NAIAS 2011 - 2012 Volkswagen Passat

DETROIT - Volkswagen has pulled the wraps off the all new 2012 Passat. Unlike the European market Passat, which is a refresh of the outgoing model sold here, this new model was designed specifically for the US market and will be the first vehicle to be produced at VW's brand new Chattanooga, Tennessee plant. In VW's relentless quest to become number 1, this new Passat is aimed at US buyers by riding on a 110.4-inch wheelbase, making it larger than any of its predecessors and in line with the likes of the Camry and Accord. The big story though is the new base price. Starting at under $20,000, the new car is some $8,000 cheaper than the starting price for the outgoing model.

The 2012 Pssat's base engine is VW's 2.5 inline-5, which is rated at 170hp and is mated to either a 5-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission. Higher trim levels will have a choice of a 3.6L V6 making 280hp or, more interestingly, a 140hp 2.0 TDI. Both engines will be mated to VW's 6-speed DSG with a 6-speed manual being offered with the TDI.

Thankfully, the new Passat retains fully independent suspension. However, for now at least, 4mMotion all-wheel drive is no longer available--all models will be front wheel drive.

2012 Volkswagen Passat Media Gallery

"Volkswagon: duh car"

Simple, I'll say that.

Ugh. It's basically a big Jetta. And I think the interior is a step backward from the current car and really resembles the pre-2006 interior.

I spent 20 minutes doing this article so I could post this:

First, it's like they put the Jetta in a Xerox and set it to 150%

While its handsome enough in a very bland yet well proportioned Audi wannabe sort of way, it doesn't look any more modern than the car it replaces, which is still on sale in Europe with a new front and rear ends. The interior in particular is inoffensive, but hopelessly bland and looks less modern and sophisticated than the current car's interior which has been on the market since 2005.

It's simple, understated elegance. I like it, apart from the fact it's absolutely massive.

It will piss off the VW faithful but it will sell like hot cakes. It is going to sell to Camry owners that may want something different

I hope they keep selling and make a sequel to the CC.

VW really turned this into a turd, but i have to admit, a TDI with manual on a car this large is very interesting. It would be a great trip car.

I think the CC carries the real Passat torch now. This is just like Levi's jeans at Target. Same brand but watered down to sell at a price point.

The dash reminds me a bit of my old 500's dash. Still plain, too.

As a matter of fact this sort of has the same sense of dull all over that my 500 did. Big staid lumpy sedan with an upright dash and a big rear seat.

It really is a stretched and pulled Jetta. I bet there are a ton of parts this car shares with the Jetta.

What will be interesting is how the performance is with the 5 cylinder, pretty good in this class maybe and i know they supposedly worked on the NVH with it. Mpg should be in the hunt I would guess.

In a way though it could be a bit of a sleeper. A handful of the cars in this class have the manual trans, but still none of them are terribly entertaining. If the driving dynamics are above class average, and the price is low equipped the way you want it, it could be an interesting stealth sort of budget fun sedan.

If it really starts at 20 grand, with a 5 speed, hopefully with an armrest....its not a bad deal at that price. Maybe add alum rims, some VINYL seats, and a leather wrap wheel and it might just be kinda fun.

BUt whoa man is this the epitome of dumbing down.

Edited January 11, 201115 yr by regfootball

VW's used to be classy... Now they're just bland.

It definitely has a cheapened vibe to it.

That said; it ill piss off the VW faithful but it'll probably sell really well to disgruntled Camry owners.

the 2001 Passat probably had a base price of 20,000.

10 years later, the same price for arguably the same amount or more stuff.

http://blogs.vw.com/passat/

do you spend 22 grand on this or 22 grand on a Cruze LT2?

Edited January 11, 201115 yr by regfootball

I'd say its a very handsome car. It doesn't push any design envelopes, or wow with its content, but it looks very premium and well tailored.

A much nicer car than a Camry or Accord IMO.

ok, it's settled

all the sheeple get to avoid the usual stigma (Toyota) by buying VeeDubs instead

I can live with that

Edited January 11, 201115 yr by 2b2

With the nav system and assuming the interior materials are high quality it looks like a decent place to spend time. I like the simple steering wheel. In a lower trim level than pictured it could look cheap though, especially if the radio is a really cheap looking one.

Speaking as someone from the "VW faithful" and as someone who had his hands all over this car... Wait til you see it in person. It's sharp and the interior is no worse than the outgoing model.

