Photo: Volkswagen
German media is positively buzzing with news from Volkswagen, who has released the first sketches and details of its new Passat mid-sized sedan. As expected, their car is a technological show of strength that previews what could happen to other models in coming years.
The biggest news with the car is a powerful diesel engine, a 2-liter with twin turbochargers that produces 240 hp (176 kW) and 500 Nm (368 lb-ft) of torque. These impressive numbers are higher than some competitors manage with V6 diesel or even petrol mills.
This new BiTDI will be paired up to a new seven-speed DSG transmission that's been specifically designed for transversally mounted powertrains and an all-wheel drive system that fits neatly into the expanded MQB platform shared with the smaller Golf. The whole powertrain is amazingly efficient, returning fuel consumption figures in the vicinity of 5 l/100km
The new Passat will be launched this fall and some time in 2015, a plug-in hybrid model will also arrive with even better fuel economy. This system combines a 1.4-liter TSI petrol with an electric motor to deliver a combined output of 204 hp (150 kW). On a full charge, the plug-in will do 50 kilometers in EV mode (31 miles). Both these numbers are basically the same as those of a Golf GTE, so it's pretty much guaranteed that the two will share powertrains.
The full range of 2015 Passat versions will not be revealed until later in the year. However, we're to expect a wide variety of powertrains with outputs ranging from 120 to 280 hp (88- 206 kW). This to us sounds like the 1.6-liter TDI is getting boosted to 120 hp and the same 2.0 TSI from the Golf R will also be made available on the Passat.
Something we can show you right now are three sketches of the car and a rendering of the complex body shell. Every line is exactly like we expected, and that's because the Passat has already been leaked in China. There, it's called the "Magotan" and has a slightly longer wheelbase, but is otherwise 99% the same.
This new BiTDI will be paired up to a new seven-speed DSG transmission that's been specifically designed for transversally mounted powertrains and an all-wheel drive system that fits neatly into the expanded MQB platform shared with the smaller Golf. The whole powertrain is amazingly efficient, returning fuel consumption figures in the vicinity of 5 l/100km
The new Passat will be launched this fall and some time in 2015, a plug-in hybrid model will also arrive with even better fuel economy. This system combines a 1.4-liter TSI petrol with an electric motor to deliver a combined output of 204 hp (150 kW). On a full charge, the plug-in will do 50 kilometers in EV mode (31 miles). Both these numbers are basically the same as those of a Golf GTE, so it's pretty much guaranteed that the two will share powertrains.
The full range of 2015 Passat versions will not be revealed until later in the year. However, we're to expect a wide variety of powertrains with outputs ranging from 120 to 280 hp (88- 206 kW). This to us sounds like the 1.6-liter TDI is getting boosted to 120 hp and the same 2.0 TSI from the Golf R will also be made available on the Passat.
Something we can show you right now are three sketches of the car and a rendering of the complex body shell. Every line is exactly like we expected, and that's because the Passat has already been leaked in China. There, it's called the "Magotan" and has a slightly longer wheelbase, but is otherwise 99% the same.
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