The Volkswagen Passat (B8) is a
mid-size car/
large family car manufactured by
Volkswagen
Volkswagen (),English: , . abbreviated as VW (), is a German motor vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1937 by the German Labour Front under the Nazi Party and revived into a global brand post-W ...
that is available in a 4-door saloon and a 5-door estate body style sold as "Variant" in some markets. It was first introduced at the Volkswagen Design Center
Potsdam
Potsdam () is the capital and, with around 183,000 inhabitants, largest city of the German state of Brandenburg. It is part of the Berlin/Brandenburg Metropolitan Region. Potsdam sits on the River Havel, a tributary of the Elbe, downstream o ...
on 3 July 2014. The B8 is the eighth-generation model in the
Volkswagen Passat series and the first passenger vehicle of
Volkswagen Group
Volkswagen AG (), known internationally as the Volkswagen Group, is a German multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. The company designs, manufactures and distributes passenger and commercial ...
to be based on a stretched version of the
MQB platform.
The Passat Variant shares its platform with the
Tiguan.
A facelift model was announced in 2019, with minor exterior changes, updated engine line-up (the BiTDI engine was dropped), and updated interior, with touch controls for the multimedia and steering controls.
The B8 is assembled in the
Emden and
Zwickau
Zwickau (; is, with around 87,500 inhabitants (2020), the fourth-largest city of Saxony after Leipzig, Dresden and Chemnitz and it is the seat of the Zwickau District. The West Saxon city is situated in the valley of the Zwickau Mulde (German: ...
Volkswagen production plants in Germany. Sales of European domestic market models began in November 2014.
The GTE, a
plug-in hybrid version, was introduced at the
2014 Paris Motor Show for sale during the second half of 2015 in Europe.
Design
Development
Being based on the MQB platform, the B8 Passat has more interior space than the
last generation model despite being shorter and lower. The front wheels were moved forward and the wheelbase extended by resulting in a shorter front overhang and a bigger cabin. The B8 Passat weighs less than the previous version by using
vacuum-formed steel. It is offered with
turbocharger
In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (often called a turbo) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake gas, forcing more air into the engine in order to pro ...
-equipped engines ranging from 1.4 to 2.0 liters.
File:VW Passat B8 Limousine 2.0 TDI Highline Heck.JPG, Saloon
File:Volkswagen Magotan B8L 01 China 2017-04-03.jpg, Volkswagen Magotan (B8L; China)
File:VW Passat Variant Comfortline (B8) – Heckansicht, 3. April 2015, Düsseldorf.jpg, Estate
File:Volkswagen Passat sedan (MSP16).jpg, Passat R-Line
File:Passat B8 Comfortline Innenraum.jpg, Interior
File:Volkswagen Passat Variant R-Line, GIMS 2019, Le Grand-Saconnex (GIMS0226).jpg, Passat Variant R-Line Edition
File:VW Passat Variant R-Line Genf 2019 1Y7A5395.jpg, Passat Variant R-Line
File:Volkswagen Passat GTE Stationcar.jpg, Volkswagen Passat GTE Stationcar
Driving assists
The B8 Passat is available with optional assistance systems including "Front Assist", "Pedestrian Detection", "Emergency Assist", "Traffic Jam Assist" and "Trailer Assist."
Front Assist
The system uses a long-range radar at the front of the car to detect vehicles up to 80m ahead which the car is likely to hit unless action is taken. The information from the front radar is relayed to the driver. Up to 30km/h the system can detect moving and stationary objects and apply full braking power. In moving traffic, between 30km/h and 200km/h, the system applies its full capacity of driver warnings, partial braking and brake assistance.
Emergency Assist
This assistant tries to detect a sleeping/unconscious driver. It will attempt to reactivate the driver after steering feedback has not been detected for a period of time and will also transmit warning signals to its nearby surroundings. If the reactivation has failed, the vehicle will be stopped at a safe location.
Traffic Jam Assist
The traffic jam assistance is capable of moving the vehicle in a traffic jam as long as the average speed does not exceed .
Trailer Assist
The system allows automatic parking with an attached tow trailer.
Safety
Powertrains
The B8 Passat was initially available with two
TSI petrol and four
TDI diesel powertrains that produce more power than their equivalents from the B7 without changing displacement. The 2.0 TDI engine is available in three configurations, with two being equipped with
selective catalytic reduction
Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) is a means of converting nitrogen oxides, also referred to as with the aid of a catalyst into diatomic nitrogen (), and water (). A reductant, typically anhydrous ammonia (), aqueous ammonia (), or a urea () ...
