum Grey Metallic. I love the 600 mile range. Does not have the Stop/Start engine feature, which I do not like. The 6 speed torque converter transmission is good. I got a great deal too! No complaints.
600 miles range?! Wow! As I get older that's also what I am looking for. I am searching for a good comfortable 600-700 mile range per tank vehicle. But I will wait for a slightly used unit and have the first owners work out all the kinks first.
it’s really a great buy if you like vw and want a proven chassis.
I just got done with a one week rental of a similarly specced passat. I drove from Southeat PA to Myrtle Beach via 95. I made it 580 miles (well after getting down there) before the fuel light came on, and put it back to the full mark with a touch over 15 gallons. This put the highway fuel economy around 37.2. It was easy to spend 7 hours in the seat. The base sound system is good for both podcasts and music. My plus size travel companions and I had plenty of space with all of our stuff easily fitting in the trunk. That stuff included a stand fan, a full size pillow, a set of golf clubs, one piece of large luggage, a carry-on bag, an old school suitcase, and a spare coat. Even at well over 4000lbs (3300 for the car, 900 for passengers and 200 for cargo) between passengers and cargo, the engine was easily up to the task of getting the car up to highway speeds.
The ride is smooth but not floaty, and it's comfortably quiet. The handling is stable and steering was light, but accurate and returned some road feel. The adaptive cruise control system was a little jerky, but worked well.
I honestly enjoyed it enough that I'm doing the research on it as it's now on my list for my next car.
Vw should follow Suzuki and leave the US at this rate. Last interesting cars they have are the GTI, Golf R and the now gone Beetle
You are so right. Every thing they make is lack luster and boring. Just look at the Atlas and the new ID4 they both look so generic.
Good looking car
The inside is depressing
Anyone else notice the 1990 lifting its inside wheel thru the slalom?
1:22 what kind of cheap tires are those???? even KIA & HYUNDAI use MICHELIN !!!! SHAME VW!
The interior is very early 2000s...I'm not mad, just saying, and the engine selection? Really??..Oh and side profile gives me a tiny bit of impala..that I'm not so keen on
VW - please bring us the European model and the Passat Alltrack Estate
The CC? The one where the windows have to roll down in order for you to open the door? Like that’s not going to break.. lol.
@@Bartonovich52 No, not the CC. The European Passat is different than the American one we currently have.
This is a giant yawn with 4 wheels.
Terrible background music that I stopped watching!
1:46 " SCREEN RESPONDS QUICKLY "..... HA Check the video, scrolling finger on the screen but it does NOT respond OMG!
these look great. And vw reliability isn’t always the greatest so if vw paid for the underpinnings and they update it inside and out, let the powertrain go unbothered.
reliability beats latest tech sometimes.
Its VW, reliability isnt their strong suit. They should atleast give some performance between breakdowns.
Music is too loud.
I'd opt for a trip without the wood trim. It's a nice simple car like the Toyota Camry was for years. 175hp out of a turbo 2L is sad.
There is nothing coupe like about this thing. I would definitely look at someone funny if I knew they picked this brand car for themselves. You say it's not flashy, yet its covered in chrome. It is hideous, and to think someone would actually go to the VW dealer and spend actual money on this thing is if they got a huge discount compared to an Asian manufacture, but they wouldn't since VW is really overpriced. This car should be ranked extremely low for any educated car shopper.
Chrome accents aren’t really flashy. Aside from disappearing in the mid 90s to the 2000s, and for some SUVs, trucks, compacts, and sports cars... pretty much every car has chrome accents.
What isn’t flashy is a normal sized grille, only one layer of headlights instead of two or three, minimal body creases, no fake vents or power domes, and a relatively normal sedan profile rather than a fastback with an excessively high trunk line, raked rear window, and low rear roofline.
But you’re right about the other things. This might as well say 1995 Chevy Lumina on the side of it. It’s a high school essay done the night before with minimal effort to get a C- and a note saying that you should apply yourself more.
But in a way, this exactly what VW wanted. They want to be GM.. a huge multinational conglomerate that makes it on volume sales rather than quality vehicles. Toyota has become the same way with successive generations of vehicles being disappointments and offering bait-and-switch steep discounts, attractive lease and financing options and massive fleet sales that will eventually kill resale values.
The engine in my Civic makes the same power with 75% of the displacement.
I think this is a nice car. Interior feels more "old school", but with updated safety features and comforts. I happen to have taken it for a test drive and was pleasantly surprised by how roomy and comfortable the car was. Drive was smooth. It's more of a conservative car like the Toyota Camry or Honda Accord. To me, this car represents good value.
what's with the elevator music man
My 1995 Passat GLX with the VR6 was more appealing than this one 25 years later. WTF VW?
Man that's bland. Really 8.5sec to 60, what is this 1995. Just awful this thing will fail before it even comes out.
This is VW’s least loved child. The Passat remains painfully uninspired. Sibling Jetta and offerings from Honda and Mazda are more attractive propositions. Even the Toyota Camry has stepped up its game.
Sean Coleman I think their market are the conservative older people, no other brand is offering a easy to use normal looking car nowadays so it’s clever to have a car for this clientele
No it’s not.
