SKETCHED OUT: Volkswagen's Next-Gen Passat Detailed BUT Is It Too BORING And BLAND Compared To Its Competitors?

You know, if you go to Volkswagen's American website, you'll notice that its product portfolio is pretty...bland. This is coming from VW owner. When I leaf through what's currently available, I am not overly impressed with the products or their technology.

It seems like VW is coasting when it is supposed to be attacking to capture market share. Considering the company's lofty sales goals, it's surprising to see this lackadaisical attitude in the North American market.

When I look at the current-gen Passat, I just think "milquetoast." From the outside to the inside, it's a snoozefest. And when you have stylish products in form of the Ford Fusion, 2015 Hyundai Sonata and Mazda 6, it makes me think what is VW's plan. Well, it recently let out sketches of the all-new, upcoming B8 Passat.

Though it's said that this vehicle will be better in just about every way than the current product, it's design doesn't appear to be taking a walk on the wild side. Maybe it doesn't have to but I am just curious as to why VW purchased Giugiaro then.

**Check out the images of the sketched B8 Passat below!

When considering STYLING ALONE, do YOU think that the all-new, B8 Passat is lacking compared to the current marketplace of competitors?

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ParadoX - 5/26/2014 10:02:55 PM

+6 Boost

I dunno, I haven't seen it

Dexter1 - 5/26/2014 10:23:40 PM

+4 Boost

Ha ha. Exactly!

TheSteve - 5/26/2014 10:29:57 PM

+5 Boost

Show me the car, not an artist's deception.

Agent00R - 5/26/2014 10:47:57 PM

-2 Boost

These are sketches released from VW itself.

This is not an artists rendering that is an educated guess.

ParadoX - 5/26/2014 11:19:22 PM

+4 Boost

Oh Come on. Concepts and released sketches are one thing. The production model is another. If the Passat looks more like the CC, that is a good thing, but the problem is we know nothing about the next passat.

Agent00R - 5/26/2014 11:45:54 PM

-2 Boost

Jesus, you guys really need to be spoon fed.

We know NOTHING about the Passat? Did you even bother to click over and read more?

Blakura - 5/27/2014 7:17:28 AM

+1 Boost

Could this sketch be the next generation Phaeton? Rumor has it that the next Phaeton will compete with cars like the Ford Taurus and Chrysler 300...or the Passat has to be restrained to allow the Phaeton to be the eye-catcher for the brand?

autobroker - 5/27/2014 2:53:37 PM

+3 Boost

This is the European Passat that's been on many other websites. Why doesn't the author of this story know this if they saw these pics, they'd know this.

MattDarringer - 5/27/2014 5:00:44 PM

+1 Boost

What would lead anyone to believe VW will do anything stylish? They do an all new Golf that looks just like the old one. The next Passat which will again be a "world" Passat will be as staid as the current Euro and American versions are. The NMS Passat was a hastily created stop-gap that shows it's a stop-gap unfortunately.

The Passat is essentially a "super" Jetta. When they did the NMS, they widened the cabin. When you sit in one you will notice that the steering wheel feels off center to the driver's orientation. That's because it is. The old platform had widening limits and the NMS exceeded them.

The MQB Passat will not have that constraint.

If we could get some styling in the mix, a hybrid, a plug-in hybrid, and a GLI version in addition to the base and TDI models, we would be quite pleased. VW's own research shows that there are customers who want hybrids and plug-in hybrids who will not consider a TDI. VW is basically ignoring sales they could be grabbing.

cidflekken - 5/27/2014 5:06:45 PM

+1 Boost

The sketch looks phenomenal, better than any VW or Audi sedan. BUT, based on the steel body cage, the production model won't look as dynamic. So, it'll be more of a Passat than a CC and if it follows the current model's design elements, it'll be a big, fat, DUD.

kingsley - 5/28/2014 2:56:37 AM

+2 Boost

Pictures of the VW Magotan, the Chinese stretched version, are available since a week or two online. This is lazy reporting. The NA Passat is a fine looking car for people who like classic lines. We have them here in Beirut. The current B7 European Passat is not a particularly good looking car, deriving as it does from the strangely crablike B6. The new B8 Passat is a lovely looking car in my book, but in Europe we are very well served by excellent dealerships and aware of the good quality of those cars. I do not think from what I have read that this applies to NA Volkswagen, sadly. The two pictures of the Magotan interior that have surfaced show a much more refined and luxurious dashboard and Auto Bild, the German car magazine, has a fine rendition of the car in its pages, which to me looks classy and not the least bit like either a running shoe, with creases and folds everywhere, nor like a Japanese knockoff. We are not all fashion victims, and some of us like to appreciate a fine car over more than just 3 or 5 years before changing it for something newer.
Apparently VW NA is going to do a major facelift of your American Passat next year, not that I think it needs one, to entice you difficult and faddy types into liking it more! But, please, before posting on Autospies, do a little homework first. it's not only Americans reading this website!!!!!!