Volkswagen Passat 2011 preview

Volkswagen India have plans to bring in the new Volkswagen Passat 2011 shown at the Paris Motor Show 2010, to India. The Volkswagen Passat 2011 has got the looks which are inspired by the flagship, Volkswagen Phaeton. Gone are the stately looks of the old Volkswagen Passat, the new one has a youthful zest to it. It has that familiar family grille to it however the front bumpers have been now heavily tweaked. The front bumper is a single piece unit now. It houses the quadrangular fog lamps instead of the round ones found earlier. The head lamps themselves are more angular now and have twin projector units. The design cues don’t end at the front and are carried over to the rear as well. The boot is substantially more wider and longer. Here also the Volkswagen Phaeton design cues are evident. The tail lamps are also clear lens units with LED elements in them.

The head lamps for the Volkswagen Passat 2011 deserve a special mention. They have bi-xenons with Dynamic Light Assist. This system detects oncoming traffic and automatically brightens or lowers itself so that others aren’t dazzled by its effect. This system comprises of a camera situated in the head lamp column and this automatically puts the lights on dipped beam on detecting an oncoming car or bike. The high beam is turned on again once the car has moved past. Another new feature on the outside of the Volkswagen Passat 2011 is the use of a keyless Access function. Apart from giving keyless entry into the car, it can even open the boot. The only requirement is that one should have the key in the pocket and just sweep your foot under the boot. The boot would open on its own accord. This system would suit those singles who would have their hands full of shopping items and have no one to help them out.

The changes don’t end with the external revisions. Most importantly, the significant changes have been made under the hood. There would be two engine options on offer. One would be the 1.4 TSI petrol motor offering 130 Ps of power. The second would be the 2.0 liter diesel motor with DSG gearbox. Both these motors are fitted with stop start technology and also active battery regenration technology. The petrol motor is said to offer class leading fuel efficiency figures of upto 17 kmpl. The diesel motor as we all are aware also offers class leading fuel efficiency numbers.

Safety has also been given top priority with the new Adaptive Cruise control coming into picture. What it does is maintain a set distance from the car in front and doesn’t need the driver to apply the brakes. If the car is running at 30 kmph, and a crash is imminent or if the driver doesn’t take to braking immediately, the automatic city emergency braking function comes into play. It will automatically brake the car and avoid the collision. This is quite similar to the safety features which we have seen in Volvo cars. Actually all this technology is taken under lease from Volvo Motors. Another noteworthy safety feature is the driver drowsy warning system. If the car determines that the driver is drowsy{which it does by checking on his driving habits and how many times has he crossed the markings}, then it gives him an audible as well as message warning on the dashboard. A tea cup would show up on the dash signaling the driver that it is time to take a break. If still the driver doesn’t pay attention, then the car would send shudders via the steering wheel and at the last stage, the car would stop on its own accord to prevent fatalities. When crash tested, the new Volkswagen Passat 2011 mirrored the scores from its outgoing model and that was a perfect 5. This means that the Volkswagen Passat 2011 is one of the safest cars in its class.

The Volkswagen Passat 2011 would be made in India at the company’s Aurangabad facility. Sharing its underpinnings with the Volkswagen Jetta would help its matter as well. The interiors would be as comfy as the previous generation one. They are said to be using a lighter color scheme than the ones on the current generation Volkswagen Passat. There is indicated to be a minimal year price increase to offset the rising prices of production. However for all the goodies that you would be getting, this is just a nominal price to pay. The car would make its Indian debut by May 2011.

3 thoughts on “Volkswagen Passat 2011 preview

  1. Volkswagen Passat is definitely one of the best cars in town. Just like a portmanteau this car is also a blend of good looks and awesome performance. What else an owner expect out of his car. At least I won’t expect anything else out of this large family size car. Good to know that this car was unveiled in the Paris Motor Show in the year 2010. I think this car is simply ostentatious especially with those front grille and the very finely crafted headlamps. I heard that in the new Volkswagen Passat one can find a new feature which includes an automatic emergency braking and the fatigue detection system. I hope as u said the interiors will be very elegant with the leather upholstered seats. The Volkswagen group have decided to discontinue all the diesel versions of the car which were Volkswagen Passat Highline DSG S and the Volkswagen Passat Headline DSG. But I think that still this car is well placed in the heart of the Volkswagen aficionados because of powerpack performance and the fully loaded features.

  2. I wanna know if the new passat is also coming with a v6 engine in india… And if yes then when is it coming… Please inform

    1. As of now, Volkswagen aren’t too keen on bringing in a petrol model. If they do announce it, we would let you know.

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