How many Caprice Classics and Grand Marquises do you see around the showroom? The people who bought them are literally dead.
Old people buy Hondas. Yep... one of the biggest source of Civics and Accords to rice out are the little old ladies who drove to church on Sundays.
The Passat is on its way out. It will probably be replaced by the Arteon and Arteon Shooting Brake. In Europe they're selling the Passat Wagon and Arteon Shooting Brake at the same time, but probably not for long. Shame, really. The Passat Wagon is one of the most practical cars out there.
I have the 2015 VW Passat with an APR tune. It makes it waaaay better. VW nerfed the crap out of the EA888 Gen 3
Arteon should have been the new Passat
I love my 2013 2.5 5 Cylinder
It's a beautiful car. Needs an 8 speed transmission.
Not to mention a few more squirrels underhood to help pull it around.
Needs a manual transmission to wring out more power and make the car at least kinda fun to drive!
@ Chris Freemesser
Fun? Yes!
Power? No. Slushboxes have been faster than stick for well over a decade.
At 29K for the R-Line edition that's not good value for my money. Call me when their 26k for the R-Line. Before factory rebates. Especially riding on a 12 year old under body.
The Passat is nice to look at and that's it. It's not an appealing product when you consider the Mazda6 or Avalon, for example
Anything Less than 230hp is unacceptable for a vehicle like that in 2020+
Why do you need so much power in a traffic jam? To get to the next red light faster?
Grow up...
why is this 2.0T so low in hp?
VW sells beautiful cars that still have that upscale feel and great power trains all over the world, as long as it's not in N. America!
VW is also killing the Passat for 22 in the US. Check the euro version out, it's what a new age Passat should be.
I rented one of these back in 2012.
I was surprised got a VW rather than the usual Chrysler 200 or Chevy Malibu.
Then I realized why.
At least with a Sebring or Malibu you could usually either embarrass a Civic Si owner or raise the ire of a State Trooper between baggage claim and hotel check in.
Not with that anemic 2.5L 5 cylinder. It reminded me of a lot of other 2.5s from 30 years before like the Iron Duke and AMC 2.5-except they only needed four cylinders and pushrods to not rev and get horrible fuel efficiency.
And the 200 and Malibu also gave you distinct styling and rich interiors. The Passat is the food equivalent of a rice cake. The cattle cars in Eastern Europe in the early 1940s were more inviting.
But.. this is what VW set out to do. I have no idea why. After watching the Detroit Three struggle with bland, anemic, low quality, and aging sedans (many were produced for well over 20 years on the same platform) with impressive exterior and interior dimensions... which needed steep discounts, attractive leasing and financing options, and massive fleet sales to move units... VW in their infinite wisdom decided that this was the road to success. Rather than less is more.. embracing the American “more is more especially when it’s for less” phrase.
But it doesn’t work. This VW interpretation of an American car offends both Americans and VW purists. The Chevy Malibu is a better car. The VW Jetta is a better VW. The Hyundai Elantra is better than them both.
1:18 I've never heard of Giti tires. I looked them up. Apparently they also own the GT brand and have a manufacturing plant in the US. 🤯
I’d not trust them tbh. Those 4 small contact patches where your car meets the pavement is one place not to cheap out on. I personally only run Conti or Michelin and their respective brands, because they know what tf they’re doing. You never cheap out on tires, brakes or lights. If they fail, you’re fucked.
VW contracted with Giti as a supplier this year. Cheap tires from Giti are pennies on the dollar compared to Michelin or Pirelli.
@@brycmtthw I think there are more good brands than that, though they are excellent (Michelin #1).
In a few words, Very Dissapointing!
Why don’t you get the ‘real’ Passat in saloon and estate forms with front or four-wheel-drive???
Weird how slow this is my sister has a 2017 with less power and torque but it feels really quick maybe it’s because it’s a different engine
I had a 2016 1.8T and it felt more spiritedly to drive than the 2.0 in the 2018s and up.
WTF is wrong with VAG? 8 years?
I thought as the years go by cars usually get better look this is not true with this Volkswagen. The old Passat they showed looks much better than this 2020 model.
8.5 sec 0-60? I feel like I'm in 1989.
How hard is it to put the Virtual Cockpit
it’s on the pq35 chassis, you know the one the last jetta was on?
it wont support digital gauges
@@blakelyfantastic what does the platform have to do with the digital gauges? it just needs a new electronic software and couple of additional vires probably
Yowzers. Honda Accord anyone?
I wouldn't say VW is "committed to the segment". A totally lackluster update with the intentions that this is the last US Passat would say otherwise. Honda and Toyota have significantly better offerings. (I say this owning a VW)
this needs the GTI turbo 4
It’s a great car and has been fabulous! It looks better than the curvy ugly Camry!
Well, it has slowness as a standard feature. Is that a popular option these days?
This so dated compared to our European Passat!
No thanks! I’ll keep my 2008 3.6. 1 owner with 95k.
Looks like a 2000 model.
My dream!
2020 and a hand operated parking brake.....
