STUD or DUD: Is The All-New Volkswagen Passat Worthy Of YOUR Driveway? There's Just ONE Catch...

Hey isn't that Audi new dash, before Audi has it?

Officially, meh.

I used to be a huge fan of VW but the last two designs have left me wanting more. How is this supposed to move the passat upmarket? It looks just as bland as the current one. VW needs to hire a whole new design team.

I really like this one. It looks more stately. I am a bit jealous that it has the instrument cluster that the A7 has. Don't even have that on my A5.

It looks very nice, NOT overstated as some vehicles are today. The Hyundai Sonata even took a small step back from it's over stated headlights design, etc from their previous model. Now if they can ensure improved quality control.

No. Because I would rather own an Accord or Mazda6. The VW is a nice car, but the competition bests it I am afraid.

Concept art is sweet. Interior is great. Exterior is an exterior. It has some metal and 4 round wheels and headlights and taillights and some glass to see through. BORING AS FUCK come on VW.

I like it… Keep in mind I was most drawn to the Wagon… cough where is our, US Model Wagon, cough! I guess the Golf Variant, cough, wagon, will do.

I gotta admit, I like it much better than the outgoing model. HOWEVER, it has a strong resemblance to the A3 and, IMO a MUCH better interior, with more room. So, at the price point, I'd easily go with a Passat over the bloated-looking A3. If there's a downside, the new profile looks much like the Passat B6 (granted, that was an attractive car).

I hope it is better. I rented a turbo Passat and it would a terrible driving car. The transmission will continuously shift to high gear and dreadful turbo lag which would kill performance. A thoroughly disappointment car.

The DSG is an especially vile transmission with strange shifting and a penchant for premature failure. An 8 or 9 speed conventional automatic would be far better. I had an opportunity to drive a Chrysler 200 for a while recently and really liked the 9 speed.

Still not a huge fan of the headlight/grille style, but it is evolving to be a little better. Overall, I like the design. Has an understated look without being to gimmicky.

It doesn't need to be US bound. It's almost identically sized but looks like the American Passat that were it to be produced here for sale, customers would not be able to distinguish it from the current one. It would have carryover engines and the same problematic DSG transmission, so there really is no reason to retool. The MQB Passat is not an advancement over the European or American Passat. Given how the market for this size of a car in Europe is shrinking rapidly, they should have saved the money doing an MQB Passat and just shipped the NMS Passat to Europe.

The MQB Passat isn't ugly, but in no way is it memorable. The nose attempts to have more style but it didn't quite happen. The dash is nice, but not an advancement in any way.

I say dud.

This is a great design for its segment. Too bad VWs strategy is a different product for the USA; a refresh of this magnitude in the USA would reverse the sales slide. Hopefully we'll receive a CC based on this soon. Can't wait to see it!

What are the refreshes you see that are of "magnitude"?

looks like a cheap audi....yuck

Well Duh? Isn't that what it is? A cheaper version of an AUDI? Just like our TOUAREG is a cheaper version of a CAYENNE. Or in your TOYOTA/LEXUS biased world, a CAMRY is a cheaper version of an IS or an AVALON a cheaper version of an ES. Or is it vice versa?

And that is VW marketing blunder. VW in the USA routinely steps on Audi styling cues and price points. A Jetta GLI and the mechanically similar A3 overlap too much. What VW sees is that VW is near-premium (i.e. a step up from Honda/Toyota) and Audi as premium. BMW and Mercedes are pursuing a near-premium/premium strategy and so should Audi. VW needs to be a mainstream brand well BELOW Audi.

There should NOT be a CC that is almost as small as a Jetta for a higher price point than a Passat. VW needs an Impala/Avalon/Taurus not a CC.

Matt I agree with you and think VW needs to revise their pricing strategy but I am not in the car business. I still would like to purchase a 2015 GTI. A 2 door SE with a manual and lighting package.

@USNA1999 Lease it. If you buy, get an extended warranty. If you go easy with the options it's not terrible on price.

Matt, first my premise is that Audi/VW both evolve slowly and that is to their credit; admittedly I always anticipate them to be more progressive, yet they never end up producing dumpy, over-stylized products. What I believe is an example of their sound strategy: the A6's roofline was introduced in Europe in 1997 and anyone could say they are bored with it - - but its not suffering in the market and it appears as fresh as current Es or 5s. AND Audi has been able to use investment capital to enter new segments instead of focusing on fast turn styling. They let the Koreans and Japanese brands bounce about trying new random styling at every model change or so. For example I can't tell the lineage of an Accord or Genesis - they both grab all kinds of design elements; new Fusion vs. old. Volvo? Once they had a stately utilitarianism, now they have an ovoid language like one might expect from a new Taurus. I think the clean angular elements in the Passat's rear and side tie nicely to the Golf yet are more upscale - towards the Phaeton; the sides are taught with attractive sheet metal reliefs without being cartoonishly swoopy like Elantra / Sonatas. The C Pillar is refreshed with elegant proportion and the front wheel surrounds and headlight assemblies have refined forms w forward leaning elements like a BMW yet still very Passat. I do wish the grille bars in the styling sketches transitioned a bit more obviously into the headlamps. Thanks for asking. Perhaps we agree - - I'd love to see the effort put in the CC rather appear in the US Jetta and Passat, although I appreciate a new CC every time I see one.

The problem with your rosy view of how Zen VW is, is the fact that they wanted to sell 800K units a year in the USA by 2018 and their sales are IMPLODING in 2014. The American market rewards flash. If you need proof, place a call to Mercedes Benz and BMW.

The BS that might work in Europe (meet the new Passat same as the old Passat) simply will NOT work here. And we can get philosophical about how VWAG's styling stagnation is a virtue, but it's about sales.

Yes, Audi is increasing its sales but Audi as a brand is well below BMW and Mercedes in sales:

Mercedes MY 2013 334,350
BMW MY 2013 309,280
Audi MY 2013 158,061

Product drives sales and clearly Audi's products are NOT making that happen.

The strategy simply isn't working where it counts: the show room.

VW MY 2013 407,704

Bottom line: 100% sales increase in 4 years WILL NOT happen without GAME CHANGING products.

For once some intelligent comment. Out here in Europe we love these classic VW group cars.

If it only looked more like the concept sketches, it would have been a contender.

The profile view of the front looks nice, reminiscent of the old BMW 7 series headlights.

I see some Phaeton and old A8 in this.

So many of these 'boring' quotes above tell us why the US does not deserve and will not get this jewel of a car, with all its amazing technical advances. You want a car that looks like a running shoe? OK buy Korean and Japanese, hang out with boring fashionista Mercs and faux-angry Bimmers then, and ignore stateliness and timeless good taste. Anyway the US Passat will apparently be getting a facelift next year. You want cheap petrol, cheap car prices, cheap cheap cheap 'consumer choice'? You get what you pay for, brothers. We have a very different view of VW in Europe. Our last Passat ran beautifully for 12 years (a wonderful classic B5 'wagon') before we traded it in for a secondhand V8 Phaeton. Oh, yes, you did not want that, either. Those of us who know rate it above any Mercedes or BMW. You all think 'The world needs America'? Time to get a little more realistic folks. Maybe VW is doing fine as it is.