Just a month ahead of its impending world premiere, the all new Volkswagen Passat Variant is now in the midst of completing its final test drives. When unveiled, it will mark the ninth generation of the Passat nameplate, which Volkswagen says will be "larger, more comfortable, of even higher quality".
On the note of size, the company isn't exaggerating when it says the car will be "much larger" than its predecessor. The all new Passat Variant is 140mm longer than before, with legroom for passenger increased by 50mm in the process. Boot capacity has also been boosted by 40L to 690L now, with all the seats up.
But the car's size is the mere tip of the iceberg; the Passat Variant is also set to introduce a host of new innovations for the next Passat generation, spanning interior upgrades to a new chassis control system.
Volkswagen has made it clear that it is actively listening to customer feedback, which it says was implemented into making the new interior architecture of the Passat Variant as intuitive as possible to operate. Most notable? Physical buttons are set to make a return on the car's multifunction steering wheel.
As part of a newly-developed cockpit and new infotainment system, a 12.9-inch central touchscreen will be fitted as standard - although this can grow to 15-inches depending on equipment. Backlit touch sliders will still be used for volume and temperature controls, while a head-up display will be offered as an option.
The new interior architecture also incorporates high-grade materials and a cabin that designed to improve noise insulation, both of which are said to take overall quality and comfort to a new level.
A key part of the enhanced comfort, however, is DCC Pro - a highly customisable, new adaptive chassis control system with two-valve shock absorbers (that the all new Tiguan will also offer). This system continuously reacts to the road surface and driving situation while taking into account parameters such as steering, braking and acceleration manoeuvres. The ideal damping is then calculated for each wheel and adjusted at the shock absorbers in fractions of a second.
The all new Passat Variant will also be offered with a Vehicle Dynamics Manager as standard, which controls the functions of the electronic differential locks, and lateral dynamics of the controlled shock absorbers in DCC Pro.
Additionally, a new generation of IQ.LIGHT LED matrix headlights will come with the car. Flatter than before, the headlights will contain a new high-performance main beam boasting a range of around 500m. A single, continuous horizontal LED strip also comes on the rear now with the taillight clusters.
While the Passat Variant is still holding out life for the internal combustion engine at Volkswagen's factories - including turbocharged diesel and petrol engines - it is also expanding the use of electrification for the model.
Mild hybrid eTSI turbocharged engines, as well as plug-in hybrid eHybrid drivetrains will be offered on the model, the latter of which should see all electric ranges of up to 100km. For the first time, DC charging will also come as standard on eHybrid variants, while AC charging rates have been quickened.
