Photo: SB-Medien
The seventh generation Volkswagen Passat is not that old, but it's exactly like one of those people who were born old, like a Benjamin Button without the getting younger part. That's because the car is actually a re-skin of the model that came before it. Commonalities between it and the sixth generation included parts of the interior, running gear and even the whole roof.
Its replacement, however, is going to be new from the ground up, and that's because it will be based on the new MQB platform, which Volkswagen has already used to make the new Golf and its derivatives.
We caught up with a test prototype for the new Passat in a sunny corner of Europe, where engineers are hard at work removing all the rattles and the knocks. These latest sly photos have something very interesting to show, the new headlights and taillights of the car, which are visible for the first time. We thing the LED headlights are going to borrow their tech, but not the design from the Golf. While the front is similar to the Golf, the back takes something of an Audi design. The Passat's new clearly features some crisp LED taillights with simple, straight lines, just like most Audi models. The upper "brow" is similar to the current design but the rest of their system is uncharacteristic for the VW brand.
If weight could be interpreted photographically, than this Passat would probably look 70 to 100 kilograms lighter than its predecessor, thanks to better materials and fabrication methods. There's a lot of modularity built into the MQB platform, and only the distance between the firewall and the front "axle line" is the same as on the Golf.
The German saloon will benefit from a wide range of powertrains developed specifically to work with its brand new underpinnings. These will include TSI petrols, TDI diesels, e-Drive fully electric modules and plug-in hybrids. There might also be a natural gas version using a detuned 1.4-liter turbo bi-fuel system that's already debuted on Skoda and SEAT models.
The most eagerly anticipated change, however, is a rumored twin-turbo 2-liter turbo diesel engine which Volkswagen fans have been talking about for years.
While in Europe, this brand new sedan will be available by the end of 2015, it's going to be a while before America gets it. We believe the current model will continue to be sold there at least until 2016. VW USA has just announced 2015 model year changes to the current model, which include new turbocharged engines and are likely to hold onto the existing model.
We caught up with a test prototype for the new Passat in a sunny corner of Europe, where engineers are hard at work removing all the rattles and the knocks. These latest sly photos have something very interesting to show, the new headlights and taillights of the car, which are visible for the first time. We thing the LED headlights are going to borrow their tech, but not the design from the Golf. While the front is similar to the Golf, the back takes something of an Audi design. The Passat's new clearly features some crisp LED taillights with simple, straight lines, just like most Audi models. The upper "brow" is similar to the current design but the rest of their system is uncharacteristic for the VW brand.
If weight could be interpreted photographically, than this Passat would probably look 70 to 100 kilograms lighter than its predecessor, thanks to better materials and fabrication methods. There's a lot of modularity built into the MQB platform, and only the distance between the firewall and the front "axle line" is the same as on the Golf.
The German saloon will benefit from a wide range of powertrains developed specifically to work with its brand new underpinnings. These will include TSI petrols, TDI diesels, e-Drive fully electric modules and plug-in hybrids. There might also be a natural gas version using a detuned 1.4-liter turbo bi-fuel system that's already debuted on Skoda and SEAT models.
The most eagerly anticipated change, however, is a rumored twin-turbo 2-liter turbo diesel engine which Volkswagen fans have been talking about for years.
While in Europe, this brand new sedan will be available by the end of 2015, it's going to be a while before America gets it. We believe the current model will continue to be sold there at least until 2016. VW USA has just announced 2015 model year changes to the current model, which include new turbocharged engines and are likely to hold onto the existing model.
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