Volkswagen is now confirming what we have known for months. The Passat sedan is going off the automotive stage, where there is only room left for its wagon variant. The German carmaker is now teasing the model set to debut this fall.
The upcoming Passat wagon, or Variant – as Volkswagen calls it – is going to be larger and more comfortable, and it will bring along higher quality, the German carmaker pledges.
The ninth-generation Volkswagen Passat will be 193.5-inches (4,917 millimeters) long, which means that it will be 5.6 inches (144 millimeters) longer than its predecessor. The wheelbase is also going to be extended, growing by 1.96 inches (50 millimeters) to 111.8 inches (2,841 millimeters). This translates into more legroom on board the wagon.
With also grows by 0.7 inches (20 millimeters) up to 72.9 inches (1,852 millimeters), while height goes all the way to 58.3 inches (1,482 millimeters), as the Passat is no 0.2 inches (7 millimeters) taller than before.
Cargo capacity also grows by 1.4 cubic feet (40 liters) to 24.3 cubic feet (690 liters). Folding the backrest of the rear seating area brings along 67.8 cubic feet (1,920 liters) of space.
There will be a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster on board, while a 12.9-inch touchscreen display (the 15-inch display is optional) will find room in the center console. A head-up display is also going to be available for extra money.
Photo: Volkswagen
Spy photos have shown that the 2024 Passat wagon will sport new narrow IQ.LIGHT LED matrix headlights with a beam capable of illuminating as far as 1,640 feet (500 meters). There will be an LED light bar at the opposite end, connecting the taillights. To enhance the sporty nature of the Passat and provide it with a sleeker silhouette, the Volkswagen designers have penned a sloping roofline.
The new Passat is going down the electrification path, so customers will also be able to order mild-hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions. The plug-in hybrid will come with outputs ranging between 201 horsepower (204 PS) and 268 horsepower (272 PS). No info on the battery capacity just yet. But the car should be able to drive as far as 75 miles (120 kilometers) with zero emissions. Turbodiesel and turbocharged petrol versions are also part of the plan.
By ditching the sedan, which has been losing ground in Europe and in the US for the past few years, Volkswagen is simplifying the lineup. But the Passat’s Czech sibling, the Skoda Superb, will not follow the same path. Based on the exact same MQB Evo platform, it will keep the sedan variant and will continue to be available as a wagon as well.
The Volkswagen Passat and the Skoda Superb are getting ready for a late summer reveal. Both will roll off the assembly line of the Volkswagen Group plant in Bratislava, Slovakia. Deliveries will start in the first quarter of 2024.
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