Cristiano Afonso I wish manufacturers kept things mechanical and minimalistic like this. Those electrically operated parking brakes buttons on other new vehicles are just another thing to break.
@@Matt-me4zz you got a point there nonetheless
Hand parking break in 2020..
and it has a classic ignition switch! the previous passat (b6) (2005-2010) had electronic parking brake and push to start digital ignition switch! this is a huge downgrade, wtf...
LOL'd at everyone hating on the car in the comments.
No thanks get some balls VW.
Beautiful car no balls!
Every "true" VM fan knows you can drop a $300 chip in this car (Neuspeed) and it give it an extra 50 hp + more torque and boom, 0 - 60 in 6.5 secs... Still not "fast" but it will sure scare the hell out of the Audi 2.0t guy in his $45k poser car ;-)
Lemon anyone?
Boomer retirement demographic. The trunk and backseat are humongous. Its a long distance freighter, not a canyon carver. With the Taurus and Impala dead, and the Chrysler 300 even more ancient than the Passat... this is perfect for its demographic and built ib the USA
Too bad most boomers wont buy a vw
Gen X are buying them instead of SUVs. Big back seat for their teens.
I like how vws still look like a normal car but for the sake of everything holy can you put a better engine is this poor car.
Very weak reviews, you guys need to change things up. Get rid of the old dogs and breathe in some new life with the reviewers. This was ok 20 years ago, but the times changed and Motorweek needs to evolve
Not everyone wants scripted reality TV.
This is a program made by adults for adults. Not for overgrown 12 year old boys with juvenile fantasy lives.
The reason sedan sales are slumping is because evwey dealwr even my two dealers Honda Amd Toyota put now there do it puttong turbo chargers and gasoline direct engines and there makimg the sedan lasrt likw.50 to 100k miles then there done period. You want better sedam sales across tje board take out the turbos in the 4 cylinders amd. The gdi and put back in MPFI multi poont fuel injectionthis came afyer they got ride of carberueters bit gas pumps which makes the mpfi i bought a 2005 Homda Accord Ex has a 2.4l 4 cyling MPFI its has 385496 miles and you wanna know how much a had to put in engine work 0 nothing i changes my oil.when it says amd same with thr transmission fluid and that engine runs like the day i bought it amd shift gears the same. So drop the turno thays pumping 60k ppsi of engine plus the gdi is pimpimg 5k pounds of gas psi or per square inch in each head when you gog only a 4 cylinder the multi point fuel injection was pishing 40 to 60 ppsi in each piston idk who would called themelseves a mechain saying lets put y0 pounds of are psi and and 5k lns og gas which is blowing past the pstons and going into your engine and inteas of cjangine 5000 or 7500 or 10k some can make it the gas from the gdi putting gas in enginr you lucky to get 3k miles before chane and when you can its the smell of gas very badly and you think you engine and other parts thay are supposed to be touching gas amd are wear aeay soo fast thatsbwhy 100l to 150k miles cars dome but mu cars double the 150k miles and more on 5w30 no synthetic just high mileage 5w30 high mileage simce 75k every 3k to 3500 miles changing transmission when i says in manual no slip no nothing drives ship gors jusr like 2005 when i bought the 2005 accord ex so tje reasoma dying its the makers bit it knows there dumb lyaist sayimg american Japanese made whatever you drive a lpse 3 cars in the same.time.im.still drivimg mine no problems if you agree put a thumbs if i you domt know look it up and if you say thats not tje reason your tjeone nuying a new passat at 150k miles for 25k so i paid 22k and you spemt 75k om cars and id put ebery dollar i ever made the accord will oit last a new 2020 passat wjen it goes 150k and but another for 25k soo ill ne at 22k in 2005 and you jabe spemt 100k im cars well i spemt 22k in 05 and imstillimg driving my 05 2.4l accord by that time ill have 500k and nothing wromg take out turbos ans gdis in these 4 cylinders every one is usimg and pit mpfi on the mpfi and those care that hon150k witj turbos and gdi and if you take the turbo and gfi put a fuel pump witj mpfi yull drive 300k and even maybe more
w a t
Same old junk Passat, next story.....
Wtf
Hahahaha WV Passat is a joke! Kia and Hyundai are much better brands all around!
A very weak engine and an 8 year old design. Could it be any more obvious VW doesn't care about this product? VW is picking up where GM left off, building cars way past their prime.
That car is trash.
The steering wheel looks hideous.
unreliable expensive junk
First of all the Passat isn’t even a midsize vehicle at all the golf competes with the Corolla , and civic , and Sentra the Jetta competes with the accord , Camry, and Altima , and the Passat competes in the class of Toyota Avalon, maxima, and well the full size segment the Passat is not a midsize car
the passat is clearly a midsize car. just look at its dimensions, the accord, camry and altima are the cars of equivalent size of the passat. a full size car is for example the ford taurus or the cadillac ct5
The only people purchasing this car are Volkswagen loyalist no one else. Why would someone consider this over an Avalon , or Ford Fusion, that flat dash design looks like a crown Vic the car is just too basic with no horsepower
Camry XSE is way better than the passat.
2nd lol