Photo: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien
The next-generation Volkswagen Passat will only be offered as a Variant station wagon in Europe alongside its sister Skoda Octavia. The new model, which should be known as the B9, will launch next year with a longer wheelbase and a large engine assortment.
We haven’t seen the Volkswagen Passat prototypes since February, but we know that the German company doesn’t need to do that much testing on its part. The mid-size station wagon shares the nuts and bolts with the Skoda Superb Combi, so whatever testing the Czech brand does on the Superb will also benefit the Passat Variant.
The new set of pictures our spy photographers snapped on Nürburgring shows the PHEV version of the B9 Volkswagen Passat Variant, as revealed by the large charge flap on the front left fender. This also explains why the Passat needed new tests, although the presence on the famed race track is a little more puzzling. Perhaps Volkswagen wants to give the Passat the upper hand over Skoda Superb and will offer a sportier powertrain under the “R” moniker. We are assuming that the GTE badge has already worn out.
This certainly appears to be the case, judging by the huge brake rotors on the prototype. The PHEV version would mostly use regenerative braking, so the oversized discs are probably due to needing a lot more stopping power. If that’s the case, Volkswagen will want to offer several PHEV variants. Hopefully, the one geared toward fuel efficiency would finally adopt a lean-burn powerplant using the Atkinson cycle instead of the TSI engine of the previous model.
On the other hand, we expect the sportier version to deliver at least 300 horsepower. The gigantic exhaust silencer at the rear surely points to that. Either way, Volkswagen will increase the battery capacity, which was updated to 13 kWh in 2018 for the outgoing model. This would make the future Passat Variant PHEV a close match to electric vehicles, and it should go realistically over 60 miles (96 km) on a full charge. Or maybe keep the same battery capacity while shrinking the battery pack, given the advancement in battery tech in the past years.
Although the prototype in the pictures looks pretty much like the outgoing Passat, this is not a test mule. The B9 generation has a much longer wheelbase, so there’s no way it could fit under the old body. This has to do with sharing the production line with Skoda Superb, which traditionally was offered with a longer wheelbase. We must credit the Volkswagen team for carefully drawing the lines of the old Volkswagen over the new body.
If you look closely, you notice that black tape covers all the relevant parts, front and rear. We expect to find a new face under the black tape, something between the Golf 8 and the ID.3. At the back, a light strip uniting the two taillights is almost guaranteed. The next-generation Passat Variant will be built in Bratislava, alongside the Skoda Superb and Superb Combi, starting next year.
The new set of pictures our spy photographers snapped on Nürburgring shows the PHEV version of the B9 Volkswagen Passat Variant, as revealed by the large charge flap on the front left fender. This also explains why the Passat needed new tests, although the presence on the famed race track is a little more puzzling. Perhaps Volkswagen wants to give the Passat the upper hand over Skoda Superb and will offer a sportier powertrain under the “R” moniker. We are assuming that the GTE badge has already worn out.
This certainly appears to be the case, judging by the huge brake rotors on the prototype. The PHEV version would mostly use regenerative braking, so the oversized discs are probably due to needing a lot more stopping power. If that’s the case, Volkswagen will want to offer several PHEV variants. Hopefully, the one geared toward fuel efficiency would finally adopt a lean-burn powerplant using the Atkinson cycle instead of the TSI engine of the previous model.
On the other hand, we expect the sportier version to deliver at least 300 horsepower. The gigantic exhaust silencer at the rear surely points to that. Either way, Volkswagen will increase the battery capacity, which was updated to 13 kWh in 2018 for the outgoing model. This would make the future Passat Variant PHEV a close match to electric vehicles, and it should go realistically over 60 miles (96 km) on a full charge. Or maybe keep the same battery capacity while shrinking the battery pack, given the advancement in battery tech in the past years.
Although the prototype in the pictures looks pretty much like the outgoing Passat, this is not a test mule. The B9 generation has a much longer wheelbase, so there’s no way it could fit under the old body. This has to do with sharing the production line with Skoda Superb, which traditionally was offered with a longer wheelbase. We must credit the Volkswagen team for carefully drawing the lines of the old Volkswagen over the new body.
If you look closely, you notice that black tape covers all the relevant parts, front and rear. We expect to find a new face under the black tape, something between the Golf 8 and the ID.3. At the back, a light strip uniting the two taillights is almost guaranteed. The next-generation Passat Variant will be built in Bratislava, alongside the Skoda Superb and Superb Combi, starting next year.
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