Wow, VW seems really into the AutoCAD-come-to-life look with very flat, 2-dimensional designs. Seriously, that exterior looks like something from the original Sony PlayStation. Personally, I'm not a fan.

As for that interior, I'm having a nightmare flashback to my 2001 ML320 from high school.

I think I need an Ativan...

Very conservative styling. Too conservative, perhaps?...

Wow, VW seems really into the AutoCAD-come-to-life look with very flat, 2-dimensional designs. Seriously, that exterior looks like something from the original Sony PlayStation. Personally, I'm not a fan.

As for that interior, I'm having a nightmare flashback to my 2001 ML320 from high school.

I think I need an Ativan...

yeah, you hit it on the head actually. very 2 dimensional.

the new Jetta is an IKEA JEtta but seriously this new Passat looks like a Korean or Chinese VW knockoff. Something that they would sell in dollar stores and VW would license the badge to glue on the trunk.

I don't dispute that maybe it still looks semi classy on the inside when its new, but the interior like the exterior is already dated beyond belief.

even the camry interior shows more imagination than the insides of this thing.

hey at least price is competitive now.

Edited January 12, 201115 yr by regfootball

Too plain of a car. It make a Cruze look down right exciting.

How can a company that makes a car like the CC come up with a car with so little personality. In the past most VW's had a charm about them no matter if you liked them or not. They held a different look and image all the way back to the Beetle. This thing just has nothing to really make it stand out.

Just wait till they hit the track in NASCAR. I can see these down south with numbers on the side and a Calvin in the real window in a German helmet pissing on a Toyota.

All we need it some Fiat Stickers on the Chryslers and we will have all the Axis powers in NASCAR.

I expect this to be a nice car but it will fail on look alone. I have already had several die hard VW buddies give it a failing grade just based on looks.

Edited January 13, 201115 yr by hyperv6

All they've done is go back to their roots. More purely functional in style. I see no reason for endless flowery vitriol condemning it. It looks roomy and stately to me. Very purposeful. Not faddish. Timeless.

I prefer the simple styling of the new Passat to all of the recent mid size efforts by Ford, GM, and the Asians. I would only worry about VW's reliability.

Too plain of a car. It make a Cruze look down right exciting.

How can a company that makes a car like the CC come up with a car with so little personality. In the past most VW's had a charm about them no matter if you liked them or not. They held a different look and image all the way back to the Beetle. This thing just has nothing to really make it stand out.

Just wait till they hit the track in NASCAR. I can see these down south with numbers on the side and a Calvin in the real window in a German helmet pissing on a Toyota.

All we need it some Fiat Stickers on the Chryslers and we will have all the Axis powers in NASCAR.

I expect this to be a nice car but it will fail on look alone. I have already had several die hard VW buddies give it a failing grade just based on looks.

the Passat went downmarket so the CC appeared and could exist more upmarket.

VW was not going to achieve world domination selling the stuff they had at the prices they wanted.

They determined more copies at a cheaper price was needed and to do so they would have to reduce it to an LCD.......

The CC can still be the CC and now the Passat next to it on the lot will look a lot different than it.

How VW will gain share with this car will be entirely dependent on model mix. I see few of the v6. I think they should have kept the turbo in the mix somewhere.

I'll prob keep an open mind about this car myself. I thoroughly enjoyed driving my staid looking 500 for 3 years with its upright 2D dashboard and unimaginative features. To some degree there is a similar approach here. If there is more value in the mix, but the style is a bit more dull but its not like say, a mazda3, then i want to see the prices, and i want to see if it drives well. There may be a configuration of this new Passat that is below 25 grand and feels spunky, and provides some kit....along with space that one can't find in say a chevy cruze or buick verano.

Maybe VW wised up that they couldn't gain cred with W8's and really pricey Passats.

when does this thing hit showrooms?

Edited January 13, 201115 yr by regfootball

All they've done is go back to their roots. More purely functional in style. I see no reason for endless flowery vitriol condemning it. It looks roomy and stately to me. Very purposeful. Not faddish. Timeless.

that word 'vitriol' has sure been bouncing around a lot these last few days........

To me, it shares the same design language that VW uses on the latest Polo and Sharan, and there's nothing really about the design that's Americanized. There might be fewer features, and it's certainly bigger, but its looks are consistent with every other European Volkswagen, from the corporate mug to the wheel arch flares. If you cover the C-pillar kink and squint, its profile resembles that of the new A8. It's long, low, and wide... and I like how the character line on the side lowers toward the rear, giving it a stately look.

the Passat went downmarket so the CC appeared and could exist more upmarket.

