The Passat has always been one of Volkswagen’s most important models, as it’s a very popular name and has been enjoying a lot of attention from all sides of the market for many years. So it’s obvious that the company would pay a lot of attention to it and do everything they can to keep it fresh and relevant. And sometimes, this apparently includes more drastic measures such as throwing out the design and starting basically from scratch with something that reminds us of what the Passat used to look like, and yet is completely different.
A lot has changed in the Passat, and although saying that they’ve started from scratch with its design might be an overreaction, it’s definitely noticeable that many features of the model have been touched, in some cases rather drastically. The general trend that can be spotted is towards shrinking the body – it has been cut down in various parts, and the community of Volkswagen fans have been somewhat divided over this change.
Indeed, it’s been a pretty polarizing move by Volkswagen, but we can also understand where they’re coming from with it – it’s a common market trend right now, as some manufacturers are pushing for smaller designs while others are making their cars even bigger and more aggressive than ever before.
The changes haven’t only been on the outside though – the interior of the new Passat has changed a lot too, and that was an even more drastic change than what we saw on the outside. However, many critics – and fans – seem to have the opinion that this is a welcomed change, one that has been due for a long time. Apparently the old design of the Passat didn’t have so many fans, and Volkswagen themselves weren’t very pleased with how it turned out, so they’ve decided to give it another go.
The car has been particularly upgraded in its technological capabilities, coming with various extra gadgets and a more advanced infotainment system. The specific features differ from one model to another, but some of the versions of the Passat come with advanced touch interfaces and sensors that make it a fully integrated digital experience. It’s something indicative of how cars are going to work in the future by the looks of it, and many people have been excited about this prospect.
It’s also notable that the company has decided to offer a sportier version of the Passat this time, a first in this line. We don’t know how many people are going to notice this and pay attention to it, but it’s certainly a refreshing move by Volkswagen and we hope that it catches on. It would be great to see future entries in the line coming with similar diversity in their options, as the company can definitely benefit from adding some more variety in the Passat’s configuration. But in general, it looks like they’re making a lot of changes to their philosophy for that line, so this is probably coming soon too.
All in all, there’s been a noticeable shift in Volkswagen’s design philosophy about the Passat over the last few years, and it somewhat seems like the company is trying to adapt to new market areas better than they did before. Which is certainly not a bad idea, as it’s been showing some positive results in their market performance over the last few years. Even though there were lots of mixed opinions about the last edition of the Passat, at least Volkswagen are trying something new with it instead of sticking to the same old formula forever.
They can keep the cars and the lies for themselves ;) Think VW will be in financial difficulties in 2016…