About the Author:
Argus, Vehicle Interior and Exterior Module Development and Quality Control Engineer
As a benchmark for a generation of mid-range cars, the Passat used to be the dream of many families. Since the B5, the Passat has also been the first choice for many official cars, and more than a decade ago, being able to own a Passat was not only a symbol of power, wealth, status, but also a recognition of passat's advanced engineering capabilities and driving performance.
Thirty years of Hedong and thirty years of Hexi, the former king of B-class cars is in jeopardy in the status of the jianghu, but also tired of the entire brand, and even if there is no "collision door" event, it is almost impossible to restore the former hegemonic status, after all, there are too many alternative models on the current market to choose. Even if there is no current restriction on the consumption standard of official cars, it is estimated that not many units will regard the Passat as the first choice for having a license plate.
As a manufacturer, we must have realized this and also launched a mid-term modification at the end of last year, trying to make some interesting changes in appearance to cater to the current market. Compared with the previous old model, this revision has one more starry sky version in addition to the regular business, elite, luxury, and noble version configuration distinctions.
The ordinary version of the Passat still adopts a bar matrix arrangement on the grille of the front face, but the surface treatment process has been changed from the previous plating to hot stamping, and the visual angles are more distinct. In the position of the sheet metal connection, a thick plated strip is retained to connect with the shape of the headlight, which is somewhat similar to BYD. The plated strip in the lap position of the bumper is narrower in width than the old model, and the shape connected to the headlights has also been added on both sides.
The shape and local features of the entire front face generally look very similar to the upcoming mid-term revamp Sagittarius.
If it is the starry sky version, the front face uses a dotted matrix arrangement, which is related to the meaning of its name. The shape of the bumper is more three-dimensional, and the X-shape is also disconnected on the left and right sides, which is more ostentatious, which is basically the same as the upcoming new Langyi Starry Sky Edition.
This is very different from our traditional impression of Passat's partial business and administrative style, suitable for middle-aged consumer groups, and may be the brand side, but also want to attract more young consumers through such changes.
See a lot of media are saying that this mid-term modification of the Passat has a double front face, but in fact, if you choose a mixed version, there is a third front face. The grille of the Passat PHEV model does not have the long strip of the ordinary version in the logo position, and the bumper uses the style of the starry sky version, but the lower grille does not have the grid of the starry sky version, but changes to a horizontal long banner.
That is to say, Passat made three different molds on the front face this time, which can not only see that SAIC Volkswagen is not bad money, but also can see that it has worked hard for this change.
The redesigned Passat has been added 15mm in length and the wheelbase has remained unchanged. Although the tire is still R18, the pattern of the wheel hub has changed a lot, and it is not as rigid as before.
The tail is replaced by the current popular through-style taillights, and the PASSAT letter is embedded in the taillights. This is also the first time volkswagen has used such a taillight shape in a car, and it has temporarily become a unique recognizability feature of the Passat.
The opening angle of the tail cover is very large, and the tail box volume is not small, which is more convenient for some relatively large items.
The styling of the interior has not been greatly improved compared to the old model. The biggest change is in the steering wheel, replaced by volkswagen's current family design steering wheel, 3, 6, 9 o'clock three directions using electroplating strips connected into a full circle to decorate, multi-functional area to change the physical button to touch.
As long as it is not the lowest business version, the steering wheel has leather punching wrapping, but the finger touch of this position in the picture has a little top, if you are used to holding this position when driving, or just use this position when turning, the feel is very hard, it will be very uncomfortable.
As a B-Class car, the full leather wrapping of the dashboard with stitching is just a routine operation and does not bring much sense of luxury. On the contrary, the design of this set of old-fashioned sub-dashboards and central controls is a bit out of line with the trend of the times, and it seems that the central controls of Tuyue, Tujiao, Bora, and Tanyue are a bit similar, and it is a bit silly to look at this piece.
This gear lever, this style of air conditioning adjustment panel, any cheaper Geely or Great Wall design can be crushed.
