Do we miss diesel? 2025 Volkswagen Passat PHEV review
A few months ago, we reviewed a late example of the last generation Volkswagen Patat estate. And frankly, we thought it was brilliant. It delivered great economy from its talky diesel engine, had boot space for days, and had enough dahs, buttons, and switches to become instantly userfriendly. We also said it was a bit sad that the newest Pat had ditched the diesel and that Volkswagen’s newfound fondness for touchscreen and touchpad everything has eroded Volkswagen’s reputation for super sensible functionality. And this is one of those latest pats. And yes, the touchscreen is still annoying. And no, it doesn’t feel as well put together as the old car. And no, the plug-in hybrid drivetrain is not as good as the faithful old turbocharged diesel. But it’s still a very, very good car. And I’m about to tell you why. [Music] And the first one is price. And only if you’re looking at used models, because this particular plug-in hybrid in lifetime costs just under £45,000 brand new, which is in the ballpark of 3 series Touring money. But crucially, at 6 months old and £4,500 mi on the clock, it is just under £30,000 from MotorPoint. So that is £15,000 less than the brand new price. The second reason you might rather like a new Pat is that Volkswagen hasn’t forgotten how to make a thoroughly good, sensible family estate car. We’ll come back to it in a bit, but the back seats and the boot are pleasingly massive. up front. Meanwhile, we’ve got comfy seats and loads of space, plus some really clever storage solutions. And because the gear selector is here, just like on Volkswagen’s electric cars, it frees up all of this space for banana storage. So, if you want to set up your own tropical fruit store, you can. So, what else do we like? Well, instead of the touch button swipy pads that the ID7 gets, which is effectively the electric version of the Pat on the steering wheel, there’s physical buttons which are easier to use and harder to accidentally activate. Likewise, the electric windows on some electric Volkswagens, they are operated with just two switches, whereas the Pat brings us back to the rather sensible four switch setup. Oh, and there’s a USBC socket just up here, which is really handy if you use a dash cam and you don’t want irritating trailing wires everywhere. Very thoughtful. But it’s not all perfect because the infuriating swipe pad audio and climate controls that you can neither see clearly nor use very easily while on the move have made their way from other Volkswagens into the Pat. And while it’s better than it used to be because some of the climate control functions are now permanently on display at the bottom of the screen, it’s still a faf to get hold of. The actual functionality of the system is fine, but it is not the best around. There is an upgraded 15in version over this 12.9 in one that comes with a head-up display, making it a bit more usable, but it is a pricey extra on all but the black edition models. That being said, you can sidestep some of the touchscreen frustrations as quite a lot of things can be done via the instrument cluster. For example, silencing some of the advanced driver assistance system bongs such as the speed limit notifications because they are sometimes inaccurate. Road signs are definitely foolproof for that. And also stuff you occasionally want to switch off. For example, the lane keep assist when you’re driving along a really narrow country road. In the back, there is so much space. It is definitely a very comfortable place to sit for a long journey. And there’s a couple of USBC chargers if you would like to charge your devices and perhaps take a break and just enjoy sitting in the back of this car. Perhaps fill these pockets with something interesting such as coloring in books or stickers. And this armrest, interestingly enough, is not actually standard fitment. It comes as part of the wellness pack, which also gets you heated front seats with massage function, ambient lighting, and this rather tasteful interior trim combo with the Alcantara in the middle, but it cost £,200. Well, it did when it was brand new. Won’t cost you anything if you buy this car. Not only that, there are three sets of ISOIX. So, if you have three small children, you can have their seats here, here, and there. And when we go to the boots, the theme of blooming massive continues because look at the size of it. This is a hybrid version and so you get 530 L of space. And if you fold the seats down, you get 1,560 L of space. Now, if you go for the non-hybrid version, you get 690 L of space here. And if you fold the seats down, you get 1,920 L of room. that is 40 and 140 L bigger in the non-hybrid version than the outgoing model. Now, something that I