VW was not going to achieve world domination selling the stuff they had at the prices they wanted.

They determined more copies at a cheaper price was needed and to do so they would have to reduce it to an LCD.......

The CC can still be the CC and now the Passat next to it on the lot will look a lot different than it.

How VW will gain share with this car will be entirely dependent on model mix. I see few of the v6. I think they should have kept the turbo in the mix somewhere.

I'll prob keep an open mind about this car myself. I thoroughly enjoyed driving my staid looking 500 for 3 years with its upright 2D dashboard and unimaginative features. To some degree there is a similar approach here. If there is more value in the mix, but the style is a bit more dull but its not like say, a mazda3, then i want to see the prices, and i want to see if it drives well. There may be a configuration of this new Passat that is below 25 grand and feels spunky, and provides some kit....along with space that one can't find in say a chevy cruze or buick verano.

Maybe VW wised up that they couldn't gain cred with W8's and really pricey Passats.

when does this thing hit showrooms?

They've already announced trim levels, and the SE TDI with six-speed manual seems to really hit a sweet spot. Touch-screen radio, 43 MPG, leatherette, metal trim, fog lights, big wheels. Perfect highway cruiser slash family car. I'm going to guess $26K including destination.

the Passat went downmarket so the CC appeared and could exist more upmarket.

VW was not going to achieve world domination selling the stuff they had at the prices they wanted.

They determined more copies at a cheaper price was needed and to do so they would have to reduce it to an LCD.......

The CC can still be the CC and now the Passat next to it on the lot will look a lot different than it.

How VW will gain share with this car will be entirely dependent on model mix. I see few of the v6. I think they should have kept the turbo in the mix somewhere.

I'll prob keep an open mind about this car myself. I thoroughly enjoyed driving my staid looking 500 for 3 years with its upright 2D dashboard and unimaginative features. To some degree there is a similar approach here. If there is more value in the mix, but the style is a bit more dull but its not like say, a mazda3, then i want to see the prices, and i want to see if it drives well. There may be a configuration of this new Passat that is below 25 grand and feels spunky, and provides some kit....along with space that one can't find in say a chevy cruze or buick verano.

Maybe VW wised up that they couldn't gain cred with W8's and really pricey Passats.

when does this thing hit showrooms?

The price and size are fine. The real issue is this car make a Camry look exciting. It would have cost little to make it more stylish. Even a Mennonite apires for a little more style.

Too often in the past German cars eiter get the stlying right or they are just very plain and dull and there never seems to be a middle ground.

Even if they get the quality wrong people often can forgive if the car looks great.

Brand new car at a brand new plant and built by VW.... not something I'd want to buy in it's first year.

one never buys a vw. you lease vw's and only within warranty period.

one never buys a vw. you lease vw's and only within warranty period.

yeah, I don't hand out money for things I KNOW are going to break even if it has a warranty. Same reason I wouldn't get a low end Hyundai either.

clatter on

The price and size are fine. The real issue is this car make a Camry look exciting. It would have cost little to make it more stylish. Even a Mennonite apires for a little more style.

Too often in the past German cars eiter get the stlying right or they are just very plain and dull and there never seems to be a middle ground.

Even if they get the quality wrong people often can forgive if the car looks great.

I see nothing wrong w/ the new Passat design..it's clean and simple, nothing overdone. The Camry is just plain ugly from some angles, esp. the vile grilles and bulging lights.

You all know that this sort of car is never going to be my thing, but as far as FWD sedans go this is one of exactly two that have nice proportions.

This, and the Malibu, are the only ones that don't hurt my eyes when I look at them.

Not even Lacrosse?

Nope.

In fact, I've almost forgotten what the Lacrosse looks like already.

Like most stuff these days, I just take a quick look and dismiss it from mind.

It's a bit depressing, but that's the way it goes.

When a Malibu and this VW are among the few I can even keep in mind as decent designs, things are pretty bleak.

For me, looking for new cars I like is like trying to find water in a desert.

Edited January 14, 201115 yr by Camino LS6

I quite enjoy the current Passat exterior. Looked more distinctive and, dare I say it, upscale.

This one lets me down. Someone once said it looked like a last-gen Kia Optima, and I'm entirely inclined to agree.

Also, will this be the first Passat not offered with AWD since before I was born? I haven't seen any indication of 4MOTION being offered.

Yep, the Passat is indeed well propositioned. That is one of the few things it really has over its predecessor.

Glad you agree, DF.

I was starting to wonder if my eyes needed calibration.