2015 Volkswagen Passat unveiled

The 2015 Volkswagen Passat has officially been unveiled. The new car, codenamed the B8 (eight generation of the Passat) looks much sleeker and edgier than ever before and incorporates many styling features from the likes of the Volkswagen Scirocco and the XL1 hybrid. The new 2015 Volkswagen Passat will be based on the VW groups MQB platform just like the current generation Skoda Octavia.

Although as long as the previous model in terms of overall length, the new Passat's wheelbase grew by a considerable 79mm, with both the front and rear wheels now positioned further out to the sides. This has resulted in significantly shorter overhangs. Not only has this improved the overall stance of the car but it has also considerably improved interior space. At the same time, the Passat has also been made lower and wider, with the windscreen raked further backwards giving the car a more dynamic look even while standing still.

The most striking new design feature though is the large, 4-slat chrome grille. The new grille has been designed to looks considerably larger than the headlights with the lowest bar being integrated directly into them. The LED headlamps also give the Volkswagen Passat a more upmarket and mature look while maintaining a sporty appeal. In fact, Volkswagen offers not one, but two distinctive sets of LED headlamps in the new 2015 Passat. While one package offers a standard LED headlamp module, the other offers a more advanced projection based technology. Arranged next to one another, two exceptionally low-profile lens modules project the light onto the road and generate a type of illumination that is similar to daylight. The Passat’s headlamps will also get dynamic headlight assist.

Volkswagen has also stepped its game up in the interior department. The standard instrument binnacle is soon getting redundant, being replaced by the likes of LCD screens. Adapted from a system developed by Continental technologies, the new Passat, just like the likes of the new S-Class of the Range Rover incorporated an LCD screen instead of a conventional instrument cluster. The new Passat will now also be the first Volkswagen to have a Head-Up display. It projects important information, such as vehicle speed or navigation pictograms, directly into the driver's primary visual field. Thanks to the projection of the Head-Up display, the driver's eyes can remain focused on the road while reading data such as vehicle speed.

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The new 2015 Volkswagen Passat up to 85 kg lighter than its predecessor and will be available with a host of petrol and diesel engines. The 1.4-litre TSI engines generating 125PS and 150PS will form the cheapest entry level variants Passat for customers who want a petrol powered version. There will also be the usual 1.8-litre TSI with 180PS (that is most likely to come to India) and a 2.0-litre TSI with 220PS and 280PS. On the diesel side, the 1.6-litre TDI generating 120PS of peak power and a 2.0-liter TDI with variable outputs of 150PS, 190PS and 240PS are expected. We expect the new 2015 Volkswagen Passat to be unveiled in India sometime later this year or very early next year to go up against the likes of the anticipated Honda Accord and the recently launched Skoda Superb. We expect the 2015 Volkswagen Passat to be priced at about Rs 30 lakh when it does make its way to India.