2024 Volkswagen Passat – ninth gen is wagon only; eHybrid, eTSI, TSI, TDI; up to 272 PS, 100 km EV range

The ninth-generation Volkswagen Passat has made its full debut and will only be offered as a Variant (wagon body style) beginning from the first quarter of 2024. According to the German carmaker, the redesigned Passat is the first model to be built on the MQB evo platform which brings with it quite a number of innovative technologies and powertrains.

Before getting into all that, let’s talk about the design. The all-new Passat Variant in its standard form boasts an expansive lower intake bookended by vertical air curtains that serve to emphasise the vehicle’s width. These are accompanied by two-element LED headlamps (the IQ.Light matrix system is an option) that have a LED daytime running light strip at the top of each cluster, connected by a light bar running across the radiator grille.

Volkswagen also points out the bonnet is lower in the middle than before and rises sculpturally outwards with sharp lines to form prominent wings. Cars with R-Line package get a different front bumper that is visually more aggressive with angular accents and diamond-patterned mesh set on a wide-width black panel. Other available packages include Business and Elegance, each with their own equipment list.

Along the sides, you’ll find a strong character line cutting through the door handles on its way to the rear. The wheel housings are also slightly flared and accompanied wheel sizes up to 19 inches. As for the rear, wide-width taillights further help to draw attention to the wagon’s width, with the lower bumper trim being in different designs depending on whether the R-Line package is optioned.

This new shape provides a drag coefficient of just 0.25 (previously 0.31) and it’s also larger, measuring in at 4,917 mm long (+144 mm) and 1,852 mm wide (+20 mm), with the height remaining similar at 1,506 mm.

The shift to the MQB evo platform also sees an increase in wheelbase by 50 mm to 2,841 mm, which provides benefits in terms of maximum legroom (up 50 mm to 947 mm) and boot space (up 40 litres to 690 litres). With the rear bench seat folded down, the space has grown by 140 litres to 1,920 litres.

While on the topic of the interior, the Passat gets a redesigned cockpit that follows in the footsteps of recent Volkswagen models, albeit without the controversial touch panels on the steering wheel. The fourth-generation modular infotainment matrix (MIB4) infotainment system is standard and is represented by an angled touchscreen which comes in two sizes: 12.9 and 15 inches.

The touchscreen cleans up the redesigned dashboard by integrating the climate controls, while the centre console offers more stowage space as the gear selector has been relocated to the steering column. Other elements of the MIB4 system are a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster as well as a coloured head-up display. Volkswagen was also keen to point out its new ergoActive seats that offer up to 14-way adjustment, heating, ventilation and even massage functions.

In terms of advanced driver assistance systems, there are 17 options, including adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, Travel Assist (semi-automated driving assistance), adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, lane change assist and more. Park Assist Plus and Park Assist Pro are also offered, with the former assisting drivers in getting out of parallel or bay parking spaces. The latter is more advanced as it records the last 50 metres driven to bring the car out the same way it entered.

Moving onto driving-related features, Volkswagen is proud to explain its Dynamic Chassis Control Pro (DCC Pro), which is a development of the regular DCC. Rather than using single-valve dampers, the optional DDC Pro dampers are equipped with two valves for more precise control of the rebound and compression stages. Both chassis control systems work with the Vehicle Dynamics Manager – a new addition for the Passat – which also controls the functions of the electronic differential locks (XDS).

The Passat’s powertrain line-up is vast and includes petrol plug-in hybrid (eHybrid), petrol mild hybrid (eTSI), petrol only (TSI) and diesel (TDI) options. Starting with the eHybrid range, there are two front-wheel drive versions available, both with a 1.5 litre TSI evo2 turbocharged inline-four engine (previously a 1.4 litre TSI) that is paired with a HEM80evo electric motor integrated into a DQ400e evo six-speed dual-clutch DSG.

There’s also an upgraded lithium-ion battery with an energy capacity of 19.7 kWh instead of 10.6 kWh, which enables an electric-only range of around 100 km. Charging sees an improvement too thanks to an onboard AC charger that can handle a max input of 11 kW instead of 3.6 kW, with a full charge taking two hours. DC fast charging up to 50 kW makes its way to the Passat Variant so a 10-80% state of charge is achieved in just 25 minutes.

The Passat also gets a mild hybrid setup for the first time, which uses the same 1.5 litre TSI evo but with a 48-volt system consisting of a lithium-ion battery and belt starter generator (BSG). This too is front-wheel drive, although the DSG is a seven-speed unit. The eTSI comes with Active Cylinder Management (ACTplus) that can switch off two of the engine’s four cylinders to save fuel, while the BSG enables the engine to be switched off during coasting.

Moving on, we arrive at the regular TSI mills based on the EA888 evo4 2.0 litre turbocharged inline-four, which is paired with a seven-speed DSG and a choice of front-wheel drive or 4Motion all-wheel drive depending on outputs. Lastly, the EA288 evo 2.0 litre inline-four turbodiesel engine makes up the TDI line-up, which has the same running gear as the TSI and comes in three outputs. There are plenty of figures to digest, so here they are presented in list form:

eHybrid

• Engine: 1.5 litre TSI evo2 turbocharged four-cylinder petrol
• Transmission: Six-speed dual-clutch DSG
• Electric motor output: 115 PS (114 hp or 85 kW) and 330 Nm
• Battery: 19.7 kWh lithium-ion
• AC charging: 11 kW
• DC fast charging: 50 kW
• Engine output 1: 150 PS (148 hp or 110 kW) from 5,500 to 6,000 rpm and 250 Nm from 1,500 to 4,000 rpm
• Total system output 1: 204 PS (201 hp or 150 kW) and 350 Nm
• Engine output 2: 177 PS (174 hp or 130 kW) from 5,500 to 6,000 rpm and 250 Nm from 1,500 to 4,000 rpm
• Total system output 2: 272 PS (268 hp or 200 kW) and 400 Nm

eTSI

• Engine: 1.5 litre TSI evo2 turbocharged four-cylinder petrol
• Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch DSG
• BSG output: 20 PS (20 hp or 15 kW) and 25 Nm
• Engine output: 150 PS (148 hp or 11 kW) and 250 Nm

TSI

• Engine: EA888 evo4 2.0 litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol
• Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch DSG
• Engine output 1 (FWD): 204 PS (201 hp or 150 kW) and 320 Nm
• Engine output 2 (4Motion AWD): 265 PS (261 hp or 195 kW) and 400 Nm

TDI

• Engine: EA288 evo 2.0 litre four-cylinder turbodiesel
• Transmission: Seven-speed dual-clutch DSG
• Engine output 1 (FWD): 122 PS (121 hp or 90 kW) and 320 Nm
• Engine output 2 (FWD): 150 PS (148 hp or 110 kW) and 360 Nm
• Engine output 3 (4Motion AWD): 193 PS (190 hp or 142 kW) and 400 Nm

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