would like to just share with you here. If you want to have a taste of buying a brand new car without spending brand new car money, then you see this plastic protective strip here. Well, you can buy this car and peel it off yourself. How very satisfying. So, make sure you call MotorPoint and tell them to keep that on there until you come down for a test drive. Another area where this PAT excels over the outgoing model is its capabilities with the plug-in hybrid drivetrains. So, here is where we plug it in. That was me, by the way. I just didn’t press it properly. See, look at that. It works absolutely perfectly. Now, it has a usable capacity of 19.7 kwatt hours. And that has a theoretical WLTP range of 82 mi, which essentially means theoretically it can travel 82 mi on battery power alone, which is 11 mi better than a Mercedes C-Class. Of course, in reality, the range you get won’t match those official figures. However, it is a genuine possibility that this car will get between 50 and 60 mi of pure electric alone. What’s more impressive, however, is charging speed. Most plug-in hybrids are not compatible with rapid DC chargers, which is this bit here for a tethered charger. Now, the old PAT plug-in hybrid couldn’t really charge any faster than a domestic 3 pin plug. This one, however, is different. It does support DC charging at a rate of 40 kW, which might not seem very fast compared with full-blown electric vehicles. However, it will get you an 80% charge in 25 minutes. But of course, we’re not going to do that now because this is the plug for slower AC charging and we’re in a forest with no electricity. So, this was for display purposes only. Shall we do some driving now? Out on the road, the Pat does a really good job of causiting you from road and wind noise. And in some higherend models, the windows are laminated to give you even more of a whisper effect. This isn’t one of those cars, but it still feels serenely calm in here. It rides really well, too, though we’re quite sure that’s largely down to the comparatively small 17-in wheels on this particular car. Bigger wheels will no doubt hurt the soothing quality of the ride. However, the optional adaptive suspension, which is standard on top- end models, does give the car a bit more of a sporty edge. Thing is, though, that’s not really what this car is about. So, we reckon standard chassis and smaller wheels is the sweet spot. All UK Pats are currently front-wheel drive, and they all feature Volkswagen’s familiar dualclutch automatic transmissions. You get seven speeds if you’re in the petrol and six speeds if like this you’re in the hybrid. Talking of engines, there’s a choice of two plug-in hybrids, both powered by a 1.5 L petrol engine, combined with the electric motor and making either 201 brake horsepower or 268 brake horsepower. The more powerful one will get to 62 mph in 7.1 seconds. And this lower powered version takes a little more leisurely 8.1 seconds. Truth be told though, it should be perfectly quick enough to satisfy most drivers. Pure, well, mild hybrid petrol power comes in the form of a 148 brake horsepower, 1.5 L, or a 201 brake horsepower 2 L. The more powerful of which can outsprint this car because it weighs less. The 1.5, however, feels the strain of the weight of the estate car. As for fuel costs, well, in the plug-in hybrids, those depend hugely on how much you can make the most of that electric range, but you’re probably looking at an MPG somewhere in the 30s once the battery has run out of electron juice. The less powerful petrol should be able to get around 45 m per gallon, and the more powerful petrol more like 35. The new Pat is similar to the old one, albeit with a bit of touchscreen itis and no diesel option. So that means it’s sensible, spacious, comfortable, and easy to live with. And the improved range and charging abilities is a really big step up. But there’s just one problem with the Pat, and we haven’t mentioned it until now, and it’s called the Scoda Superb. Because underneath it is essentially the same car with the same clever hybrid technology and the same massive boot. The difference is you can also get it in diesel power which toes more and costs several thousand pounds less. So if you want the very best Volkswagen Pat, you might actually want a Scoda. [Music]
Despite SUVs being more popular than ever, there’s a chunk of the car buyers who just prefer a big estate – and the latest VW Passat promises to be one of the very best. We sent Rebecca Jackson to the woods to test the latest plug-in hybrid version, including a look at its boot space, back-seat practicality, driving experience, build quality and more.
See Motorpoint’s huge range of nearly new cars – all available to drive away today: https://www.motorpoint.co.uk/
