10 January 2011
By Ben Pulman
This is the new VW Passat, or at least it’s the new US-spec Volkswagen Passat. Known until now under the NMS (New Medium-sized Saloon) codename, it’s just been unveiled at the 2011 Detroit motor show.
Why is VW building a Passat specifically for the North American market? Because the company doesn’t believe in the ‘one world/one car’ philosophy that Ford has recently started to pursue – European and American versions of the Jetta already exist.
The new VW Passat is being built in the USA too, at Volkswagen’s Chattanooga factory in Tennessee, helping to reduce the price by a few thousand dollars to $20,000.
So what are the differences between the American Volkswagen Passat and our VW Passat?
Despite looking similar to the Passat currently on sale, nearly every panel on the US Passat is different. The American Passat’s platform is based on the Euro car’s architecture, though it’s 99mm longer, 13mm wider, and the wheelbase has been stretched by 91mm to provide extra interior room. Conversely, the boot of this new Passat is actually smaller than that of the European Passat: 529 litres versus 565 litres.
Inside the newcomer shares its seats with the European Passat, but the interior trimmings are new, while under the skin the American car retains its sibling's multi-link rear suspension.
What engines power the new US-spec VW Passat?
There’s a 2.0 TDI Clean Diesel (unlikely to make a ME appearance), which meets emissions regulations across all 50 US states, and can be had with a six-speed manual or six-speed DSG gearbox. There’s also a 3.6-litre petrol-fed V6 that tops the range – it’s good for 276bhp, 258lb ft, and comes with a six-speed DSG transmission as standard.
But the most popular choice (which two-thirds of buyers are expected to plump for) will be a 2.5-litre five-pot with 168bhp – a six-speed manual is standard, but a torque convertor auto is an option.
Sales of the new North American VW Passat start in August 2011, and as reported exclusively in our interview with VW boss Stefan Mechas earlier, the Middle East is the only market to get this car outside of the US.
Do you think the Passat can take on the mighty CamCordima triumvirate? Is the quality and reliability up to snuff? Let us know!
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