SAIC Volkswagen Passat believes that everyone is not unfamiliar with it. Since it officially entered the Chinese market in 2000, with its excellent product performance, it has achieved more than 3.50 million sales so far, and has long been at the forefront of the sales list of medium-sized cars. With the increasingly younger car buyers, SAIC Volkswagen has also responded to changes in demand and brought the Passat Pro. Its appearance has not only changed dramatically, but also its intelligent performance has made great progress.
Appearance: Provide double front face design to meet different consumer needs
Passat Pro offers two front face designs: "Star Edition" and "Pioneer Edition". The evaluation car uses the "Star Edition" front face. The large-size black front surround is matched with a sharp headlamp, which looks very visual impact. Coupled with the beautiful body color, it is very suitable for the tastes of today’s young consumers. And if you pay attention to business travel, you can choose the "Pioneer Edition" front face, which uses the original German design style, which is more stable and atmospheric as a whole.
The side features a double waistline design, in which the waistline above the door handle connects the head and tail to create a visual effect of swooping forward, and the 19-inch rims add a lot of power to the side. The taillights are a highlight of the rear, using a dot matrix design language, and the interior also adds an orderly arrangement of geometric elements. They support six kinds of welcome animation lighting effects, which is full of ceremony.
In terms of details, the front face of the evaluation car adopts strip-shaped LED daytime running lights, which are combined with the luminous "VW" brand LOGO to highlight the exquisite sense. In addition, the evaluation car is also equipped with IQ. Light matrix LED headlights, with a total of 144 high-brightness LED lamp beads inside, providing a variety of lighting functions such as adaptive far and near light and AFS intelligent follow-up steering function, which can effectively increase the safety of night driving.
In terms of wheels, the evaluation car uses five-spoke blackened wheels, the visual effect is very dynamic, and the matching tires come from the Hankook Wantushi series, focusing on sports and control, and the tire specification is 245/40 R19.
Interior: The technological atmosphere is not inferior to the new forces of car manufacturing
Not only the appearance, but also the interior of the Passat Pro has undergone earth-shaking changes, with a new digital cockpit, including a 10.3-inch full LCD instrument panel + a 15-inch floating central control screen + an 11.6-inch passenger entertainment screen, creating a technological atmosphere that is absolutely not inferior to the new forces in car manufacturing. The workmanship and materials have also maintained the standard of the joint venture car, and the evaluation car has also added a large number of fur materials, which has greatly improved the sense of grade compared to the old model.
In terms of multimedia configuration, the central control screen resolution of the evaluation car reaches 2K, which not only displays the effect delicately, but also has a very silky operation experience. In addition, the car also has built-in functions such as 5G network, in-car WeChat and iFLYTEK voice assistant, which is more in line with the current consumer usage habits. The passenger entertainment screen has built-in rich entertainment functions such as iQIYI, and also supports video projection and Bluetooth headset connection. At the same time, it also has its own side anti-privacy function, which occupies a greater advantage in the joint venture brands at the same level. It is worth mentioning that the evaluation car is also equipped with Harman/Kardon Harman card audio, with 16 speakers, and the overall sound quality is excellent, suitable for playing popular music.
In terms of comfort configuration, the evaluation car is equipped with a panoramic sunroof that can be opened, with an opening size of 870mm * 1000mm, which has excellent light transmission. The seats of the evaluation car are equipped with a mix of leather/fur materials, and the filling is relatively soft. Coupled with seat heating, ventilation and massage functions, the ride comfort performance is excellent.
Power: to meet daily travel needs
In terms of power system, the evaluation car uses a power system composed of the third-generation EA888 2.0T engine and a 7-speed DSG dual-clutch transmission. The maximum engine power is 162kW, the peak torque reaches 350N · m, and the official 0-100km/h acceleration time is 7.6s.
The actual driving experience is still the usual style of Volkswagen. The starting stage is calm and comfortable, which is much more conservative than electric vehicles. The power in the middle and rear sections is very sufficient, and you don’t need to step deeply on the accelerator to get abundant power output. If you want to be more aggressive, you just need to switch to the sports mode, and the engine speed will be maintained at about 3000 rpm at this time, and the power will be available at any time, which is enough to meet the needs of most people.
The steering feel is much lighter than the old model. Even if the speed reaches 80km/h, the steering feel will not be too heavy, and it is very easy to drive. The same is true for the foot feel of the brakes. Without the heaviness of the old model, you can get a good braking effect without too much force.
In terms of NVH, the overall performance of the evaluation car is satisfactory, and the engine noise and wind noise are well suppressed. However, the tires are more aggressive on asphalt roads, and the tire noise is more obvious when driving on old roads, but it will not affect the driving comfort of the occupants.
The evaluation car uses a combination of front McPherson + rear multi-link independent suspension, which still maintains the advantages of German cars. The overall adjustment is hard, which can bring excellent lateral support ability, and the fine bumps of the road surface can also be filtered very thoroughly. It has found a perfect balance between comfort and sports, which is worthy of praise.
Space: has abundant riding space
In terms of riding space, thanks to the wheelbase of 2871mm, the experience with a measured height of 1.85m has plenty of riding space in both the front and rear rows. Especially in the rear row, there is more than two punches in the legs and nearly one punch in the head. In addition, the rear seats of the evaluation car can adjust the angle electrically, plus heating, ventilation and massage functions, which will definitely bring you a leapfrog-like enjoyment.
In terms of storage space, the number of storage compartments is moderate, but the internal space is large, which can hold a lot of items. The front and rear rows are also equipped with two cup holders, which can meet the daily needs of the passengers of the whole car. It is worth mentioning that the Passat Pro has been rearranged for the position of the traditional gear shifting mechanism, changed to two hidden storage compartments with push-pull covers, and the interior is also equipped with a wireless charging pad for mobile phones, with heat dissipation holes, which is very practical.
The interior of the trunk is very regular, with a volume of 506L, and the rear seats also support proportional reclining, which can further expand the use space. And the evaluation car is also equipped with an electric trunk, which supports induction opening, which can effectively increase the convenience of daily use.
Security: Provides rich active/passive security configurations
In terms of safety configuration, the evaluation car is equipped with a wealth of active/passive safety configurations. Active/passive safety configurations such as 360-degree panoramic images, front/rear head airbags (air curtains), front middle airbags, lane departure warning system, and forward collision warning are all equipped on the evaluation car. However, the resolution of 360-degree panoramic images is low and there are obvious distortions. I hope it can be improved later.
Summarize:
Through this evaluation, we can feel that, as the most important sedan product launched by SAIC Volkswagen this year, the Passat Pro has not only changed its mediocre and stable appearance, but also undergone a significant upgrade in terms of intelligence and comfort, making up for the shortcomings, giving it a leading advantage in the same class of fuel vehicles. Coupled with the adjustment of the German chassis, it can be said that the Passat Pro has once again pushed the technology and product benchmark in the mid-sized car market to a new height.