Diesel sales are sinking, and Volkswagen has finally configured some of the TSI petrol engines it's always had to be used in the right-hand drive markets. The 2017 version of the Passat and Tiguan are the main beneficiaries of this change.
Let's start with the mid-sized car. Both the Passat Saloon and Estate models are now available with all four petrol engines that were offered on the European mainland. The base unit is the 125 PS version of the 1.4 TSI, which is then backed up with the more powerful 150 PS version that comes with Active Cylinder Technology that shuts two cylinders to save fuel under light loads. The latter is also available with a £1,600 7-speed DSG option.
Want more power? Of course, you do! An 180 PS 1.8 TSI can also be bought with a 6-speed manual or 7-speed DSG. It's quite similar to the engine in the Polo GTI, but Volkswagen also offers the Passat with the Golf GTI's older 220 PS 2-liter turbo. The only problem with these two is that they are only available in GT or R-Line trims, pushing the price to as much as £34,255. For that kind of money, we'd buy the slightly less premium but more engaging Skoda Octavia RS 245 (yes, that's how much power it produces).
Volkswagen has also added the 1.4-liter TSI with 125PS to the Tiguan as well, in the SE and SE Nav grades, but it's FWD-only. The 150 PS version is fitted to the SE Nav, SEL and R-Line, being configurable with AWD and a 7-speed DSG.
The fuel consumption is never going to be on par with the TDI counterparts, but if you don't do massive highway miles all year long, the TSI is going to be cheaper to own and run. Priced from £21,610, the Passat TSI is a good way of having a premium-feeling cake and eating it. However, we wouldn't recommend the petrol Tiguan. It might not keep its value, and you simply need the diesel torque to get the thing moving.
The Passat has always been the car that bridges the gap between something like a Ford Mondeo and a Mercedes C-Class. Now there's a way to have that without worrying about emissions cheats.
Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida. Full profile
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