Especially the adjustment of the temperature level of the air conditioner and the size of the air volume, few people can find the exact position when driving the Volkswagen car for the first time, and when you are driving at high speed, it is difficult to quickly adjust to a precise position by touching.
There is also this headlight switch, decades of classics forever, I believe that many people will see it will think of the old Jetta or Santana nightmare when taking the driver's license, although the use of general parts as a platform can be understood, but why not replace it with a more intelligent switch of the ID series to appear more grade?
However, this decorative strip on the dashboard is made of real aluminum, and its texture can slightly improve the grade of the interior.
When driving, the bulge on the side of the sub-dashboard is still a little interfering with the calf, and it is slightly awkward when stepping on the accelerator.
The standard of the seat is comparable to the grade of the B-class car, except for the business version, which is covered in leather. The wings on both sides of the front seat have a strong sense of wrapping, and the seat size is also suitable, but combined with the strong foam hardness, there are also drawbacks. When you get out of the car, your butt needs to be moved to the side wings to hold the person high and the legs less likely to touch the ground.
The configuration of the Passat Premium Edition is upwards, the main co-driver has a waist support four-way adjustment and massage function, the main driver height is adjusted in four directions, and the co-driver height is adjusted in two directions.
The physical buttons of the seat massage function are placed on the side skid plate of the seat. The massage function is very soft when it starts, and even you can't feel that you are in the massage, which brings a good sense of comfort, compared with some independent brands, just like the difference between the SPA of the high-end clubhouse and the roadside massage shop.
As a B-class car, the most important thing is the need for space to ride, and when the front row is adjusted to a very loose position, the back row of the Passat still has a lot of spare space.
The rear armrests have two highly supported gears that can fit elbow support at different heights.
In order to ensure the comfort of the rear row, the above configuration of the Passat Deluxe Edition is with sun blinds, but compared with the two hooks designed at both ends of other brands, the Passat's sunshade only has one hook in the middle, and the force of the reel is still relatively large, if it is the first time to use, there is no mastery of the skill, it is not easy to hang in place.
The only place where the Passat has retained its luxurious temperament should be that it has designed the rear door triangle window on itself like Maybach.
In addition to the lowest-equipped business version, the Passat is equipped with an adjustable boss button in the rear of the co-pilot.
However, the front headrests are not fully wrapped, and there is a hard plastic on the back. I thought it was possible to arrange a liquid crystal display here, but in fact, the whole series did not have such a configuration.
However, the rear headrest has a distinctly curved design, which can ensure that the head is placed in the center.
The layout of the door panel of the mid-term redesign of the Passat has not changed in any way, but the style of this door panel has not been used in other Volkswagen models, which is considered to be exclusive to the Passat. The design lines are more complex, and several seams are used to decorate the middle insert.
The handle of the Passat door panel is not a pull cup, and it is an open type, reducing storage space.
The opening of the door bag is very large, suitable for some large objects, storage space is not a problem, but there is no internal flocking like Magotan or Wei Lan to dampen and prevent abnormal noise.
summary:
It can be seen that the mid-term redesign of Passat put the main change point on the appearance, and even added several uncommon colors, trying to break the original old-fashioned style through a more fashionable appearance and attract more consumer groups, but in fact, many features are still based on the design of the popular family.
In terms of power, it still retains two combinations of 1.4T and 2.0T, and if there is license anxiety, you can also consider a plug-in hybrid version. From the configuration point of view, the entry of the business version basically does not have much value, is completely a version, the price of 180,000 is only a plastic steering wheel, there is no reversing image and cruise system, if you want to consider a better driving experience, you must choose the elite version of the above configuration.
Although there are so many characteristics of the Passat, but one thing you have to admit, its static workmanship is completely unable to fault anything, like many of the show cars placed in the store have been "read" by countless consumers, more or less will find some faults, but this car even if it is used in a very strict professional eye, it still maintains the Rigor of the German automotive industry, worthy of the string of Volkswagen characters on the B-pillar.
Finally, according to the A (excellent), B (excellent), C (average), D (poor) grades to score it -
| Argus
Photo | Argus
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