You might not realise
that this new top-of-the-range, mid-size saloon car from Volkswagen
is actually a rather exciting prospect, until you drive it! The
Passat V6 FSI is like a powerfully-efficient secret agent in full and
perfect disguise. On crowded Dubai streets, you might not notice this
efficient performer amongst all the glamorous, go-getting
Mercedes-Benz and BMW cars. In a blink of an eye the powerful Passat
is gone, disappearing a little quicker than you might imagine
possible. Volkswagen Passat is a
good looking car with strong and modern body lines, giving the sixth
incarnation of the Passat model range a well-thought-out yet
understated look – a sense of ‘not-shouting’ style that VW are
always keen to shout about. This car, after all, is aimed at a
professional man or woman who doesn’t feel the need to announce
their arrival with oversized wheels, spoilers and bonnet bulges. But,
thanks to that V6 engine first seen in the pleasing R32 Golf, the
pumped-up Passat is more than ready for some action; if you’re
feeling boisterous, that is. Its performance figures
speak for themselves; underneath that mild-mannered exterior lays a
250bhp, 3.2-litre V6 engine that really tugs the Passat along by the
collar with plenty of gusto, even though the car is fairly well
weighed down with luxury - 100kph comes in just 6.9-seconds whilst
the top speed is a dragster-esque 246kph. This saloon is no slouch. All of this pulsating
performance is well wrapped-up in the right safety package too,
meaning the driving experience is never frightening; it’s more
enlightening; the grip and composure of the chassis and suspension
buoying-up your bravado and turning you into a better driver the more
you push the car. This road-tester certainly enjoyed the Passat
through twists and turns and roundabouts. VW’s well-developed
4MOTION four-wheel drive system, again seen to good effect on the
Golf R32, works a treat in the Passat too, distributing the engine
torque to all four corners of the car within micro-seconds, instant
decisions that all add up to a nicely planted car that’s happy to
receive the ‘point-and-shoot’ treatment usually reserved for what
people call ‘pure drivers cars’ and not motorway cruise-liners,
of which this car must surely more honestly call itself. The smooth and silky
engine grunt is pretty well faultlessly delivered by the
state-of-the-art, twin-clutch DSG gearbox; giving you fast upwards
and downwards gear changes in full auto mode, or by using the
nicely-precise ‘up and down’ paddles nestling behind the luxury
and sporty steering wheel of the Passat. Switch the gearbox into the
sport mode and things get really racy with delayed up-shifts and revy
‘gear-holding’ that keeps the engine power and the mechanical
soundtrack in their sweet spots, heightening your senses and driving
pleasure. So, is the Passat a pure-bred driver’s car or a motorway
kilometre-eater? Well, it’s a bit of both. Your only clue to the hot
VW’s performance prowess come from the extra chrome on the
medallion-shaped front grille, the staring, challenging headlights
and circuit-inspired, multi-spoke alloy wheels – and all this is
only probably spotted by the more trained and in-touch automotive
eye, leaving the rest of the car to exude a decent level of quality,
but never flamboyance. Inside you are again
greeted with good quality and all the luxury and technology you could
ever realistically need. The front seats are simply stunning; a work
of automotive art in sandy-beige Alcantara – beautiful to behold
and completely at your adjustment-command in twelve different
electronically-assisted directions. Just lovely! The beige-theme does
continue, a little too much in my opinion, throughout the rest of the
interior, with many of the plastic surfaces that met my eye just that
little bit too, well, beige. There are other colour options with
which to deck-out your own Passat interior, so you can banish the
beige if you like, but just make sure you keep those fabulous seats,
as every day that you nestle down into them will be a real treat.
