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More pictures of the all new European VW Passat

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Looking quite nice and upscale. That interior is miles ahead of our “US/China” model.
And it doesn’t look that much smaller inside.
All we’ll be getting over here is a revised version of our current model for 2016.
Which could include a similar front end.
Which means that even if VW wanted to send this one over here, it would be at least 2 or 3 years.

This is just too bad….

Conversation 6 comments

  1. Its…O:K. But small enough to be frustratingly clostraphobic for a 6'+ American (which is WHY you won't see it in the US) (Also why the "American/Chinese" model is a sales success whereas it's smaller predecessor was a sales nightmare in the US.)

  2. Your average German or Dutch person is taller than the average American, so the notion that this is "frustratingly claustrophobic" is ridiculous.

    Width-wise, Americans are a lot larger, but not height. Perhaps you mean 6'+ gringo-girth which is about right.

    The American/Chinese model is somewhat successful because it is cheap, and that's all. Nobody associates a VW Passat here with a price tag of 40k (that's what the German Passat costs) because that is well into entry luxury money.

  5. The current Passat is the result of a conscious decision that VW made to go after the Camry and Accord. They dumbed-down the tactile quality and content, took the genuine woodgrain out and installed the fake stuff for dumb pear-shaped Americans that don't value good design. The reality is, Americans don't need barge sized cars any more than Eurpeans do. But we have a hoarding Walmart culture where we are always trying to get more than we pay for. Americans would rather spend 25k every five years for a crummy car than to spend $45k every ten years for an exceptional car.

  6. October 13, 2014 at 12:52 PM I disagree completely. I drive a 5 series instead of an A4 or 335xi ONLY because the roof is to low in the others. In Asia they use Corrolas as taxis like Europeans use c classes and passats. I refuse to get into the cramped little buggers. Americans, on average, are taller, maybe only by and inch or two but thats the difference between hitting your head or clearing the roof by an easy inch. (The VW only costs that much in Europe because the cost of living is higher (standard of living lower) and because of the trade imbalance.) NOT because it has better switch gear or real wood (which it doesnt)

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