(SCR) catalysators to reduce the emission of
nitrogen oxide.
Every engine with the exception of the SCR-equipped 2.0 TDI engines is mated to a six-speed transmission with an optional six-speed or seven-speed
dual-clutch transmission. A
4Motion all-wheel drive drivetrain is available as standard for the strongest SCR TDI and TSI engines and optional for the mid-tier SCR TDI variant.
Every engine is based on
4Motion/
BlueMotion Technology and is turbocharged inline-four. In 2015, four additional petrol and two diesel engines became available. In 2015, Passat received two more powerful petrol engines, marketing it as Passat R-Line, which was however shortly thereafter discontinued.
Passat GTE
The plug-in hybrid powertrain of the Passat GTE, previously utilised by the Volkswagen Golf GTE and Audi A3 Sportback e-tron, is featured with a larger battery pack in this model. The GTE has an 85
kW three-phase
permanent magnet synchronous electric motor, coupled with a 9.9
kWh lithium-ion battery
A lithium-ion or Li-ion battery is a type of rechargeable battery which uses the reversible reduction of lithium ions to store energy. It is the predominant battery type used in portable consumer electronics and electric vehicles. It also s ...
capable of an
all-electric range of and a total range of . When paired with the 1.4 liter ACT-equipped TSI petrol engine, it will deliver a
fuel economy of 2.0 L/100 km (140 mpg
‑imp; 120 mpg
‑US) equivalent on the
New European Driving Cycle
The New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) was a driving cycle, last updated in 1997, designed to assess the emission levels of car engines and fuel economy in passenger cars (which excludes light trucks and commercial vehicles). It is also refer ...
, corresponding to CO
2 emissions lower than 45g/km. Top speed is . The trunk size is reduced from 650 liters to 483 liters in the "Variant" stationwagon, compared to non-hybrid Passats, a reduction of 167 liters, due to the battery pack.
In 2018, a facelift was introduced, and the battery pack size increased from 9,9 kWh to 13 kWh. The range has increased to 55 km (34 mi, WLTP) or about 70 km (44 mi, NEDC),
compared to the pre-facelift Passat GTE's range of 50 km (31 mi, NEDC). The rear end now has P A S S A T written over the tailgate with large letters, and the interior analog clock has been replaced with a black plastic piece with the hazard lights switch and P A S S A T written on it. The "Battery Charge" function in the infotainment system, which charges the battery using the petrol engine, has been removed. The top speed has been increased to .
Sales
UK sales began in mid-2015, with deliveries in October 2015. In the Netherlands, pre-orders were opened in early 2015 with deliveries in September 2015.
Passat Alltrack
The Passat Alltrack was introduced in late 2015 for European markets and in early 2016 for Australian and New Zealand markets. The main differences for the Alltrack compared to a normal Passat Estate is of added ground clearance compared to a normal Passat Estate for a total of , body cladding, and 4MOTION standard across the range. There are more smaller changes, for example matte chrome wing mirrors, underbody protection, and Alltrack badging in the front, side, and rear. There are also interior changes, mainly adding Alltrack branding. Exclusive to the Alltrack is an off-road mode in the driving mode selector. There is of boot space, 11 down from a normal Passat Estate.
Powertrains consist of one TSI and three TDI engines, carried over from the regular Passat. Only the 150 PS TDI engine is offered with a manual 6-speed gearbox, while all other models come with VW's dual-clutch DSG gearbox. The 4MOTION system used in the Alltrack is a normally front-biased Haldex system.
File:VW B8 Alltrack 1.jpg, Volkswagen Passat Alltrack
File:VW B8 Alltrack 2.jpg, Volkswagen Passat Alltrack
Saloon discontinuation
In January 2022, Volkswagen discontinued the 4-door saloon version of the Passat in Europe. Jacob Oliva alleges that, the estate version sells better in Europe, and that Volkswagen's
Arteon liftback is positioned in a similar market segment.
References
{{Volkswagen (China) timeline 1984 to date
Passat B8
2010s cars
Sedans
Cars introduced in 2014
Front-wheel-drive vehicles
All-wheel-drive vehicles
Mid-size cars
Plug-in hybrid vehicles
Station wagons
Euro NCAP large family cars