Category: Large Family 
Price Range: £15,150 to £31,825
Large, solid and impressive-looking; quick and agile; economical.
Feels rather big, looks rather plain; horrid electronic parking brake; poor reliability record.
The consummate company car; does everything it's supposed to do, but lacks excitement.
The sixth-generation Passat (launched 2005) is the largest yet, though it's no heavier than its predecessor and is much better to drive. It's not a sports saloon (or estate) by any stretch of the imagination, but it's surprisingly adept and agile for something this size.
Though Volkswagen offers engines including the 300bhp 3.6 V6 FSI, 250bhp 3.2 V6 FSI and turbocharged 200bhp 2.0 TFSI, this 2.0-litre diesel will be relevant to most buyers.
Introduced to the range in 2008, the 2.0 TDI CR has, as its initials suggest, a common-rail fuel injection system with high-precision piezo-injectors. These replace the earlier magnetically-charged solenoids and comprise a stack of ceramic elements through which an electric current is passed, stimulating them to expand and thus shoot fuel into the cylinders. This engine also has a particulate filter fitted as standard, enabling it to meet the Euro 5 emissions criteria.
Options with the 140bhp 2.0 TDI CR engine (there's also a 170bhp iteration) include the DSG double-clutch, sequential-shift transmission, and, in combination with Sport trim, 4Motion four-wheel-drive. In 2WD form, it is available in S, Highline and Sport specifications, and prices start from £18,395.
Latest Readers' Drives About the Volkswagen Passat
wrote on 06 06 2006