We might be living in a world of equals today but really, it is a world of best among equals. Especially with regard to cars. Today it’s just not enough to have a big, expensive car. Engineering helps, but the most important thing for the moving metal, especially at the higher end of the scale, is the badge on the grille. And no longer is it good enough to have a pointed star on the hood. Nope! Take, for example, Mercedes. The German has been around for so long in India, it has become default high-street furniture. What really gets people rubber-necking is having a moniker that’s as common as Arnold in a romantic comedy.
And therein lies Volkswagen’s biggest advantage. In Europe, the VW guys might have been punching above their weight a bit to compete with Mercedes and BMW. In India though, a late entry helps them tremendously with the exclusivity factor. They are setting up shop here and come December, Passats will be rolling off the production line. Until then, the Passat enjoys a sense of exclusivity, something that it just can’t manage in Europe.
That’s because the Passat for now will be imported by Kashyap Vehicle Works (the Volkswagen dealer) as a CBU. The Passat as a brand isn’t new. It’s been around for over three decades and has succeeded in glueing 13 million bums to Volkswagen driving seats. Also, Volkswagen owns a lot of badges and it’s no secret that lots of bits are shared between them, something that holds true with the Passat as well.
So, while the most recent Passat, and the first two, all shared their underskin architecture with Audis, this one is based on the stretched version of the current Golf platform. But it’s not something you would be able to tell from the outside. The shiny supersize grill upfront gives it the VW family look while the high shoulderline makes it look pretty hefty. But it’s a rather nondescript shape and dare I say it, not German enough. Side-on it does look a bit awkward and I think this is partly due to the large front and rear overhangs . However, exterior detailing with mirror-mounted indicators, LED tail lamps and just the right amount of chrome is fantastic.
As far as interiors go, the Volkswagen parts bin is pretty shallow. So if you’ve been around Skodas and Audis for a while, you will notice the instrument console from the A8 and dials and knobs from various Skodas. But the concoction of plastic and aluminium facing the driver is heady and shows why cabin quality is a closely guarded VW forte. If you spend a lot of time looking out of your side window when stationary (not while lighting up your rear tyres), the Passat’s interiors are great to spend time in.
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